What comes to mind when you think of harvest?  Are you annoyed with slow moving equipment on the road, dust in the air, concerns about chemicals sprayed on those fields and why GMOs are used? Or do you love the smell and golden tones of harvest, watching grains and produce of all varieties be brought in from the field?

I’ll openly admit I have no idea what it’s like to be on the outside of harvest. It’s always been a part of my life, from the time I was in pigtails hand picking sweet corn and strawberries on my family’s farm to later years of baling hay, combining corn and chopping silage. Harvest is a marking of time – and just like planting – it seemingly puts the world in order for people who farm.

If you had an inside look at harvest, you’d find a model of efficiency and teamwork with business owners working side-by-side with employees. You’d find more technology being used in today’s farm equipment than you’ll likely use in an entire year. You’d understand risking millions in an annual bet against Mother Nature and fluctuating global markets. You’d see the precision of people operating equipment worth half a million dollars operating within two feet of each other.

Contrary to what some would lead you to believe, the fields being harvested have been carefully tended to, starting with soil tests after last year’s harvest – all the way through to carefully monitoring what is planted, which inputs are the most effective and what will best promote soil health. The environment is considered in every step – likely far more closely than the pristine manicured lawn of most homeowners. And once a product is harvested, its quality is closely monitored before it goes through the science of fermentation or processing.

However, the real story of harvest is not in the products grown or the equipment used. The real story is in the people. It is in the dad carefully lifting his toddler into the tractor cab so they can have some time sharing laughter and joy in the field. It’s in the mom pulling the grain cart alongside the combine with absolute precision. It is in three generations working side-by-side in harmony in spite of claims being made about them being an “industrial farm” because their business has grown to several thousand acres. It’s in the family and employees gathering around the bed of a pick-up truck to enjoy an evening meal during a 16-hour work day, surrounded by nature and the most glorious sunsets.

The beauty of harvest is in the eye of the beholder. However, those with an insider’s look need to do more to share the beauty of harvest from your vantage point. If you’re on the inside, explain to people why you make the choices you do for your family business – and share some pictures of autumn’s glory in the fields.

If you’re on the outside of harvest, ask questions through social media or in real life. Most farmers I know will gladly talk your ear off about their equipment, but they have no idea what it is like to be on the outside of harvest. They will give you answers if asked politely about their practices. Some farmers even have drones to show you what their fields look like. Please just remember the real story is in the people out there growing products that eventually end up on your food plate. And they are trying to do the right thing to be sure harvests are happening four generations from now.