Cyndi's Two Cents

Farmer kinship runs deep

Commentary.

We do not all have to use the same color or horsepower of tractor.  We don’t have to plant the same brand of seed or use the same crop inputs or apply the same amount of NPK and micronutrients to our soils.  As a matter of fact, we’re a whole lot more productive farmers and ranchers if we pay attention to our own land and livestock and use the right tools and inputs for what we have instead of worrying so much about what our neighbors are doing.

Certainly we can learn a lot from watching others and talking about why we do what we do the way we do it, but every farm and every herd is different.  I think we all need to do a better job of respecting and appreciating not only that which makes us same, but also that which makes us different

Whether using green or orange equipment, organic or conventional management, I believe there is a sameness at the core of every true farmer.  I have traveled with farmers from the United States to visit their brethren on farms in Brazil, South Africa, China, Australia and other countries.  The crop, equipment, breed or species of livestock and management style made no difference to the visitors or the visited. The kinship of those who like to grow things is silent and powerful and draws people together like metal to magnet.

Why then, do we continue to fight amongst ourselves when we should be working together?  Agriculture becomes more fragmented when those involved in organizations representing various crops or species of livestock begin fighting amongst themselves.  About everything.  I believe accountability is a must.  I certainly don’t agree with anyone on everything – But when a disagreement between a couple of people festers and expands and spills over into committees and staff and general membership so that lines are being drawn and sides taken before those drawing those lines and taking those sides have all the facts, there is a problem.

I remember playing the game of Gossip as a child. We’d lean over and whisper into one another’s ears, passing along a message that, when repeated time and again in a whispered tone, is changed.

Talk a little less and listen a little more.  You’ll find more often than not that you really ultimately want many of the same things, even if you have differing opinions on just exactly how you’re going to get there.

If you’re spending too much time arguing about who is going to dot the i and cross the t, or who’ll run the meeting and who’ll take out the trash, then you are missing out on the big picture.  In agriculture, we need forward thinkers representing us who are not afraid to look past the way we’ve always done things and listen to new ideas if they make sense.  We also need to accept the fact that some ideas don’t make sense and we’re better off doing a few things the way they’ve always been done.