Over the weekend I attended the Michigan Farm Bureau's Young Farmer Leaders Conference. These types of conferences are pretty general when it comes to farming information; instead the focus is on leadership, business, marketing, and personal development for farmers age 18-35. Roughly 300 farmers attend the event each year, for a weekend of learning and networking. Coming away from the conference this year I have five "bits of wisdom" to share, along with one personal story.
5. Farming is a family affair. I have been to a few professional conferences by now, and I have never been to any conference besides a farming one where husbands, wives, and children are all learning together. Sitting at a random lunch table, Every person at the table asks about the spouse and children of the person next to them (if they aren't also at the table). It's not just to be polite, it is genuine interest. Each year attending the conference I make more connections, talk to more people, and I learn more about the different farm families. Farms are family businesses, even if one or more people in the family don't work on the farm as their full time job.
4. We want acceptance. A big topic of any farming conference now is how to talk to people about farming. Farmers are trusted, but farming as an industry is not. People are so far removed from what farming is, and they tend to be more than skeptical about many farming practices. Speaker Michele Payn-Knoper pulled many people out of the audience and asked them if they think communicating directly with consumers is important; all of them answered yes. When she then asked if they would go home and start talking to people, most of the farmers said they weren't sure. This isn't something farmers want to do. It is scary to start a conversation with someone you don't know about your business. It is awful to put yourself out there and have somebody tear you down because they don't like the decisions you have made on your farm, decisions that 100% were made with the best intentions regarding, health, safety, and yes, our personal farm profitability. Keeping the farm going is what keeps our families going. We want to share our stories with the world, but we want to find people accepting and willing to listen; the same things we need to be when people do come to us.
3. Size doesn't matter. Farms of all shapes and sizes are important to filling the food demands. Large farms and small farms have benefits for consumers, and both are needed in order to give people the options they are looking for. Conventional, organic, and local all have a place at the table. Almost every industry has businesses operating under all different types of models. Those differences give consumers choices. It isn't about who is "just in it for the money." I don't know a single farmer who is farming just for a paycheck. I wouldn't wish it on anyone to have a career or a lifestyle where they can't fully exercise their passion.
2. People are the most important. Food isn't really about just filling our bodies. For many of us, the dinner table is a time for connection. We get together and have large meals with our families. We care about what we put in because we want to get the best out. Even though the conversations about food can be uncomfortable, I need to listen and participate. It isn't about raising corn, wheat, cows, chickens, vegetables, or fruits. It's about providing for our families and bringing people together. I feel that the pigs we raise on our farm are the best thing that I can give my own family, and I need consumers to feel the same way. If it isn't good for both of us, then it's not going to be sustainable.
1. We need to define ourselves by what we can do and don't let what we can't do stop us. This final point is where things start to get a bit personal, and maybe that is why it is resonating with me more than any other part of the conference. The keynote speaker, Steve Gilliland, did his talk on how to move through life with purpose, passion, and pride. He mentioned if we focus on what we can't do, there will be many things that stand in our way- including other people who will try to define who we are. Steve instead directed us to put effort into developing what we can do, in order to find happiness and success.
Now for the personal part. I don't usually put much on here about what I do outside of farming, so for those of you that don't know, I spend quite a bit of my free time marathon canoe racing. Like the farming community (although considerably smaller), the paddling community is small and tight knit. On Friday, Mathieu- French Canadian paddler and a friend was involved in a terrible logging accident (he is a lumberjack). By the time I was sitting in the conference on Sunday, he had learned that he would probably live the rest of his life unable to walk. This is devastating news for anyone, especially so for someone as young and active as Mathieu. As I was sitting in the crowd listening to Steve speak, I could only think how Mathieu's life is going to change, and how he will need to focus on the positive things that he can do in order to find happiness.
The paddlers have really rallied around Mathieu and his family in the last few days, and have started a collection in order to help with his expenses on the road to recovery. While maybe this won't matter to any of my readers, if you feel like helping him out on his journey, visit http://www.gofundme.com/mzf674 and make a donation. Every little bit helps, and this is something that we all can do.
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