Celebrating My Boss on National Bosses Day
Today is National Bosses Day. Even though I am my own boss owning, writing and publishing my own site, I am also an employee at a local farm. Several years ago, I took a leap of faith and applied to help pack CSA boxes for Odom Farming Co. ( a local farm that both of my older daughters worked at.) Who knew that leap of faith would lead me to experience so much, I sure didn’t. The farm is owned by the Odom Family. Even though Emily and JR both own the farm, Emily is more hands-on with the day to day running of it. Before working at the farm, I had known Emily in passing. She was my daughters’ boss and an acquaintance. She even wrote a few blog posts for me when her daughter was small.
But then she became my boss. But she also became so much more. In working with her these past few years, she has become one of my closest friends. She can tell when something isn’t right with me. We cheer each other on in our prospective businesses and we bounce ideas off of each other.
She is 95% of the time, the first person I text when I have an event to cover for the blog to see if she wants to be my plus one. She is seriously one of the best people I know.
Emily graduated with a degree in History but is seriously one of the most knowledgeable people in the agriculture field in Wayne County. She has opened my eyes to the stereotypes that today’s farmers encounter. You might remind the blog post she wrote for me about the nuisance lawsuits against Hog farmers. She serves on several boards for local agriculture organizations and is very active in our community.
She is very enthusiastic about teaching children that the food they eat from the grocery store has to come from somewhere. You can see her love for agriculture when her face lights up when she is giving one of her educational talks to the many students who attend field trips on the farm. No matter the season, strawberry or pumpkin, her enthusiasm for farming can be seen.
She also has a soft spot for those that don’t quite fit in. Hence the menagerie of animals at the farm. Maybelline, a bottle-fed calf, whose owner needed to get rid of it but didn’t want to send it to a farm to be raised for meat. Herbert, the mini-donkey, who is the bully of the barnyard, who also has a loving side and just wants attention. Clementine, who came to the farm after JR and Emily rescued her during Hurricane Matthew. This rescue led to Clarice, Billy and Billy Jr to make their home at the farm.
And then there is Lily and Bailey, our Koda’s mom and sister who also makes their home there. And if you think cats are left out you are wrong- Bea Cat and Ariel- strays who also wormed their way onto the farm and in their hearts.
She also is hands-on in packing the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes every Tuesday morning during the hot North Carolina Summer months. Often times getting up before dawn to grab what she needs to get the boxes packed. She even delivers most of the boxes herself. On Tuesdays, during the summer she starts before dawn and normally doesn’t stop until she goes to bed at night.
Besides being passionate about agriculture, Emily is also very passionate about her family. Her and JR have two children who are being raised to know the value of the dollar, and that giving back to your community is not only necessary but also required.
She is also very passionate about flowers. Did you know that she created all the floral arrangements ( centerpieces for the table and the ceremony flowers) for my daughter, Maddie’s wedding? Even though she had a ton of stuff going on, she agreed to help a friend out. Even supplementing some of the flowers we had bought with flowers from her own garden.
And speaking of flowers, she is a passionate sunflower lover. This is pretty obvious because every year JR and her plant 3 to 4 fields of sunflowers (two times a year), oftentimes timing it so they don’t bloom all at one time.
But besides all of this Emily is probably one of the best people I have ever met. She is just so down to earth and easy-going. And working for her these past few years has really pushed me out of my comfort zone. Also, her passion for agriculture has rubbed off on me a little. I have toyed with the idea of creating a blog that is more about the agritourism industry because of the influence that Emily has had on me. She is always quick to answer any questions I might have about the industry.
So on National Bosses Day, I wanted to show my appreciation to Emily for all that she does to make the farm an amazing place for family, employees, and friends.
Hi Melissa! that was a beautiful piece you wrote about your boss. Really sweet, she seems like a really nice person. Perhaps one of these days she wouldn’t mind me following her around. like ” A day in the life of a farmer” and film her. Just a thought.