Thirty crops. As an ex-farmer, I really feel that.
I wish I had heard that idea back in the day. We were just working by the seat of our pants, assuming everything was going to work out. And one or two bad years can mean you will never get your payday.
We had planted 200 Saskatoon trees that were going to take three years to bear fruit. On year two we had a hail storm where the stones came in sideways and stripped the leaves off of every tree. That set those trees back who knew how long? Our 5 year you-pick plan was toast.
That same year, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) hit the market and cattle prices went in the toilet. I was forced to go get a job and liquidate the herd.
The wife and I sat down and calculated how much of a loan we would need to get back in and how long it would take to make a profit. Assuming we had some better luck. But we decided not to risk it and I kept my day job.
Thanks for sharing this, Tim. It’s always something, isn’t it?
Take this year - many in my region pulled the biggest wheat yields of their lives, but after untimely rain trashed the grain quality, they still walked away owing the bank money.
Farming has a way of delivering the universe’s sickest, most twisted jokes straight to your kitchen table. Sideways hail on your Saskatoon trees? BSE hitting just when you’re trying to build something?
Timing like that makes you wonder if the universe has a particularly dark sense of humor.
From the outside, we probably look insane, and maybe we are. But we keep coming back for more.
Still, I’ve got to hand it to you: knowing when not to pull the trigger takes as much wisdom as knowing when to plant. Sometimes, timing isn’t just about when to start - it’s about knowing when to walk away.
Thanks for adding your story to this conversation. These are the kinds of truths that don’t make it into corporate circle jerks.
Farmers are an endangered species where I live. I’m not a farmer but I have friends that are. Some of them young but most young people don’t want to continue farming. They are trying to keep it together finding inventive ways to keep afloat in a county that has exploded with developers buying every last farm to slap up 100s of ill-built developments. They are coming in droves to this low tax county in lower Delaware with no infrastructure to support us all. I am very worried about the fate of our agriculture.
I really appreciate this passage. "Fluorescent lights buzz like tired honeybees, casting a pall over the room as we sit circled around rectangular tables like wagons around a prairie fire: farmers in coffee-stained flannels on one side, suits in thousand-dollar Italian loafers on the other." Outstanding imagery!
Thirty crops. As an ex-farmer, I really feel that.
I wish I had heard that idea back in the day. We were just working by the seat of our pants, assuming everything was going to work out. And one or two bad years can mean you will never get your payday.
We had planted 200 Saskatoon trees that were going to take three years to bear fruit. On year two we had a hail storm where the stones came in sideways and stripped the leaves off of every tree. That set those trees back who knew how long? Our 5 year you-pick plan was toast.
That same year, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) hit the market and cattle prices went in the toilet. I was forced to go get a job and liquidate the herd.
The wife and I sat down and calculated how much of a loan we would need to get back in and how long it would take to make a profit. Assuming we had some better luck. But we decided not to risk it and I kept my day job.
Thanks for sharing this, Tim. It’s always something, isn’t it?
Take this year - many in my region pulled the biggest wheat yields of their lives, but after untimely rain trashed the grain quality, they still walked away owing the bank money.
Farming has a way of delivering the universe’s sickest, most twisted jokes straight to your kitchen table. Sideways hail on your Saskatoon trees? BSE hitting just when you’re trying to build something?
Timing like that makes you wonder if the universe has a particularly dark sense of humor.
From the outside, we probably look insane, and maybe we are. But we keep coming back for more.
Still, I’ve got to hand it to you: knowing when not to pull the trigger takes as much wisdom as knowing when to plant. Sometimes, timing isn’t just about when to start - it’s about knowing when to walk away.
Thanks for adding your story to this conversation. These are the kinds of truths that don’t make it into corporate circle jerks.
It was Warren Buffet's Son, a farmer who coined the phrase:
" You have 40 chances to get it right."
Interesting, I hadn’t heard that before, but always appreciate a dose of Buffett/Munger wisdom. Thanks for sharing, Lorenzo!
Mother Nature has a way of teaching patience through persistence.
No other profession I know provides such a clear scoreboard of progress.
Farmers are an endangered species where I live. I’m not a farmer but I have friends that are. Some of them young but most young people don’t want to continue farming. They are trying to keep it together finding inventive ways to keep afloat in a county that has exploded with developers buying every last farm to slap up 100s of ill-built developments. They are coming in droves to this low tax county in lower Delaware with no infrastructure to support us all. I am very worried about the fate of our agriculture.
I worry about it often, but I also see signs of a shift in the overall mindset.
People are craving real, authentic voices and not just polished corporate statements.
If more people understand what life is really like out here, maybe that will drive the change we need. It gives me hope that not all is lost.
Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts - happy holidays!
I really appreciate this passage. "Fluorescent lights buzz like tired honeybees, casting a pall over the room as we sit circled around rectangular tables like wagons around a prairie fire: farmers in coffee-stained flannels on one side, suits in thousand-dollar Italian loafers on the other." Outstanding imagery!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fantastic
🙏
Delete grain, insert vanilla/cocoa - you nailed it. Happy Christmas.
Right back at you, Ruth. Appreciate you taking the time to read!
Great gonzo, guts,grit and attitude…best to you and yours as the world keeps on turning.