By Christine Morris
Assistant Editor

I remember sitting in the strawberry patch of my parents’ garden, pulling weeds until my hands were stained red. Well, my parents caught on pretty quick. Instead of pulling weeds, I would sneak succulent strawberry after strawberry into my mouth. Shortly after they moved me over to the tomatoes, but that didn’t last long either.

I loved working in the garden because it was a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the Twin Cities I grew up in. And even though I was surrounded by sky scrapers and a few thousand lakes, I always felt a close connection to the land.

At the same time my biggest task in the garden was pulling weeds, I knew I had the gift of writing. Only, I never would have guessed I would be doing it for the agriculture industry some day.

After high school I played basketball for Bemidji State University before transferring to University of Wisconsin-Madison my junior year. I planned to be a journalist, but I couldn’t stand the thought of ignoring my love for science and regaining that connection to the land I felt so many years ago. So I was advised to follow an agricultural journalism curriculum.

Throughout the rest of my college career, I delved into the agricultural sciences and sharpened up my journalism skills through multiple science writing opportunities at the university.

Now I’m ready to live out my dream. I want to be an outlet for you to share your story. And whether you and your family have been in agriculture for centuries or merely a year, I’ll do my best to connect you with the people and resources that can make a difference in your own profession.

Even though I didn’t grow up on a farm, I am convinced that through my natural love for the land, desire to learn and your generous guidance, I’ll be a successful agricultural journalist.

Great American Publishing has given me the opportunity to live out my passion and I encourage you to let me help you live out yours.

You can e-mail Christine at writer@fruitgrowersnews.com