Response to Amigo Bob
I am one of the grandchildren of your generation. One who grew up on the skeleton of an old farm, with her faded barns telling the story of an age gone by. No longer did we harvest lumber, but the mill was still there. No longer did we plant rows, but the horse drawn plows were still there. In an age when men began investing in heavy equipment and chemicals, my great-grandfather made a decision. We would not participate in this type of farming, we were going to do something else.
I grew up living on the same land that my family has held for over 200 years, but for my time on the land we were primarily excavators. I think this disconnect with our land drove a wedge between it and I. I left when I was 16, and have only seldomly returned to it. Nearly 14 years later, I am now an agriculture student, and I think about this old family farm more and more.
Economics
That 92% of the farms in your county had one or more principals of earning money off farm is a daunting reality. It is definitely easy to get overwhelmed by numbers like that! I have been developing relationships with future customers for the last several years, and have started making a name for myself within the industry I ultimately plan to serve. Hopefully this, and creativity in my growing plan will help me stay competitive.
Skills
I like that you think we young farmers need to become “accomplished generalists”. Labor management, bookkeeping, equipment repair, long range planning, carpentry, record keeping, integrated pest management, weed identification, fertility analysis, computer skills, and all the other skills you noted are skills I have actually learned at some level; and I definitely know that I need to hone current skills while always learning new ones. I think reaching my late twenties before I decided to devote my life to agriculture has enabled me to acquire many of the skills that just don’t get taught in a formal setting. That being said, I will remember to learn from other farmers where the opportunity arises.
Using the Experience of Elders
It is sad that young farmers don’t utilize elder farmers for the knowledge they hold. I know some of the best conversations I’ve had, in general, have been with elder farmers. I think it can be intimidating to reach out to the elder farmers sometimes, especially if you move to a new community to start your farm. This is what I plan to do, and by doing this, I won’t know many of the elder farmers. Thankfully we do have local farmer unions in most communities now, so hopefully that is just one route that I will be able to connect with the elders through.
Experimentation
“Sometimes growth will come from failure, so experiments should be kept small to not jeopardize your finances.” I wish I would have had someone tell me this much earlier in life. I’ve always been an adventurous and experimental person. I love the challenge of forging new paths and improving current systems. Already in life this has caused me a lot of financial hardship, and is a lesson I am just now getting out from under. I will always remember this particular piece of advice, because it rings so true for me. I won’t let past failures keep me from experimenting in the future, but we can all use a reminder for self regulation every now and then.
Community
Amigo Bob, I hear you on community! I recently took a Permaculture Design course, and actually met a farmer from my home community while I was 2,000 miles from home. How amazing is that? I am now planning on working with the farmer, who is the farm manager at my local food bank, on creating a site design for their upcoming farm expansion. I live in a neighborhood that could be considered a “world village”. This diversity is exciting, and I’m excited to help the community learn which of the crops they are use to growing can grow here.
Tenacity
You make farming sound like a fool’s errand amigo! I’m glad you don’t soften the blow though, because it really does force one to make a decision about this path. Undoubtedly the decision to become a farmer guarantees trial and struggle at time, but like my Nanny use to always say, “Sugar, life ain’t easy but it always gets better.”
Observation
The first permaculture principle, “Observe and Interact”. Without observation we run the chance of wrongfully imposing our will over nature. If we want more cooperation and productivity among the plant and animal world, we must observe natural patterns and energies.To ignore observation, is to guarantee failure. Making sure our actions are more beneficial than harmful, looking for ways to take proactive action, and determining to always be learning are a few ways we can build observation into our daily routines as young farmers.
Adaptability
I love that you have made a transition towards perennial crops. I have a desire to work primarily with perennial crops, but understand that I may need to adapt my plan from time to time. I plan on making cider, vinegar, and selling fruit to other cider makers. On low production years, I may need other sources of income. One way I have thought to adapt to this scenario, is to always have diversity in my crops. I can utilize my 6 acre ginseng patch when I absolutely need to, or I can use our 3 acre pond to farm fish for the local market. Another permaculture principle: “The problem is the solution.”
Marketing
Your insight to the changing market is invaluable. I have started to notice as well that farms are targeting end consumers more and more. I worked for an orchard based cidery, and we sold a lot of our product through our tasting room at retail. We were also self distributed, which is a unique business model in the alcohol industry- most states don’t even allow it currently. I am an experimental eater, and plan on growing lots of ethnic foods for my own amusement. I will take your advice, and experiment with seeing how my market likes the rarer foods.
Us versus Them
I have felt the “us versus them” mentality before, and it is very sad that it tends to come from the side with the positive solutions. I will remember encountering this feeling, and always try to have empathy for the farmers that stuck it out. You’re absolutely right, they stuck it out when so many others left. I will try to be an ambassador for organic and whole system design methods, and will keep from becoming perceived as the dreaded permavangelist. The three ethics of permaculture: “Care for the earth, Care for the people, Devotion of extra time and resources to helping the community.”
Act locally, Think globally
This concept has played a huge role in my design thinking strategy. With my mind on the global perspective, I must design from the inward-out. If I can’t maintain my personal systems and resources according to these principles, how can I truly affect change? You’re right Bob, “we do have an obligation and opportunity to affect all beings.”
Taking Time for Family and Self
I appreciate you telling us to take time for ourselves and for our families. I already spend 4 days apart from my family, and I’m just an agriculture student. If I’m not traveling one week, it seems like my partner is. One week she’s in Greece and I’m in Olympia, and the next I’m on Maui and she’s in Chicago. It can be a strain for sure, and I already understand too well the importance of family and self care.
Thank you Amigo Bob for your wisdom and words of encouragement! I know I will be feeling down at some point in the future about something to do with my farm, and I will be able to pick up Letters to Young Farmers, and I will be able to read your words. As Joe Dirt would put it, “Life’s a garden, dig it!”