~Guest Post by MRS
Marrying into a farming family has brought with it some challenges. There’s a lot of things to learn regarding what is appropriate to talk about and what is off limits. As HandyMan and I have gotten more involved with the farming process he has made a point to tell me some of the things I’m not supposed to talk about with “other people.”
Several of the things I’m not supposed to talk about include (and I may be missing some): how much ground his family farms, how much ground they own vs. rent, how much they pay to rent the land, and – of course I’m not supposed to say anything about how much money we make. There are probably other things for that list, but I’m not sure I know all of them yet. And that is part of the problem. I don’t know the unspoken rules that come with marrying into a farming family. I usually discover them after I’ve already talked about them and HandyMan has to sit me down and tell me, “farmers don’t talk about that.”
There needs to be a manual for these kinds of things!
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about our plans for 2011 and some of the things we’re going to be doing this year. That post included this paragraph:
“This is also going to be our first full year doing some farming. As a way for HandyMan and I to learn about the farming process before we actually take over the family farm, HandyMan’s father has rented us one field. We are responsible for all the decisions and expenses for that field and even though it is only one field, there are still a lot of things to consider and questions to ask. Hopefully, we won’t make too many mistakes!”
When HandyMan read my post that evening, he was immediately upset with me for sharing that information. I asked him what was wrong with it and what I should have left out. “Everything!” was his response. Rereading that paragraph, I still don’t see what’s wrong with it. I didn’t say how much we’re paying in rent, I didn’t say how big or small the field is, I didn’t talk about the chemicals we will or won’t be using on it, I didn’t even talk about what we’re going to plant in that field. HandyMan said that I shouldn’t have said we’re renting the field from his dad, but I didn’t want anyone to think we’re taking handouts and there’s NO WAY we could afford to actually buy a field. Farmland is expensive!
I then asked HandyMan about why we have to be so secretive about farming and mentioned that being so secretive just fuels the general public’s concern about where their food comes from. If we won’t even tell our friends how much ground we farm, how can someone we don’t know trust that we’re telling the truth about the safety of our products?
HandyMan conceded that I had a point and went on to explain some of the reasons for keeping quiet about some of the details. For example, if a landowner discovers that a farmer is paying him $150/acre in rent and paying another landowner $200/acre in rent, then the next time the contract is up for renewal, the landowner will either look for a farmer who will pay more or demand more money from the current farmer. Or if a landowner who is considering selling his ground knows how much ground the local farmers farm, he may approach the farmer with less ground because he thinks they need the land more.
I understand that there are unscrupulous people in every industry, including farming, but in an age where farming practices are under such scrutiny by the media and consumers, I really feel that honesty is the best policy. After all, without consumers, who’s going to buy our products?
Hungry for more? Related posts:
Blue’s First Ride in a Combine
Transparency
Blue Meets a Dairy Cow