Harvest time has always been one of my favorite times of the year. It's the culmination of all the hard work and long hours you put in planting and taking care of your crops. You are either anxious to see how good it is or just anxious to get it over with in a bad year and prepare to start fresh for the next year.

I also think about where that crop might be going. Is this rice going to be on someones table? Is this corn going to feed cattle or some catfish that might be on my plate? The possibilities are endless but I get the satisfaction of knowing that I'm helping feed people here and even around the world.

Last month I read an article in an area newspaper about the public school system in a nearby town implementing Meatless Wednesdays. This disappointed me because the town is surrounded by agriculture. It appeared the decision was being made by the school nutritionist to promote health.

I talked to a friend who had children in this school district and she was angry. She didn't want her children having lunches without meat because meat is part of a balanced diet. Many parents couldn't understand why one of the major food groups would be taken away from children to promote health. It just didn't make any sense. What was even more upsetting to my friend, was the school lunch calendar. It had cartoon images of livestock on it holding signs that read "No Meat." It also designated Wednesday's as vegetarian lunch day.

Another friend of mine did a great job of putting this issue into perspective. She pointed out it’s important for children to eat nutrient-rich foods to keep them energized and attentive throughout the school day. Meat is a naturally rich source of several nutrients- including iron, zinc and vitamin B12, which play critical roles in cognitive development....(aka helping kids remember what they learn at school each day). If the true goal is to promote health, let's focus on the amount of processing in school lunches, instead of taking it out on meat. Meat plays an important role in a healthy diet.

Several parents contacted the school, and the school board, to express their concerns over eliminating one of the major food groups from their children's diets. For many kids, school lunches are the best meal they may receive all day and it's important for meat to be offered to the children to maintain a healthy body and mind.

My friend told me yesterday her children's school is no longer going to support a desginated "Meatless" lunch day. She was glad the school board heard the concerns of the parents, however, she was also concerned that our public education system is being used as a target to push agendas. It's very important for all of us to watch what is happening in our children's schools.

Immediate Action is needed regarding Senate Bill 1816. Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, New York and Delaware needs your support in opposing the "The Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act". Even though at the surface this bill will only impact farms located in the Chesapeake Watershed, the passing of this bill will impact ALL FARMS in the US. Please understand that we are not against protecting the watershed, Senate Bill 1816 does not accomplish the goal.

In an effort to share our story on why this is important to our industry and our community, we would like to share our state's response (VA) on why we should oppose Senate Bill 1816 and a solution to cleaning up the bay:

Why are farmers opposing Senate Bill 1816, the Chesapeake Clean Water and Restoration Act of 2010?

Virginia farmers, like everyone, want the Chesapeake Bay to be clean and pristine. And we’ve done more than our fair share to help protect it over the past decade. But more needs to be done — by everyone.

Unfortunately, the cure proposed in S. 1816 is a flawed solution. It unfairly blames agriculture for more than 50 percent of all excess nutrients reaching the bay. And it ignores the negative economic and social byproducts of essentially putting the Environmental Protection Agency in charge of every land-use decision within the bay watershed.

This legislation would put the federal government in the position to override every local zoning decision and to second-guess every state environmental regulation. Virginia’s environmental regulations are already stricter than EPA standards, and regulations on top of regulations do not lead to a cleaner bay. They only lead to unrealized goals and broken promises — the very disappointments S. 1816 proposes to cure.

The bill is also flawed because it relies on a computer model that does not account for extensive voluntary clean-up efforts Virginia farmers already have put into place. Just like a GPS device that has outdated maps, this flawed model is skewing the information state and federal government regulators are using to justify the need for increased regulations on farmers.

What do farmers propose to do to clean up the bay?

Farmers support a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced by Reps. Timothy Holden of Pennsylvania and Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, that really addresses what needs to be done to advance the cause of cleaning up the bay.

H.R. 5509, the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act, would force federal agencies to develop more accurate models for where future nutrient control efforts are needed. It would ask farmers to develop conservation plans, plan a timetable for implementing them, and let them achieve that goal without onerous federal oversight.

These plans would be specific to their individual farms, so they would have maximum impact. This legislation is a familiar approach to farmers. It does not set unrealistic deadlines, and it would effectively pick up the smaller farm operations that currently do not have to follow conservation regulations.

Our farming operation is not located in this watershed. However, we feel strongly against the results this bill will have if passed. We are asking all Young Farmers to take a stand and speak out against this bill.

Contact your Senators and Congressman TODAY! Let us know if we can help you with this effort.