Calla Jarvie is the library director of the Rock County Community Library in Luverne, Minnesota. Jarvie has worked in libraries for 14 years, spending the last eight in Rock County as the director. She grew up on a crop farm in South Dakota and has spent most of her life living and working in rural areas. She has been a member of and partnered with the Rock County Farm Bureau for library events for five years and counting.

How has agriculture shaped who you are as a person?
 Agriculture has made me who I am today by showing me the value of hard work. My dad made sure I knew how to pick rocks and drive tractors from a young age, and even though driving tractors scared me to death, I did it. Even though I don’t work in the agriculture industry, I still work hard—and that work ethic was instilled in me on the farm. I learned how to do things that might intimidate me and to be proud of what I have accomplished.

What is the hardest and best part of your job?
 I am perhaps not your typical Farm Bureau member, as I neither work nor live on a farm or a ranch. I am a librarian! However, I think the hardest and best part of my job is probably similar to working in the agriculture industry. The hardest part is living up to my own expectations. The best part is working with people. I love getting to help people each and every day, whether it’s picking out a book or making a resume.

What’s your favorite book?
 That’s a hard one, because I’m a librarian! I have so many favorite books. One of my favorite books of all time is called A Separate Peace. It’s about two boys at a boarding school shortly after World War II. I named my older son, Phineas, after a character in that book. If you’re ever looking for a book recommendation, I’m happy to help!

How did you get involved in Farm Bureau?
 This is a great story! I was working on a project for the library where I was recording people in different industries reading books aloud, and I was going to put these videos on the library YouTube page. I needed a farmer! The local veterinarian suggested a farmer she knew named Peter, and before I had a chance to call him, he’d called me and invited me to LEAP! That was the beginning of an amazing partnership between the library and Farm Bureau. Since then, we’ve done Ag Trivia Night for five years and Farm Week at the library for four. Yes, Farm Week: that means tractors in the parking lot, story time with farmers, farm animals at the library and more.

Why do you believe it’s important to tell the story of agriculture?
 Agriculture is a part of all of us. Without agriculture, none of us would be here today. It’s that simple. If you eat food, you’re connected to agriculture. Wouldn’t you know it—we all eat food!