So many of you (our consumers) love farmers. You read our blogs, like our pictures and eat and wear our products every single day. We, the farmers, love you for that. Over the years, however, I’ve noticed your perspective of us has changed.
Somewhere along the way “profit” became a 4-letter word when it comes to farming. There are a lot of people that believe people producing food should not make a profit. Farmers, like myself, need to support their families . And frankly, if we never made money we would have other jobs.
On average, the farmer only receives 16 cents of every dollar you spend in the grocery store. In the words of John F. Kennedy, “The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale and pays the freight both ways.”
Contrary to what some believe, most of us are not driving around in Cadillac Escalades. I drive a Ford Escape. At my peak of vehicle ownership, I owned an F-150 and it just wasn’t economical when it was sitting in the driveway 6 days a week.
My husband and I have worked hard and done well for our age. Yes, we remodeled our house, but we, with help from our families, worked extremely hard on the project. We hired almost no labor, and there are areas where it’s probably not up to professional standards. But, that’s OK. We didn’t want to spend a lot of money on it, and we saved and pinched pennies to be able to afford it.
Farming has good years and it has not so good years.. For example, 2014 was a phenomenal year for milk prices. We had historical highs, but now we are back to prices with little to no profit. The reality is there are many years where we don’t make any profit or lose money. It is the nature of the beast in a free market society. We can hate it, but that is the reality. We farm because we love it.
So, what do we do? We simply continue to work hard and do our best. We work hard to make enough money to provide for our families, but that isn’t the only reason we love our lifestyle . There are many other advantages to farm life and those reasons are why we farm.
We love raising our children in a place where going outside and getting dirty is expected. We love being able to share a passion and commitment to the land, animals and environment that was passed down to us from our parents and grandparents. There is something to be said when you watch your child (or right now for me a younger sibling) dig in and take the initiative to finish a project that you once did together. It chokes you up and makes you thank everything that is holy that you get to farm even when it can be tough.
Am I one of those farmers that expects a thank you? Nope. I do it because I love it. I love knowing I am feeding my neighbors, the people in U.S. and people in other parts the world. I am a part of every milk drinker’s life.. That is an awe-inspiring task that I do not take lightly.
Farming and providing food and fiber is not a public service. Do we make a lot of profit? Not normally. But, when I do make a profit, I do not appreciate being perceived as a villain.
If we didn’t make any money we wouldn’t be able to be in business. Many farms rely on bank loans. The simple, and maybe harsh reality is that if we never made a profit, banks would never lend us money. If we aren’t able to pay them back, they would lose money and also go out of business.
When we have a profitable year, I get excited because we are able to reinvest in our farms. That’s right. While it would be nice to maybe have a new car or some other added luxury, farmers typically put their hard earned profit back into their operations. That money can be used to improve buildings, to upgrade equipment or to care for our animals. We can invest in technology that allows us to use fewer inputs in the production process. The money can also be used to give employee bonuses so they can better provide for their families.
Making a profit provides the tools to help us be better stewards of our land, animals and communities.
Farming is not always a fun a job. We work a lot of hours and no offense, but just like you, we deserve to be paid for the work we do. The reward of farming is not always monetary.
Part of my reward is being involved in a family legacy that spans generations. Another part will be being able to raise children in an environment that so many miss out on today. But, making a little money should be part of the reward,too. When it comes to farmers, “profit” is not a 4-letter word. Profit helps us to be better stewards of this Earth by taking better care of our land, animals, and communities, and I think that is something amazing.
