Humans of Agriculture- Ann's story.

This week's Humans of Agriculture posts are sponsored by Cargill. I thank them for their support of my blog and their work towards diversity in the workplace. To read more about Cargill's commitment to diversity check out their website HERE.

"I realize that I work in a very conservative industry and was nervous about telling people I was gay and not getting their business because of it.  But at the same time I didn’t want to lie about my personal life either. As my relationships grew stronger with people I was calling on, eventually personal conversations come up and I would tell them my story.  I felt like if a person is going to ask me about my personal life, then they better be ready to hear the answer.

So far I do not think anybody I have worked with cares that I am gay.  I am a people person and building relationships is one of my strongest assets.  I feel if you can’t get past my personal life, then we shouldn’t work together.

The first time I came out to my client was a few years ago.  He is in his 50’s from Portugal and pretty reserved. He had been my customer already for about a year and asked me if I had a boyfriend or husband.  I told him I did not, but had a girlfriend. He went on to tell me how his niece was gay and how everybody should love who they love. It made me smile.  I wasn’t sure how he would take it, but after talking to him, I thought to myself, if he is good with it, I can talk to anyone about being gay.

I have come across other young adults starting out in the ag industry who are gay and have supported them and have shared my experiences with them.  I have not met a person yet that cared I was gay or not. Bottom line, we are here to help in this challenging industry and if our personal lives are something they do not agree with, then we do not have to work with them.  There are enough producers out there who will gladly work with us. We are all just trying to live our best lives."

Ann is a dairy calf and heifer specialist with Cargill, you can learn more about her career HERE. If you'd like to see Ann share her passion for working with farmers and caring for their animals, check out the video on THIS page.