Fall is in the air at Illinois State! Even though fall doesn’t technically start until this weekend, leaves have begun to change color, the weather is cooler (seriously, I went from using the air conditioner one night to having winter blankets out the next), pumpkin everything is officially available in stores and coffee shops, and farmers are counting down the days until harvest.
My favorite part of fall is definitely the agriculture. Think about it. Ag is everywhere during this time of year. Corn mazes, pumpkin patches, homemade apple pie….yum!
Last weekend, I was over at our local agri-tourism farm wandering around the corn maze (totally lost, of course). These farms cater to the public to teach them about agriculture by showing them what’s going on. It’s a great opportunity and you should go check one out!
In light of Chipotle’s recent “Scarecrow” advertisement, agri-tourism is all the more important. If you haven’t yet seen it, visit YouTube and search Chipotle Scarecrow, you’ll find it without too much trouble. It’s designed to sway your emotions against what they call “conventional” agriculture. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it in real life…and notice that it is all animation rather than film from real-life farms.
Go watch the video and then go visit a real farm (they are all over the place and the agri-tourism farms are all open and willing to educate their visitors about agriculture). See what you think. Is Chipotle putting out false perspectives on agriculture, or is it all a marketing scheme to get people to buy their burritos?
Don’t forget to enjoy some fresh apple cider and pick out a pumpkin to carve for Halloween while you’re visiting your local agri-tourism farm! 🙂
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