Farming vs Farming the System

[cakadu]

More and more it seems as though farmers are forced to "farm the system" in order to even hope to come close to breaking even in any given year, let alone make a profit.

Even if you take into account the fact that we as producers tend to want to sell commodities vs. selling value-added products, there is still a huge shortfall. Most things are out of our control and we are left at the mercy of mother nature, organizations, bureaucracy and whatever else you can think of.

Recently I watched a Country Canada segment where some folks were trying to do what they could for the horses from the soon to be obsolete PMU farms. In thinking about it, those folks are being quite adequately compensated for their time and trouble to get out, so were the cod fishermen on the other side of the country.

What if we were to take some of these system dollars and put them into a fund so that producers could get retrained for other types of work, thereby letting them leave the system with their dignity and respect intact and feeling like they are still functioning members of society instead of the relations that no one wants to talk about? Not all producers are in this predicament, some are retiring with some pretty nice bank accounts, but many cannot afford to get out - even if they wanted to.

The producer has to be willing to try something else, but I'm sure many of them would like to. There will still be those that want to farm because it means something to them and I'm probably one of them.

Recent events have shown us that the business of agriculture has changed and there will be some hard decisions to be made as the reality of the changes are realized. Are we going to loose producers - sadly yes. Agriculture as we knew it has changed and it will never go back to what it was, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing as producers have realized that they need to be more of a part of the whole system and get some of the value that they have let slip away from them.

I've long advocated that there could be some sort of mentoring system set-up so that long-time farmers can help beginning farmers and to some extent this site serves just such a function. There is a wealth of knowledge out there that we cannot and should not loose. It could and should be part of any farm succession and renewal strategy.

Your thoughts?

[cowman]

When the federal government first started talking about the five "pillars" of their new agricultural program, one of the pillars was supposed to be "rejuvination". At that time they spoke about retraining the ones who would have to go. Now you don't hear much about that end of it.
Lyle Van Clief, whether you liked him or not, had a fairly good grasp of the ag situation? He knew that a very large portion of the farmers have to go? The fact is agriculture "as we know it" is not sustainable and we can't all fill the niche markets? What is really sad is the middle aged farmer struggling to put food on the table and slowly sinking further and further into a bottomless pool of debt. Where is his quality of life?
I know a farmer who had a fairly large pig operation. The crash of 98 and a divorce put him under. Luckily in his youth he had worked construction and was a licensed carpender. He got a job at Joffre in one of the big gas plants. I talked to him about six months after he started and he said he never had a clue life could be so good. $32 an hour, double time for overtime and all the work he could possibly want. He'd got himself a truck and camper and a fishing boat as well as a new lady friend from the plant. He said for the first time in his life he had some spare time and some money to enjoy it.
So for him what was a complete disaster turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him!
There is a lot more to this life than sacrificing yourself for a bunch of dirt, or cows, or pigs, or sheep. You only get one kick at the can so you'd better make the most of it!
I believe if the government really wants to help farmers they need to help them aquire real job skills so they can move on. The fact of the matter is a very high percentage are going to have to go and to succeed in the world they need some skills?

[StrawBoss]

In this fast changing mobilized world farmers have to think competition and consumers demands. A lot of farmers are an independent know it all type and still think that they can do as they please and the only change they need is more government money—wrong!

Some areas can’t support gophers so why are we trying to make a living by waiting for a miracle to happen or keep trying to farm the system—subsidies. “Oh but I like the lifestyle and it is a good place to bring up my children”—only if the land can support your wishes, -- and for your children don’t try to hide them from this evil world and give them a chance to learn at an early age that there is life past the farm-gate.
I have seen home-schooling ending up to be a disaster, because these children never learned how to make decisions on their own and are easily misled by unscrupulous people when they get to the bright lights.

Governments will not solve too many long-term agricultural problems, may it be in job retraining or production changes and any band-aid support only prolongs the issue because farming is considered a business.

Farmers starting some kind of fund to help each other and the young starting farmer will never happen—farming is a competitive business and there are banks to handle the financial end of the business. I don’t think a farmer’s fund or bank can afford to lend money to a dreamer if he/she has no collateral to support the loan. Just put yourself in that position, would you lend money to your neighbor if you know he/she may not be able to pay it back? Mother nature controls farmer’s dreams and the bankers know it.
One thing could help if a mandatory farming insurance was started to cover all aspects of the farming industry with no government involvement--- government bureaucracy always seems to spoil the soup and farming the system is another problem.

The problem I see, most farmers have equity in their farms but don’t want to part with any of it to start a retraining program and are just waiting for the government to pay the full shot, it will never happen “ no pain no gain.”
The government helps pay employee’s retraining if their place of employment is discountented in areas that jobs are not readily available, but keep in mind these people live between pay cheques with no equity in a business.

Too many farmers say I have to keep farming because they don’t know to do anything else. Well to start you have to invest in your own retraining and may have to spend some of your farm equity by borrowing against it or selling it. “Oh but it’s the family farm” what good is it if it can’t support your family needs?
Young people borrow money to get a post-secondary education--- “oh but you will say they are young” ---- oh but you have equity dollars in your farming business and don’t expect the tax dollar to pay for retraining and still support the farm.

Here are some ideas; Start will a family discussion (and I mean all family members and it doesn’t matter age or if they are part of the farming operation or have jobs off the farm) and work on a long-term plan--- try not to make panic decisions.

1. Get that independent attitude out of your head and don’t think you have to produce food to feed the world, or the land will be destroyed because as soon as you quit your neighbor or someone else will take over. I know it’s maybe hard to leave the farm but if your operation is not sustainable there are two things that will make a decision for you, the banker or stress put you six feet under.

2. You have to realize that most people start a job as a helper and have to work their way up to a better position. “Oh but I built up this farm from scratch and want to past it on to my children”—don’t give them a dead horse so they struggle and maybe end up in a divorce because the stress can become unbearable if the farm will not support the lifestyle most young people want, and the need for money will eventually over rule the love for the lifestyle. Do you want to put your children in a position that they will need retraining to make a living?


3. Apply for a job that you have some interest in--most farmers are handy with tools and there are a lot of good paying jobs in the construction industry and you don’t need a university degree to master them. If your are middle aged, construction companies like that because they know that you will be more dependable than the young.

4. If you want and like farming maybe get a job working for a big farmer and rent your land to him/her.


5. Don’t get discouraged just because you’re told what to do, and in some cases the boss or foremen has a personality of a porcupine, but you may have to put up with him/her until you get more experience. (Maybe just think how you treated your grain hauler when he/she made a mistake)

6. Don’t worry if you get laid off there is unemployment insurance --- maybe get a taste of that free government money that farmers envy city folk are always getting.


7. There are government programs to help you with retraining if you can’t get a job, but like always you have to make the first move.

8. Most jobs have hour limits so you will have spare time to take correspondent courses to upgrade your education and get a better position at your workplace and that maybe voluntary or mandatory.


9. If your just about a retiring age and farming is not profitable maybe start winding down your farming operation over a few years, because if you do it in one year the government will surely take a big bite out of your hard earned money.

10. It doesn’t mater if your young or old the land and farming operation should be registered on both husband /wife names to take advantage of the $500,000.00 each capital tax exemption for a total of $1,000,000.00 on farm land sales.

[cowman]

Well Strawboss, much as I hate to admit it, I have to agree with you! You laid that all out very well and changed my mind a bit!
Most farmers don't realize they do have some very valuable assets when applying for a job. Generally a good work ethic, a sense of responsibility, common sense and various mechanical skills. Attitude is always the most important job skill, in my opinion?