Farmer's Intuition

Farmers, both of the older generation and the new, have this knack for knowing things that I could only predict with the flip of a coin. Joe has the way of knowing when to drag the kids' outside toys in because it's going to rain cats and dogs before I even notice the first cloud. My dad knows when it's the right time to start working on the equipment to get it ready to roll in both the fall and the spring. My uncle knows when to start cutting beans or combining corn. . . by the way, it's next Wednesday. My father-in-law has almost a sixth sense on certain things, and today, as our country remembers 9/11, I am thinking of not only those who had ties to those who lost their lives that day, but my father-in-law's intuition on that clear fall day.

Joe and I have shared our "where we were" stories to each other, as we weren't even an item at that time. I was teaching and could hardly believe it when my student, Ethan, said a plane hit a building in New York. Joe remembers driving to work that day, without his cell phone, huddling around a television at his office on the U of I campus. Joe's dad was out raking hay, in an open station tractor, with no radio, no television, no student to report what had happened, but he knew something was up. He didn't notice any planes flying that day.

Isn't that amazing? Isn't it strange that a guy who was just doing what needed to be done on the farm noticed there was not a plane in the sky? This is a guy who lives 45 minutes from a small airport and almost 2 hours from a big one. This is a man whose commute is driving 3 miles to the hog buildings. That to me is part of his farmer's intuition. Rick, my father-in-law, is a hard worker, a good steward of the land, and an amazing father to his kids. However, the thing I have noticed about him the most in my almost 9 years of hanging around with him, is that he is very perceptive. I believe that this is a great personality characteristic, but it's also something that makes him a good farmer.

He knows what's going on, without being too concerned about the "Joneses," caring little of what other folks are doing, unless they need help. He is in-tune with his animals and their needs, working hours and hours and hours to keep his hog confinement operation up to par with the standards of the EPA and the USDA. That takes dedication, my friends.

But it's his intuition on September 11, 2001 that will always intrigue me. I think of all the times I am outside with the kids or running that I hardly notice anything but the whereabouts of the girls and my footfalls on the pavement. Rick, however, noticed the lack of planes that day. Talk about knowing your surroundings.

All farmers have this intuition, in some way, shape, or form. Some are just better at putting it to use. Rick is also the guy who gives me advice on when to cut my hair to promote growth, so he has some pretty silly intuition, but we won't go there.

I think that what I gather from seeing this farmer's intuition put to use is that I need to stop and check out my surroundings a little bit closer. I need to quit moving onto the next thing before my first chore is finished. I need to quit multi-tasking. . . Okay, I can't stop that or our house will fall apart! Regardless, if you ever want to know when to do something, whether cut your hair or if you have a funny feeling about something, my advice would be to ask a farmer. They're probably just as good as a psychic.

Seasoned vs. Young Farmers

We just spent a night at the local minor league ball park with some of our county Farm Bureau friends. We have a really active county, and one of the most active aspects of it is the Young Farmer Committee. While Joe and I feel like this is something we would like to be a part of, we can't seem to make it to the monthly meetings. Call me crazy, but I'd rather get a babysitter to see a movie, rather than go to a meeting! Plus, Joe, in all of his 35 years, is nearing the end of his "eligibility" as a young leader participant.

Even Joe is considered by the Young Farmer Standards as "seasoned," I did some research on this. Thanks to some simple googling, I found that the average age of the American farmer is OVER 60 YEARS OLD!!!!! This average shocked me at first, but then after doing some inventory of the farmers that surround us, it seems to be right on the money.

Why is that?

Why is our county's young farmer committee so active and quite large, but I can count on one hand how many of these young men and young women actually make their main income from production agriculture (meaning, animals and/or grain). Instead, most of the members have their connection to agriculture through agribusiness, which is great, but isn't it misleading? Although I think Joe would have a lot to talk about with these young people, if they're receiving a check from Monsanto or Pioneer or whatever, they don't have to worry too much about the impending heat and its affect on the hay that is left on the ground.

So, again, where are the real young farmers?

Well, there aren't many, according to the national average numbers. Although I have always liked being a stand out, I'm not sure if this is something I'm so jazzed about. Seasoned farmers around here are good and bad for Joe and me. We look to them for guidance and wisdom, but there has to be a peer group that can fill the "I work with you, so we can talk about work and potentially gripe about it" gap. I enjoyed (and still enjoy) my work friends. Joe liked his colleagues when he was working. Now, however, it's almost as if we are too young for the seasoned farmers and have too little time to hang out, or even seek out, the younger ones.

From my little knowledge on this topic, I know that there are organizations we could join. I get that. But, there has to be a way for farmers to network, besides spending a precious evening discussing policy, or, the more "old school" approach: coffee shop talk. Seasoned farmers have their routines, and there are two distinct categories, in my limited research. The "over 60 crowd" around here are either meeting- or coffee shop-goers. With kids and calves and corn, Joe hardly has time for our nightly meeting, and I think I might go crazy if he were to announce that he was going to be gone multiple nights or days for such things.

However, I realize that we have to be open and go seek out younger farmers, but unlike when my grandpa started farming this land, there's no "up the road" neighbors in our peer group. They are wonderful neighbors, don't get me wrong, but they aren't ones that are of our same age bracket.

I'm not pleading for friends. . .however, there was a time when we first moved up here, being lonely and the mother of two children under two that I nearly stood up in church during joys and concerns, voicing that I was a normal human being who needed friends. . .but I digress. . .What I am hoping for is a company picnic once in awhile that doesn't involve a plot tour. When is Dekalb hosting a family outing? Where are the trips to the Bahamas for the farmer who buys the most seed, rather than for the person who sells the most?? When is a seed corn cap going to be a thing of the past, and a gift card to a pizza joint be the norm? If production agriculture wants to up its average age, it should start by thinking about its marketing strategies.

But then again, who's in charge of this marketing??? Maybe it's some one like me!! That's it! There's my calling. . . now how to do this???