Farmer

It was never in the cards for me to be a farmer. At least, a farmer as I knew it: someone that owned thousands of acres of land with millions of dollars worth of equipment planting corn and soybeans year after year with abundant fertilizer and herbicide inputs, or feedlots filled with thousands of cattle or confinement buildings filled with thousands of pigs. That was my definition of a farmer when I was growing up. That definition seems pretty out dated now.

I grew up thinking that you had to be born into a farming family where the sons farmed with their fathers until everything was passed down through the generations. I wanted to be in agriculture, but I never knew where I would fit in. I spent years teaching it with the knowledge that I wasn't preparing students to farm, but I was giving them knowledge to support the industry. Now I believe I was preparing myself to farm.

With my views of the typical male farmer, I pigeon holed myself into thinking I couldn't do it. That stereotype kept me from trying. The thought of all the money it took or the thought of all the land needed kept me frozen. It took me years to realize that I was completely wrong. My husband and I can run a farm on a few acres with little inputs and make a modest income. This is how we did it.

1. Market your products yourself. Whatever farm product you are producing, sell it yourself direct to the consumer. The more people that handle your product, the more profit margin you loose.

2. Be transparent. Consumers want to know where their food comes from, social media makes that pretty easy.

3. Plan your agribusiness for the year. The years projected costs along with specific dates and goals are included.

4. Think outside the box. Conventional farming is what people do because they can't imagine doing it a different way. My husband and I have been advised to change the way we are running our farm based on the norm. Our intent has never been to do things the way that everyone else does it.

5. Help each other. This way of farming is not just a movement, but it's a way of life. It's hard work that can be isolating. When I hear that someone is interested in doing what we do, my husband and I try to help anyway that we can.

The face of farming is changing along with it's landscape. We are happy to be part of that change, and we are proud of what we can contribute to the industry.