“I’m a better person for having known John Scott.”

One of the most gratifying things about my job has been all the great people I get to meet and the lasting impressions most of them leave with me.

To say the farm families across this state are the "salt of the earth" is quite an understatement.

Their laboring often goes unnoticed although we all benefit from what they do. They are almost always community-minded, making the places they live better.

They are caring, sharing, loving, God-fearing people who would give you the shirts off their backs.

And in meeting so many of these fine folks, my life has been enriched beyond words.

I would, however, like to share a story about one of them in particular.

I met John Scott only last November during the Kentucky Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. It was at the Legacy Farm breakfast which was held in recognition of the many Legacy Farm honorees across the state.

He shared with me how the Scott Farm was 10 generations strong and how honored he was for the family farm to be one of those recognized last year.

I could tell how proud he was of the family farm and how dedicated he was to our beloved ag industry.

I immediately felt John’s story was one to tell and asked if he minded. He seemed very pleased and humbled by the request.

A few weeks later, I received a call from his daughter, Mary Casper, who shared with me how excited he was about the story but also that he was very ill and home under hospice care.

I was sickened to hear that news and wanted to make sure to visit him as soon as I could. That day came a couple of weeks later and I made my way to their Boone County farm.

Along with Mary, I met other members of his family and we visited for quite some time talking about the history of the farm and what it meant to them.

And while John was nearing the time of his passing, he smiled a lot and we laughed together, and prayed together. I found a spirit within him and this family that death could not diminish.

John Scott is an example of the many farmers who have toiled for generations doing their part to feed the world. He didn’t need a fancy title, or grand notoriety, or to head a Fortune 500 company to be worthy of praise and thanksgiving for a job well done.

May we grant all of our farmers and their families the accolades they deserve.     

John Mark Scott went to be with the Lord two days after our visit. It was such a blessing to have spent that time with him and his family. For someone I had only just met, I felt a true kinship with him.

I’m a better person for having known him and I am sure his memory will live on for the next 10 generations of the Scott family.

John, until we meet again, I thank you for the gift of friendship you gave me; one I will cherish, each day, as I travel down the backroads. 

By: Tim Thornberry, Editor

Kentucky Farm Bureau News