Mar 19, 2010

From the Editor

As I headed down the road to my first day as assistant editor at Vegetable Growers News, I was reminded of a time several years ago when I left my home state of Michigan for the plains of Nebraska. It was snowing then, too. And like that day years ago, the desire to get on the job and make a good impression weighed heavily on my mind. So, I drove carefully and paid attention to what was going on around me so as not to get into trouble.

I spent my college years in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and was eager to get started in my job as a content writer for Cabela’s in Sidney, Neb. After a while there, I was offered the opportunity to move back to the Great Lakes as a book editor with Gun Digest in Wisconsin. When the economy wreaked havoc in the book world, I took an exit off that slippery road and have parked my truck back in Michigan.

My background in the outdoor sporting industry, combined with my early years spent on my grandfather’s farm, have provided me with the foundation I need to cover the nation’s fruit and vegetable industries. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of this new role. In fact, my earliest memories are of riding on the tractor with my grandfather as he worked his potato fields. Later, as the crops changed, so did my role. Soon I was herding cows and pigs around and then, too, I had to pay close attention to what I was doing. Pigs can be tough critters at times, but once you learn your way around them, they aren’t that bad.

So, I’ve gone from guns and hunting to fruits and vegetables. Not really that big of a switch if you think about it. The two industries are very similar in structure and culture. Farmers are looking to grow bigger and better crops. Hunters are looking to grow bigger and better deer. I’m planning to take what I learn here and plant some apple trees around my hunting land — kind of a two-birds-one-stone philosophy.

I will be the first to admit that I don’t know much about growing fruits and vegetables – yet. I know some from my college days, but I’m coming at this with an open mind and a thirst for knowledge.

So, like my first drive into work, I’ll take things cautiously and pay careful attention to what I’m doing and to what is going on around me. I want to make a good impression on you, my readers. And I want to provide you with the information you need to grow and market your crops. As I settle in here in my new position, I’d love to hear from you. Please drop me a line or give me a call and tell me how my driving is. You can e-mail me at [email protected] or call me at 616-887-9008, ext. 107.