Our Rural Roots

Jennifer Campbell, Contributor

I've always believed the real stuff of life isn't found in the big headlines or once-in-a-lifetime trips. It's in the everyday happenings that don't get the spotlight but shape who we are.

That's why I recently launched a storytelling series on my personal website called "Our Way of Life."

Stories are good for the soul -- for the one who writes them and the one who reads them. I share many of mine on the pages of this magazine, and I wanted a way to give others a voice.

"Our Way of Life" is a home for real stories from real people who keep rural America alive -- whether you work in ag business, a lab helping crops thrive, at a co-op or from the cab of a tractor.

I wanted to create a space for the tales that don't always get told. The ones about ordinary days, unexpected detours, simple joys and the heartbreaks that leave a mark. A place to share the thing that made you, broke you or still lives inside you -- and just as importantly, a place where someone else could read it and think, "me, too."

And, I'm inviting you to share your story. You don't have to be a professional writer. If it matters to you, it matters. Whether it's funny or raw, nostalgic or hard-won, it belongs. These words should tell the story of rural America.

This effort isn't just about farming. It's about people. One day, our grandkids might scroll through these words and see exactly what this life looked and felt like -- what mattered to us, what we carried and what we chose to pass down.

"Our Way of Life" is for anyone and everyone in agriculture, because we all have stories worth telling. And, someone out there needs and wants to hear it.

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-- Jennifer (Jent) Campbell captures life by word and camera from a seven-generation Indiana family farm. Find the "Our Way of Life" series and how to contribute at Farm Wife Feeds (https://farmwifefeeds.com/…). Follow her on Twitter @plowwife and on the @girlstalkag podcast.

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