Pueblo

I am currently sitting in a café in Pueblo.  I woke up at four this morning to make it to an Obama campaign rally.  Originally, I was suppose to attend a rally focused on the Farm Bill and water issues in the West, but that event was 4-5 hours away.  Part of this whole “get Martha to an event” was so I could speak to the President about young agrarianism.  I knew in many ways it was a long shot for me to actually have a short one-on-one with the President, but slowly but surely several folks in the background were working hard for me.  It was their idea.  The Pueblo event was not centered on water issues or the Farm Bill, but I could possibly speak to the President.  Last night around five I received a phone call from the “Obama people.”  They said they had my ticket.  For a while, last night it seemed like everyone had pulled the right strings and I was supposed to represent young agrarians out there.  Of course, the Oval Office’s schedule changed and they decided no one could meet with him before hand.  *shrug*

I still wanted to go and see him in person.  I arrived for the event on time and was ushered into the “public VIP” (that’s my name for it) section.  I was just 10 feet from the podium.  We were packed in but I had a clear view of the stump.  After almost two hours, he arrived.  He thanked the citizens of Pueblo for being so welcoming and more.  I felt a bit out of place not being from Pueblo or Colorado.  I still had a good time listening to what he had to say.  The crowd was exuberant. 

At the end of his speech, he proceeded to do a lap.  I was able to reach my hand out and shake his (twice!).  I also decided to see if I could get his attention and ask him, “not to forget the young agrarians.”  He proceeded to shake other hands but made some eye contact.  I feel drawn now, since I’ve been thinking about what I would say to him anyway, writing my congressman and maybe the Whitehouse about the lack of accessibility for young people interested in agriculture.  There is a great need for basic training. Much of the funding in the current Farm Bill supports organizations who have training programs, but little of this funding is focused on getting people the basic and necessary training one needs to even get to the point where they can create a business plan and execute.  Many of the current up and coming gagrarians are separated from the “family farm” by two or more generations.  Accessibility to training for those who have not grown up in agriculture is imperative to the future of feeding America and generating local economies that feed the great economy.    

http://www.chieftain.com/multimedia/president-barack-obama-s-aug-speech-in-pueblo-colorado/youtube_888f9ccc-e24a-11e1-b2be-001a4bcf887a.html

I’m in this clip, but most of the time behind the secret service agents head (the bald one). 

Okay, my four AM wake up is catching up with me…