Are Farmers their own worst enemy?

[cakadu]

The image of agriculture today is one of pristine fields, tree-lined drives and flower lade gardens. Is this the reality out there? People have romanticized the notion of farming and I have to ask if this is the image we want them to have? I recently heard a talk where the fellow said he doesn't want to see all of the junk and clutter in a farmer's yard and he should perhaps move it into the back 40 where things can't be seen. What should we do?

Farmer X subdivides a home place out of his quarter section and another farm house gets built on the remainder of the quarter. Son goes to spread manure around dad's new place and he refuses to let son spread. Is the farmer part of the problem or part of the solution?

Kinda makes you wonder if we are sometimes our own worst enemy.

Linda

[cowman]

It all depends on what people want out of life on the farm. A really well kept yard is a beauty to behold and it reflects very well on the owner but certainly has nothing to do with how profitable the farm really is.
Manure is another matter! Manure is a fact of life on stock farms but with a little bit of consideration it doesn't have to be a big problem. And by that I mean some consideration by both the smeller and the smellee! Living beside a hog barn or a feedlot can be pretty disgusting and it is up to the operator to clean up his act or face a lot more problems.

[ValueChainFX]

Linda and cowman you are both right, yes Linda sometimes farmers are their own worst enemies, but cowman is looking also at the bottom line of what the farms goals are. As you both know, the industry like any other has challenges to work out, be them pretty gardens or better bottom lines. On the farm these issues can be one and the same, when you market your product, it is becoming more and more important for the end user to know and understand who, where, what and when answers about it. Marketing especially to those who are looking into the future, includes the answers to the end users questions. The preception of if the operation is doing a good job many times comes from first glance. Do we need to take issue with how our operations look, well I guess the answer is, you need to take issue with anything you do that can be precieved as not serveing the end user. From reading Lindas' messages and talking with cowman on many issues. I think you are both correct in your views. Now can you balance those views out and make them work together as one. I for one think you can!