'Being a farmer is a very proud profession'

Proud Young Farmers connects farmers and citizens. Dairy farmer Naomi de Rijk wants more people to know what farmers do. In this piece she talks about it. "My goal is that people all over the world will say: Farming is a proud profession."

While I'm mucking out the straw pens, all sorts of things are always flying through my head. The feeling that I need to make myself heard rears its head today. I want to show the fire we face as farmers, what is going on at the company, the unrest in the sector.

Sir, madam, do you already know? Do you already know that we take care of your dinner? That we care for nature together with our livestock? That we know better than anyone the importance of sustainable action?

But did you also know that we are not sure whether we can keep cows in the barn next year? That I am not sure whether I will have a future as a farmer after my education?'

These thoughts are becoming more and more important to me. Because at our company at home we have had enough to deal with the consequences of regulations and restrictions. That's why I often thought: am I crazy? Are we as farmers really doing that badly? But when I'm standing in the feeding alley at the end of the day watching the cows eat grass so greedily that you could almost start it yourself, luckily that thought quickly disappears from my head.

Because as much as I want people to realize what kind of difficulties we are in, I also want people to enjoy what we do. My goal is that people all over the world will say: Farmer that is a proud profession. Farmers produce food, the basic necessity of life. But to realize that, people have to know what we do. And therefore the encouragement for all farmers: show what you do and why you do something. If someone doesn't understand something, be patient and explain it. Be open to innovation and improvement. We don't know everything either. But that change of mindset will only come if we let ourselves be heard and if we go for it together. The old saying goes: Alone you go faster, but together you go further.

Written by: Naomi de Rijk