To the editor,

Bob Streit’s column in the March 4 issue of Farm News was a literal pot-pourri of subjects including discussion of an article in Successful Farming titled, “Meet your new boss.”

The gist of the story is how millennials (females under age of 35) use their computer savvy and health consciousness to make their food choices.

Bob’s conclusion was who in their right minds would disagree with 100-plus million women?

I do, but then I’ve been accused many times of not “being in my right mind.”

I don’t know where the 100 million figure came from because I doubt there are that many millennial women making the family food-buying decisions, but I disagree with one of the four millennials featured in the article.

For those who didn’t read the article in SF, it featured four women – one interested in ethnic (Mexican) foods, one interested in gluten-free, because of celiac disease, one completely sucked in with organic hype, and, finally, one who believes in a well-rounded diet with fresh produce and doesn’t buy organic because the extra cost is a waste of money.

And, since I’m writing this letter, that’s my kind of millennial.

Guess which one is not? For those of you reading FN for the first time, I am a huge proponent for farming without tillage because, with few exceptions such as manure spills, all pollution in our surface water occurs because of tillage.

And, I’m equally opposed to the “fraud of O.”

The old adage “the consumer is always right” does not apply when, as in this case, she is wrong.

If we continue to operate without doing something, we are guilty of perpetuating the fraud of O because it disavows GMOs which, if outlawed, would require someone to choose which 2 billion we allow to starve.

There is not a better way to express my views than to use the words of millennial Sanura Weathers – “There’s so much to farming that people don’t understand. Consumers need more education. I want farmers to know that I trust our food system, and I thank them for their hard work.”

Amen.

Jerry Crew

Webb