Today we went to the farm of Mitch Meyer and met him and Renae Zoske. Together they run a crop insurance agency. The interesting thing about Mitch and Renae is that they are also farmers. This allows them to have a personal connection to their clients because they understand first-hand what a farmer needs and have actually used the product they’re selling. In a business, such as farming, it is hard to understand the woes of a farmer unless you are a farmer yourself. It makes sense for the seller of farmer insurance to be a farmer themselves. Farming insurance protects a farmer against the many unpredictable things that affect a farmer’s yield. This can be weather, soil problems, pests etc. Farming insurance makes sure that a farmer can get paid even if he runs into these common unpredictable problems. Without farmers insurance, it would be near impossible for small family farms to stay afloat. It was very interesting to hear how the government plays a role in farming.

After lunch, we ventured out to help deworm goats. We probably were less of a help and more of a hinderance on our host Franklin as he tried to give his baby goats (known as kids) medicine for them to swallow as well as a shot. This is when I learned that the sound of goats crying is akin to the sound of a toddler wailing. Their cries are loud and honestly heartbreaking. I held a goat while it was being given its medicine. The goat was a lot more snuggly than I expected and a small part of me briefly thought “I should get one of these at home,” but then I looked around and the wet, muddy ground we stood in that was a mixture of good old fashion mud and goat feces, and thought “better not.”