Are You a Farmer, Producer or Agribusiness?

[gustgd]

good comments wd9 and others who realize words matter.

When someone asks what I do.
*I am a farmer.*
What I do when talking with an ill informed public is try to change their view of a "farmer". If their vision is American Gothic, it's my job as a farmer to show them the reality.

All farmers are agribusinesses, but not all agribusinesses are farmers.

btw this was the thrust of my thread on the NFU and their changing definitions of farmer to include the backyard chicken crowd.

[kredekop]

gustgd - re: "all farmers are agribusinesses but not all agribusinesses are farmers". I like this approach, but I don't think it really solves the problem raised by shaney. 30 years ago, farmers were generally not agribusinesses, or at least could get by without understanding that they were. It was a lifestyle choice more than anything, and that worked. The fact that farmers today HAVE to be agribusinesses really gets us to the root of the problem. Many farmers feel like their freedom is being eroded because they HAVE to be something today that they (or their parents) didn't have to be 30 years ago. Society is changing - therein lies the rub. What I hear you saying is that farmers need to change with society, but avoid abandoning traditional parts of their identity at the same time. A good solution, but very difficult... Am I reading you right?

[hedgehog]

we are not doing anything our grandparents didnt do, its just the numbers are bigger.
the post ww2 generation got an easy ride, but we are working in conditions more like the period 1890--1939.
when food was in oversupply, the rest of the population had too much money.

[daretodiffer]

I think Heurle was saying using the term farmer is a good shtick so go for it and it is a better branding than producer, agri-business, or grower.
Having said that I think farmer and rancher for that matter, is a dated, romantic and dreamy term like cowboy. And there are no criteria for membership on this club and the rag tag list of members shows this. For those who want to see their enterprise as a business, producer and grower, more power to them to want to aspire to what they think is a more respectful title as befitting their investment and professionalism.
Also I think the farmer label as used on farmers market is snake oil, where I see all the tree huggers and green queens are represented living off each other's breathless self righteousness. We are pure because we are farmers. Farmers markets are places to willingly pay more for carrots and potatoes and in a free enterprise society live and let live. But don't give me the buloney their spuds are any better than those at Safeway.

[hobbyfrmr]

Daretodiffer, very well said on your first point. Second point about the farmers markets, there is a truth in what you say, but, again, some farmers market exhibitors are sharp (agri?)business people. They pay to have their spot and figure out what sell best etc for a profitable return on labour investment, depreciation etc. Marketing is very clever, at home they are doing the math, and then at the table they can portray their livelyhood in a manner most appealing to the consumer standing right in front of them, and no one is the wiser. Its one more skill they use to improve their bottom line.

[Happytrails]

Daretodiffer...no kidding!! There isn't a more specific occupation category than farmer or rancher. If you don't get it I don't know why. An agri business person could mean anything. Being a farmer or rancher narrows it down considerably. You could say it still covers a wide range but that is the point. We do cover a wide range as jack of all trades. HT

[parsley]

Well daretodiffer, all the farmers markets I have attended sell a lot of local produce. Some US produce. BUT...not grown in China produce. That's a plus for many eaters.

Farmers' markets are also a good place for local producers to actually support each other instead of trying to bash one another. Parsley