In business today, it is considered essential to have a mission statement. I think this is largely a good thing, and I think it is wise for us as individuals, spouses, parents, and families to do this from time to time again. January, with the beginning of the year, seems to be the natural time to do so. Shorter days on the farm also make this the best time to contemplate what we are doing, what we will not do, and the reasons why for both categories.
We are beginning farmers and ranchers -- not quite "Green Acres" (I just got that double entendre; it went right over my head when that show was on when I was a child), but close. Bev grew up here, on land that included this farm, but her Dad (as was probably both wise and prevalent at that time) made sure all three of his daughters went to UT and got non-farm jobs in cities. For my part, I stayed as far as possible from farming and ranching for my entire pre-farm life.
We are here, not because we know what we are doing, but out of expediency and a desire to enrich our lives. Expediency, because we were fortunate enough to be "given" the land (I put the word given in quotes because we have found that just maintaining the farm takes a big chunk of our non-farm income) and had to find something to do with it, and some way to help pay for it through its own operations. The lifestyle part of the equation is probably not unique to us at all; many people probably share our desire to get more connected to the land, do something tangible with our hands, and try a lifestyle different from that which we experience as young and then not so young professionals in Houston.
So what is it we hope to accomplish? First, we hope to become more self-sufficient, in many ways. We want to sell more food than we buy, rather than vice-versa. We want to raise our own vegetables, fruits, sheep, cattle, and ultimately chickens and goats. Self-sufficiency is a common sentiment, particularly in these tough economic times (which did not even exist as we determined to move forward). But for us it goes beyond just a balance sheet concept. This farm and ranch, like many, had embraced mono-culture and a commodity approached to agriculture that became prevalent in the second half of the past century. Self-sufficiency, in terms of producing vegetables, eggs, chickens, cheese, etc. for the table disappeared. Instead, it followed the models of the corporate farm -- embedded in specialization. The thinking was probably more innocent than first appears. Specialization can work on a local scale. The cattleman can focus on cattle, and trade what he has (or the dollars that he made in pursuing his trade) with local dairy, poultry outfit, truck farm. That makes sense. The problem is the logical extension is to specialize, usually a oxymoron of sorts because in most communities that means specialize in whatever commodity is prevalent, and buy everything else from the HEB or the Wal-Mart. This model puts the family farm in competition with agri-business, breaks down the self-sufficiency of the local economy, and the local nature of the market and, ultimately, destroys the fabric of the community.
These are, of course, our opinions; no one has to share them. But our opinions explains why we have elected a different path.
A very good farming writer, Gene Logsdon, who is a hero of mine, calls himself a "contrary farmer." He calls himself that because he does not buy into the industrial model as it applies to farming. He sees defects in the application of the model to agriculture (and indeed to life and business in general), some of which I have set forth above -- although not nearly as well as does Gene. I commend Gene's books, as well as the books of others, to anyone who wants to pursue, or is interested in, family farmer in this century.
What we believe is that family farming should not be a mono-culture. That commodity crops should generally not be grown by the family farmer, unless he and his family intend to eat them, as an alternative to buying them (which generally is not even a good economic decision in our experience). He should not raise the sheep, cattle, or goats that the corporate farmers, or their inadvertant family farmer followers, raise. He should address the micro-market of folks who are hungry and thirsty for what he really has to offer that the corporate farmers and their family farm followers do not -- something unique. In our opinion, family farmers should be growing what is not readily available at a low price -- heirloom vegetables, specialty fruits and nuts, and, if he sells animals for meat, he should sell antique breeds of livestock not bred up during the past century to be carttoon versions of the livestock people originally raised and sold in this country.
We believe that this farmer should know and sell directly to his customers -- through farm stands, through farmer's markets, and through community sponsored agriculture ("CSA's"). We believe the US government has made the word "organic" meaningless, and organic certification should not be the goal for the family farmer, but that the farmer should, nonetheless, refrain from the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers on anything that he expects a human being to eat. (Ultimately, we think the same should apply to animals. But buying local animal feed we think should be a higher goal than buying organic animal food; so sometimes one has to choose non-organic hay, grains, and other animal feeds for the sake of buying locally).
We believe that the self sufficient, diverse, family farmer of a century ago should be the model that we all strive for. Not forsaking technology, or what we did learn in the past century of farming, but forsaking the mechanistic model of farming that family farmers bought into, until they could neither buy or buy into anything else.
We believe the family farm of today and tomorrow should minimize inputs other than labor, which will probably be increased. We believe that one should hold off buying equipment to the extent and for as long as possible. We believe most equipment would be more logically shared by several family farms. How many rusty combines sit in sheds on farms all over this land?
We believe in treating customers and animals alike with dignity. We believe in treating customers honestly. We believe the most important role of the family farmer is probably reeducation -- of himself, of other family farmers, and of consumers. Everyone has gotten to where they don't expect much, and either don't know any better or have forgotten.
These are trying times. Farmers and farm operations will fail; probably on a large scale. Most small farmers will probably either have to keep, or get, day jobs -- proving additional money and subsidizing their farm "lifestyle." We have no illusions of quitting our day jobs to focus exclusively on this labor of love.
