In the midst of a down economy, I have found myself struggling in a downward spiral of worry and stress. When the outlook on so many things in our economy is dim I have found it hard to be the optimistic person I normally am. I have been worried about off-farm job security, high input prices, and low farm receipts. I have stressed over what will happen to my family’s farm if these trends continue.

But today, I am happy to report a smile is back on my face! I am no longer hanging my head low; instead I am looking forward to the future more now then I have in along time. Why the sudden change? I caught something that is very contagious. No, I am not talking about the flu, but something much more pleasant. I am once again infected by excitement for the many opportunities in agriculture! Yes, even in the midst of trying times it is possible to catch such excitement and enthusiasm.

I am very thankful I had the opportunity to attend a Collegiate Young Farmers meeting at Virginia Tech this past week. The room was filled with young people excited about agriculture. I have been to many such meetings before, but this time it was different. It is hard to explain how motivating and refreshing it is to me to witness the enthusiasm of these young people in such trying economic times. Several students told of their love for agriculture even though they did not grow up on a farm. Many of the students want to pursue careers in agriculture while others are already starting their own farm operations. They told how they know its not going to be easy but they know being involved in agriculture will be worth the effort. As the students discussed this year’s Discussion Meet questions, their solutions to challenges facing the agriculture industry made every issue seem more like a positive opportunity than something negative. I begin to look at all that has been worrying me as an opportunity instead of a challenge. What a difference one word and one thought can make!

The students reminded me that there are great opportunities for people to enter the agricultural industry (over 200 careers), that there is growth potential in production agriculture and that together we can make a difference. In fact, agriculture has the potential to help be a solution to many of the problems our economy is facing. What an exciting thought! New jobs created by producing more clean energy, farmers expanding production to include crops for bio-fuels, and more bio-technology to use agriculture products in the medical industry. The renewed sense of optimism that I caught from the Young Farmers at Virginia Tech is contagious! I hope you catch it too and help spread it around!