God Made a Farmer

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February 5, 2013 at 4:50 pm #44488
Kevin Cunningham
Participant
Here is my response to the Super Bowl Ad, God Made a Farmer. I posted it to our farm’s facebook page but I also wanted to share it here.
This mornings post is going to be a little different. No pictures, but rather something to think about. There have been a couple of videos circulating the internet and I am sure most everybody has seen the Super Bowl add for Dodge trucks with Paul Harvey. My dad posted them to our homepage here if you haven’t seen the yet. It is a very inspirational speech and video. I am not trying to be a killjoy but rather put a few things in perspective. He gave that speech in 1978 and many things have changed in Agriculture since he gave that speech to an FFA convention. In 1978 there were no Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), there was no High Fructose Corn Syrup, or subsidized corn derived ethanol, and the face of Agriculture was very different. It is important to remember that these agricultural practices have only occurred in the last 30-40 years. For perspective it has only been in the last hundred years that agriculture has been mechanized. In 1900 100% of farms were draft animal powered, and while the 1900’s might seem like a long time ago it wasn’t. But even the changes since the 70’s have been profound. In 1970 4% of the population were actively farming by 2002 it was 1.9% of the population. Not only that but in 2002 93% of farms relied on off-farm income. In 1970 agriculture was 2.3% of our GDP in 2002 it was 0.7% of GDP, and during this time US agricultural exports more than doubled. This mean that more of our produce was leaving the country and less money was coming back. This doesn’t make any sense to me. In the 70’s the average sized farm was around 200 acres and was more that likely more diversified. The honest truth is that the farms and farmers that Paul Harvey was talking about when he gave his speech in 1978 don’t exist in any sizable numbers any more. They are there, we at Shakefork strive for the ideals and goals that he talks about, but you have to look for true farmers these days. I just want people to think about the role that farms, farmers, and food play in their lives. It is good that companies are offering tribute to farmers, but remember that the farmer that Paul Harvey was talking about is a dying breed. Food for thought this morning. Please support your local farmers and help us change the direction that agriculture has been going for the last hundred years. By the way here is the USDA reference for all the numbers I used in this post: http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/59390/2/eib3.pdf
February 5, 2013 at 8:18 pm #77299
Baystatetom
Participant
When I saw that ad I did not think of big agribusiness I thought of my grandfather and my cousins and the dairy farmer I worked for in high school, and my wife’s family and guys like you. I understand your annoyance, but take it as a compliment, it was a shout out to you.
~Tom
February 5, 2013 at 9:08 pm #77285
Rick Alger
Participant
That ad made me sick. It made it look like there were doughty family farmers countrywide working hard and thriving. The family farm “culture” was alive and well. What a crock.
The only farmers thriving are the corporate ones. I’ve seen dozens of good, hard working farmers, including two family members, reluctantly go out of business because the farm could no longer support a family. Forty years ago there were about twenty working farms in town. Now there is one, and his hold on solvency is not secure.
Nostalgia sells, but it’s not reality.
February 5, 2013 at 9:15 pm #77297
mitchmaine
Participant
“you can make a small fortune farming, you just have to start with a large one.”
February 5, 2013 at 9:50 pm #77276
Carl Russell
Moderator
I am not a religious man, yet I was moved by that speech. I would have been, even had I not been watching the inspiring photos. I could hear the depth of his belief in the farming he describes. I remember farmers like that. I strive to be that type of farmer.
That being said, I was saddened that it was used out of context. We must remember that Paul Harvey was talking about family farms that existed during his life. I was also saddened that it was used shamelessly to inspire folks to buy a Dodge truck….. Just like taking advantage of the sacrifice of our Veterans and Oprah Winfrey’s heartfelt words to sell Jeeps. This frickin’ country we live in.
It makes me think of that quote… “Where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket?”:confused:
Furthermore, I know Dodge makes a good truck, or at least they used to, but when I went truck shopping a few years ago, I could not find a ton diesel, standard, full bed, without an extended cab, anywhere in the NE. What I did find I did not consider “Farm trucks”.
