On a Serious Note

The American Dairy Farmers are some of the hardest working individuals that there are. Most farmers are not in business for the money, glory, or bragging rights. They are in the business because they have heart and guts.It's because of having the heart and the guts that Dairy Farmers are still in this industry, even with commodities rising and milk prices not meeting them.
In one of my college classes I have heard a catchy saying, that comes to mind when I think about many multi-generational farms. "The first generation builds it, the second generation uses it, and the third generation loses it." When you are the third generation, like myself, you have that constant fear in the back of your mind that you're going to be the generation that loses that beloved "member of the family." Member of the Family? That's right, most farmers are married to the farm. If you really think about it the relationship between a farmer and their farm is much like a husband and wife. Signing the partnership/LLC papers for the farm is like signing a marriage license; your vows "to have and to hold from this day forward as long as you both shall live," that's what gets you up in the morning. But that almighty line "Til Death Do Us Part," is the ultimate kicker, it's really when most farmers leave the farm, because of death of the farmer or "death" of the farm.
My mother is always one to find articles in various farm magazines that have little pick-me-up tips and helpful hints as well. One clipping in particular has been on our fridge for about 4 years. She found it in the Dairy Herd Management Magazine. The title is "Prevent Burnout"and it gave tips of how to not get discouraged and to the breaking point with your business. These tips I found to really "hit home,"

1. Take a one-day rest cure. Step away from the business and slow down life by spending time with family, friends, and away from the business.
2. Balance business and work. If work is all-consuming, it's wise to step back and create a life play that addresses four key questions? What do I want out of life? How can the business help me accomplish that? What does the business need to look like? How do I get it to look like that?
3. Don't let your business schedule ruin your personal life. Instead of allowing your business calender to continually encroach upon your personal life, give yourself some comp time.
4. Realize the business won't go to "heck in a handbag" if you're gone for a day or two. While you are a valuable part of the business, you are not the entire business-and other employees or relief help might appreciate the responsibility role assigned to them in your absence.

I feel as though tips really do help farmers to focus and realize they do have options. Whenever I'm discouraged and begin to forget, I always come home and find on the fridge the "Prevent Burnout" clipping and I take time to think. I think about how important the farm and the animals are to me and I think about how my life would be so much different. A different that I don't even want to imagine.

Prevent Burnout. (2006). Dairy Herd Management , p. 1.

You might be a Farmer if...

When I was younger I always loved when October rolled around, because that meant free banquet dinners for the farm. I will always remember one Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. Each year they would always have a guest speaker, this time was Joe Peck. Mr. Peck is a dairy farmer, as well as a humorous speaker. That year he had published a book and was there to promote it, as well as lift up the spirits of the farmers in the audience. Afterall, a little bit of humor is good for you. The stories he told that night and the stories that are in his book, "A Cow in the Pool," are ones that never get old. I believe I have read his book more than a dozen times and always find a different story I can relate to. In his book, one of the sections is "You might be a Farmer if...", I thought I would share some of my favorites, as well as a list of how to tell real farmers.

You Might be a Farmer if...

• You can get a good night's sleep in 20 minutes
• On your honeymoon, you stopped at every farm machinery dealer you passed
• Your idea of a romantic date is a free dinner at the co-op annual meeting
• You know how to pull a calf, but can't change a diaper
• There is more oil on your coveralls than in your car
• You can fix anything with baler twine, a jackknife and duct tape
• And my favorite.. you wear your barn clothes to the supermarket just so everyone will let you through the checkout line first. 

Real Farmers...

• Don't jog, you see them running, they probably stepped on a hornet's nest
• Never walk in the rain, but they do drive tractors in the rain, snow and bitter cold
• They don't drink diet soda or 2% milk or eat tofu
• Don't flinch when they snap on jumper cables
• Have no respect for mailmen who are late, milk truck drivers who are early and milk inspectors who are on time
• Hate power failures at chore time, salesmen at mealtime, and nosy neighbors who ask, "just how much did that cost?"
• And the ultimate reason.. Real farmers are driven by a deep sense of pride in everything they do and the blind hope that next year will be better than this year has been so far.

It's always good to find some humor in a gloomy situation. Farmers have had a few rough years, no shock to anyone, but it does not mean we give up. By seeing the light in every situation and knowing how farmers really are unique, makes things a lot better.


For more from Joe Peck, I encourage anyone to read his book.

Peck, J. (2001). A Cow in the Pool & Udder Humorous Farm Stories. Saratoga Springs: Peckhaven Publishing.