This mission statement, like any, is and probably should be a work in progress. But this is where we stand. We invite input -- like minded or contrary. It takes all kinds and all minds. God bless.
We are beginning farmers and ranchers -- not quite "Green Acres" (I just got that double entendre; it went right over my head when that show was on when I was a child), but close. Bev grew up here, on land that included this farm, but her Dad (as was probably both wise and prevalent at that time) made sure all three of his daughters went to UT and got non-farm jobs in cities. For my part, I stayed as far as possible from farming and ranching for my entire pre-farm life.
We are here, not because we know what we are doing, but out of expediency and a desire to enrich our lives. Expediency, because we were fortunate enough to be "given" the land (I put the word given in quotes because we have found that just maintaining the farm takes a big chunk of our non-farm income) and had to find something to do with it, and some way to help pay for it through its own operations. The lifestyle part of the equation is probably not unique to us at all; many people probably share our desire to get more connected to the land, do something tangible with our hands, and try a lifestyle different from that which we experience as young and then not so young professionals in Houston.
So what is it we hope to accomplish? First, we hope to become more self-sufficient, in many ways. We want to sell more food than we buy, rather than vice-versa. We want to raise our own vegetables, fruits, sheep, cattle, and ultimately chickens and goats. Self-sufficiency is a common sentiment, particularly in these tough economic times (which did not even exist as we determined to move forward). But for us it goes beyond just a balance sheet concept. This farm and ranch, like many, had embraced mono-culture and a commodity approached to agriculture that became prevalent in the second half of the past century. Self-sufficiency, in terms of producing vegetables, eggs, chickens, cheese, etc. for the table disappeared. Instead, it followed the models of the corporate farm -- embedded in specialization. The thinking was probably more innocent than first appears. Specialization can work on a local scale. The cattleman can focus on cattle, and trade what he has (or the dollars that he made in pursuing his trade) with local dairy, poultry outfit, truck farm. That makes sense. The problem is the logical extension is to specialize, usually a oxymoron of sorts because in most communities that means specialize in whatever commodity is prevalent, and buy everything else from the HEB or the Wal-Mart. This model puts the family farm in competition with agri-business, breaks down the self-sufficiency of the local economy, and the local nature of the market and, ultimately, destroys the fabric of the community.
These are, of course, our opinions; no one has to share them. But our opinions explains why we have elected a different path.
A very good farming writer, Gene Logsdon, who is a hero of mine, calls himself a "contrary farmer." He calls himself that because he does not buy into the industrial model as it applies to farming. He sees defects in the application of the model to agriculture (and indeed to life and business in general), some of which I have set forth above -- although not nearly as well as does Gene. I commend Gene's books, as well as the books of others, to anyone who wants to pursue, or is interested in, family farmer in this century.
What we believe is that family farming should not be a mono-culture. That commodity crops should generally not be grown by the family farmer, unless he and his family intend to eat them, as an alternative to buying them (which generally is not even a good economic decision in our experience). He should not raise the sheep, cattle, or goats that the corporate farmers, or their inadvertant family farmer followers, raise. He should address the micro-market of folks who are hungry and thirsty for what he really has to offer that the corporate farmers and their family farm followers do not -- something unique. In our opinion, family farmers should be growing what is not readily available at a low price -- heirloom vegetables, specialty fruits and nuts, and, if he sells animals for meat, he should sell antique breeds of livestock not bred up during the past century to be carttoon versions of the livestock people originally raised and sold in this country.
We believe that this farmer should know and sell directly to his customers -- through farm stands, through farmer's markets, and through community sponsored agriculture ("CSA's"). We believe the US government has made the word "organic" meaningless, and organic certification should not be the goal for the family farmer, but that the farmer should, nonetheless, refrain from the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers on anything that he expects a human being to eat. (Ultimately, we think the same should apply to animals. But buying local animal feed we think should be a higher goal than buying organic animal food; so sometimes one has to choose non-organic hay, grains, and other animal feeds for the sake of buying locally).
We believe that the self sufficient, diverse, family farmer of a century ago should be the model that we all strive for. Not forsaking technology, or what we did learn in the past century of farming, but forsaking the mechanistic model of farming that family farmers bought into, until they could neither buy or buy into anything else.
We believe the family farm of today and tomorrow should minimize inputs other than labor, which will probably be increased. We believe that one should hold off buying equipment to the extent and for as long as possible. We believe most equipment would be more logically shared by several family farms. How many rusty combines sit in sheds on farms all over this land?
We believe in treating customers and animals alike with dignity. We believe in treating customers honestly. We believe the most important role of the family farmer is probably reeducation -- of himself, of other family farmers, and of consumers. Everyone has gotten to where they don't expect much, and either don't know any better or have forgotten.
These are trying times. Farmers and farm operations will fail; probably on a large scale. Most small farmers will probably either have to keep, or get, day jobs -- proving additional money and subsidizing their farm "lifestyle." We have no illusions of quitting our day jobs to focus exclusively on this labor of love.
This mission statement, like any, is and probably should be a work in progress. But this is where we stand. We invite input -- like minded or contrary. It takes all kinds and all minds. God bless.
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