Anyway, thanks Kevin. I am so glad I don’t watch network TV anymore……. 😡
Carl
February 5, 2013 at 10:15 pm #77302
Kevin Cunningham
Participant
I was not annoyed by the ad per se, and the speech by Paul Harvey alone is very moving, I felt it in my bones. I think it struck a chord with so many people because we all have a connection to that style of farming somewhere. I just wanted it to be put in perspective like Carl said. I am one of the those farmers and the other farmers here are those farmers. What we need more of are those farmers. Unfortunately that is not the direction our agriculture has gone in and my hope is that if people know more of the facts then they might start to make different choices that will get us back on track. I wanted to paint the picture in which Paul Harvey gave that speech. That point in history was at an important cross roads and I feel that we took the wrong road. I think Paul Harvey would have thought it was the wrong direction as well. I find it especially poignant that he gave the speech at a FFA convention. I hope this generations future farmers will make some different choices.
February 6, 2013 at 2:55 am #77280
Plowboy
Participant
I don’t think Paul painted a rosey picture of farming prosperity and wealth but more about the spirit of the genuine farmer. My family has been like that for generations. You put all you’ve got into something and then take what you get . Hopefully everything doesn’t go to hell all in the same year but you keep at it. Not for the money so much as the satisfaction. Good crops, good livestock, and well broke horses are all a sense of pride and accomplishment for a small farmer but I’m sure the bigger guys have the same values just not on the same level as the smaller family farms. My Dad is still one of those small one of those guys that does more work before breakfast than most do all day. He uses horses a lot when he can and he’s sure the bigger neighbors laugh when they get there work done faster but when they go to the co-op meetings they all sit with him and if they need something they know he’ll help if he can and likewise. I don’t know how many times no matter how discouraged he gets I’ve heard “Maybe it’ll be better next year”. When your a farmer no matter to what scale when a crop fails or you lose a cow, a calf, a lamb, a colt or anything of the sort it takes an entire year just to try again! Being around my Dad ,My Grandfathers,Great Grandfathers and many neighbors and friends like them is what drove me to work two jobs and buy a farm. Now my small children know where the potatoes, beef, chicken, turkey, eggs and garden vegetables come from! It gets in your blood and although it’s not my livelyhood I’ll keep plowing with a team of good horses and growing my own food here no matter how much extra work it is because it’s who I am. Even if Paul Harvey’s speech was used to promote a vehicle add just think how many people would never have heard it and even for a split second thought about where there food comes from and the folks that helped them get it!
February 6, 2013 at 2:59 am #77281
J-L
Participant
I know the stats are probably accurate, but I know quite a few small ranchers and farmers that are full time. Including myself. I am sure we are a drop in the bucket so to speak. Nearly everyone of us has a spouse working in town though, so am sure the off farm income is correct as well.
I recently drove across Nebraska and noticed a lot of abandoned farmsteads in the eastern end. The ground is still being farmed, but the houses are empty. I asked about this and was told most of the time the kids inherited the ground and rent it out because they reckon they can’t make a ‘good’ living on the small farm.
I think there is not a huge segment of the population willing to live on a more modest income and work hard at it.
I am seeing it here in the ranching community as well.
How can this change?
February 6, 2013 at 3:37 am #77303
Kevin Cunningham
Participant
@J-L 39728 wrote:
How can this change?
My opinion is that in order for the current trend of agriculture to change we need people who are wiling to support small-medium sized local farms and farmers financially. No government subsidies, or grants, or non-profits, or that organization, or this organization, just simple monetary transactions, money for goods. If people demand that their food, fiber, timber, or small goods come from someone they know personally and are willing to pay for it, not necessarily pay more it, just simply give the money to the producer. Then maybe we can change the face of the agricultural and business landscape. The only reason the sons and daughters of last generations farmers decided not to farm was because the money wasn’t in it. It simply made more sense to get a job in town, because then they could feed their families, and I can’t blame them for that. As farmers here in a small community we get asked all the time “What do farmers need in our county?” We need people to buy our produce; support us in all of our endevours, and demand of us the highest quality at the best price point. Keep us honest and working and we will keep farming, because most of us would do it even if we had to have a job in town.
