“In harnessing land, Iowa farmer preserves it” … that is the title of an article from a little over three months ago that somehow I missed. If you are like me and missed it too I very highly recommend this article from the Star Tribune about Boone, IA farmer (and Practical Farmers of Iowa founder) Dick Thompson. If you are not familiar with Mr. Thompson let me just give you a brief history … he is an 81-year-old farmer who does a lot of things differently than his neighbors and he makes a living doing it … I believe that pretty much sums it up. Really though … even though I’ve never met him I do owe him a lot for my own farming journey for they way in which he helped the Practical Farmers of Iowa organization get off the ground.
This little chunk from the article was one of the great takeaways for me ::
“That’s the way my dad farmed in the 1950s and ’60s,” said Robert Plathe, a corn and soybean farmer west of Mason City. “If I have a market, that makes sense,” he said. It would also help revive agricultural communities because farms would be smaller and more families could live off the land.
But, he pointed out, it’s a lot harder, and few people want to farm like that anymore. Animals require daily care, winter and summer.
“Farmers like their free time in the winter,” he said.
I think the article, and Mr. Thompson, raise some very good points that farmers and farm consumers (everyone) should take some time to think about. So, I think you should check out the article for yourself and I would love to hear what really hit home with you!
Finally … if you aren’t very familiar with the work of Mr. Thompson this link will take you to a great resource that I’ve actually been making my way through.
Yes, it is the older guys (nad gals) who are the wealth of farming info. My hubbie has learned so much about hog farming from books written in the 40’s and 50’s. Cute though, his statement about famers liking their break time in winter. Never happens on our farm!