Our Rural Roots

Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, Contributor

Each year at the State Fair of Texas, my kids make a sign that reads: "Ask me about my sheep" or "Ask me about my steer." They position their chairs in the walkway and wait for fair visitors to come by. And, come by they do. One year, I lost count at 75 people about two hours into the first day.

It is fascinating to watch people from different worlds come together to have a conversation. Some are a little shy to start. Others jump right in. My kids report their most common questions include the names of the animals (a variety of answers, including Nugget, Funnel Cake and Cheeseball, to name a few), whether the kids ride them (no, because Mom would kill us) and if they bite (only if we are too slow feeding them their animal cracker snacks).

The conversations don't always go perfectly. For example, a sweet lady asked my kids what their sheep eat. My son replied, "Well, that one eats a can and a half (of feed), and that one eats a can and a quarter, and the Dorset is on a diet, so she just gets a can." The poor woman was surely looking for a simple response like "corn."

I wonder how many of the world's problems might be solved if people with different backgrounds took a minute to talk, get to know each other, ask a few questions and see where the other person is coming from.

It makes me smile to know that for a few hundred people in Dallas, Texas -- many of them from different backgrounds and races and beliefs -- will think of my kids and their sheep when they hear something about farmers or ranchers.

Will that change the world? In a time that often seems full of division and polarization, it just might be a start.

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-- Tiffany Dowell Lashmet juggles family, farming, writing, livestock and a career in ag law from the Texas Panhandle. Follow her on Instagram @alwaysafarmkid, on social platform X @TiffDowell and on her blog at https://alwaysafarmkid.wordpress.com/…

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