February 6, 2013 at 4:05 am #77311
Eli
Participant
If I could make a living farming like my Father did I would. But those days are gone like the corner store and full service gas station. Some survive by finding a niche market but most struggle. I see it every day and lived it for 20 years. I think we call this progress but I’m not sure why. I have no problem with a tribute to America’s farmers most worked extreamly hard to get where they are. Sorry Dodge I’m a Ford man ! Well if I can I drive a Morgan. God Bless America. Eli
February 6, 2013 at 4:43 am #77304
Kevin Cunningham
Participant
@Eli 39731 wrote:
Sorry Dodge I’m a Ford man
Me too, all Fords, one chevy, but I am not loyal to any of them as they all seem to break down equally.
February 6, 2013 at 6:28 am #77289
near horse
Participant
@Kevin Cunningham 39734 wrote:
Me too, all Fords, one chevy, but I am not loyal to any of them as they all seem to break down equally.
Ditto – except after seeing the Henry Ford story my opinion of that company is forever tainted.
February 6, 2013 at 1:59 pm #77277
Carl Russell
Moderator
@J-L 39728 wrote:
…….How can this change?
Kevin Cunningham wrote:
My opinion is that in order for the current trend of agriculture to change we need people who are wiling to support small-medium sized local farms and farmers financially.
I tend to think deeper than this…..
I recognize that finances pose serious considerations, but I feel that it really comes down to people placing value on community. We have been convinced that financial security, like affordable food, or farm profitability, are more important than a secure and nurturing relationship with the land that sustains us. Food is fundamental to human community, and the relationship to food through land is provided by the stewards of that land-base.
If people don’t learn to value the well-being that comes to them and their communities through a wholesome connection to the source of their food, then we will never be successful in any future endeavors. Hopefully that will be reflected in financial terms, by making sure that their food dollars go to the food producers who actually support their communities.
Another sad part about the use of that speech, is that it seems destiny would dictate that only a few of us will make the kind of commitment that farmers have traditionally made. “If I buy a Dodge truck, then it’s okay for me to buy GMO food from a multi-national corporation because I have tipped my hat to those hardy souls out there doing the work that I don’t have the balls to commit to”…..
Anyway, I did find a F350, diesel, standard, full-bed, regular cab, that wasn’t a dually…… A farm truck…..
Carl
February 6, 2013 at 3:36 pm #77305
Kevin Cunningham
Participant
@Carl Russell 39741 wrote:
I recognize that finances pose serious considerations, but I feel that it really comes down to people placing value on community. We have been convinced that financial security, like affordable food, or farm profitability, are more important than a secure and nurturing relationship with the land that sustains us. Food is fundamental to human community, and the relationship to food through land is provided by the stewards of that land-base.
I agree that the more important aspect is community and perhaps since I am still essentially in the start up phase of our farm, finances are of the utmost concern for us. I hope to find some way to stimulate the sense of community while at the same time and, maybe because of, a meaningful monetary transaction. I hope that the money our customers give us represents a type of trust that we can rely on when we steward this piece of ground. Money seems to have a dirty connotation and for good reasons, certainly more harm has been done in the name of money than just about anything else, except maybe religion, but I won’t get into that here. So how do we make our financial support systems and monetary transactions have deeper connections and pure intentions. For me the simplest way to feel good about my use of money is to give it to someone I know. If I trust someone for other reasons it make sense for me top help them out with the necessities of modern living. Help them pay their taxes, insurance, fuel bill, education, and maybe even some simple luxuries. These days most of our money leaves our hands without really ever being in them. It is a lot harder to give your neighbor some cash when most money is tied up in the bank. That is not community building at all. We have to devise clever ways to have these simple transactions and make money work for our community. Because while I would like everybody to have a deep sense of our interconnected sustaining biological, ecological, and social community, the taxes still need to get paid.
February 6, 2013 at 4:10 pm #77290
near horse
Participant
@Carl Russell 39741 wrote:
I recognize that finances pose serious considerations, but I feel that it really comes down to people placing value on community
Carl
Like many of the issues facing society today, some of the onus is on the public. You can lead a horse to water (and we’re trying to) but you can’t make him drink (their acceptance and desire for community).
In Idaho, even and F350 is called a pickup
trucks are larger than one tons. Believe me, they’ll let you know that right off.
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