Growing up in “The Thumb” of Michigan, agriculture is not just making food. It is kind of similar to a cult. It is this life that even if you do not work in agriculture, your life revolves around it. In this cult is a small but wonderful group of dry edible bean farmers. I have talked about my love and affinity of dry beans.
A field of Dry Edible Beans. The variety is the black bean
I don’t think I have mentioned an entire segment of women who have made a massive impact on the dry bean industry. Not only am I talking about the wives of these farmers who deal with the stress of planting, worry about the delicate crop and harvesting well into fall. And then those patient, amazing women do it all over again the next year. I am talking about the Bean Queens.
Yes, I know, it’s funny. In Michigan we have a queen for almost any crop and some of the animals we have to.
You can laugh about it all you want. Around here winning Bean Queen has quite an extensive history and has spanned many decades. Back in my grandparent’s day, when these contests started you ran for your town and if you won then you ran for the county and then you went onto the state. Today, we just have 2 counties left that have a contest and then there is the state contest that is open to anyone that qualifies.
Growing up I always participated in the 4-H talent show at our county fair. Right after the talent show they crowed the county 4-H queen and then the county Bean Queen. I remember sitting there for years watching all of the older girls be crowned queens. Then I remember seeing them in parades all summer representing the industry. It was always my dream to do that some day. As a kid, you don’t think about the crop, the farmers and the industry they are representing.
After I got older it dawned on me the hard working, amazing, kind people the Bean Queen gets to represent. Imagine my excitement when one of my great aunts called me up at 17 and asked if I would run for Bean Queen. She told me that the family’s Farm Bureau group would gladly sponsor me. So I said an enthusiastic yes. I went into this interview doing lots of homework and figuring it would be my practice year. They allowed the 17 year olds to run, but a 17 year old had never won. Like I said, a practice year.
Before the interviews we had to eat dinner… Please, eat dinner in a formal gown before an interview. To top it all off, 2 of the judges sat at my table. Oye, like I ate much… Or talked much for that matter. I was just lucky I didn’t spill anything on my dress because that was a chronic problem of mine.
I went through the interview and answered my questions like a boss…. Actually I felt like I had a solid interview, but I had no expectations whatsoever. On crowning night a week later, I was standing up on the stage with 4 other girls and I was stunned to tears when they called my name. I was honestly looking at another girl down the line because I thought she was going to win. I wanted to see her shocked and surprised expression when they called her name.
I could not believe that after watching all of those wonderful women be crowned for years, I was actually one of those women. Well, I guess at 17 I would not have described myself as a woman, more of a girl. During my year as the Huron County Bean Queen, I realized what kind of amazing people I represented. The pride in their fields, their beans and the reputation that Michigan has is something you cannot find any place else.
So, why the long story about this? Yesterday this entire cycle came full circle. I judged that same contest 10 years later and I have a few points regarding this.
1. Talk about feeling old. 2. Half the time I was sitting there wondering ‘did I look this young when I was their age?’ (not really, I listened intently to each of the girls) 3. Seriously, am I really this old?! 4. Could I still fit in the dress I wore for my interview…. I would gander at a big fat no. 5. Was I as cute and enthusiastic as they are when I was their age?
In all seriousness, talk about three outstanding ladies! That decision was so hard and I know why I have not done anything like it before. Not only did I enjoy getting to know each of the girls, it makes me feel wonderful knowing the girls coming through the Bean Queen program are still such high caliber. Talk about awesome knowing there are amazing girls representing this industry every day.
