The Last Farmerversary

March 12, 2012 was my first day on the farm and the start of my adventure in Western Kansas.  I've been through great crop prices and horrible ones.  I've seen droughts, floods, blizzards, hail storms and days so gorgeous it about made me cry.  I started as a worthless city boy farmhand and for the last year couple of years I managed the farm.  All good things however must come to an end, and I'm afraid now is the time for me and my family to move on.

Commodity prices have fallen to about a third of what they were when I started.  The inputs to raise crops on the other hand haven't really fallen that much.  So margins are razor thin and all it takes is a hail storm to put farmers in the red for the year.  Additionally, the state of Kansas has decided that it would like to implement a change that dramatically lowers the amount of water that we can use in order to irrigate crops.

All of which leaves me in a precarious position.  My family and I love the farm and the lifestyle it enables, but it's hard to justify the expense and risk of farming when long term success looks so uncertain.  So as hard of a decision as it is, we need to find our next adventure.

Before I end my blog I wanted to share some wisdom that I've picked up from some grumpy old farmers and from experience I've accumulated.

Sometimes you need a bigger hammer.  Coming from a electronics and computer background it was never a good idea to physically hit the equipment harder if it wasn't working.  Well, on the farm sometimes you literally just don't have the force required and you need a bigger hammer.  Figuratively, I've also taken this to mean that if you don't have the power to solve a problem yourself then you need a little more help (force or otherwise).  Problems that we all encounter in life sometimes seem impossible.  Talking to someone about our problems is sometimes all we need to solve them.  If you don't have a big enough hammer find one and use it.  See what happens!

If you don't like what you are doing wait 2 weeks.  On the farm things change all the time: seasons, jobs to do, markets, etc...  Things will change if times are bad (and unfortunately good as well) just give it some time.  Sure it might get worse but eventually things will get better.  Another way that my Grandpa Marvin put it when we were in a drought and things looked pretty bad on the farm: "Don't worry it'll rain."  He was right. 

Don't beat yourself up.  Operating a farm and managing a business in general you constantly have to make decisions.  Do I hedge my wheat price now or do I think the price will go up?  Do I invest in this piece equipment or remain liquid for a better deal?  Do I really need that 6th cup of coffee today?  My father-in-law has taught me that you make the best decision that you can at the time and you move on.  Don't spend your life looking back and beating yourself over a decision when you have all the facts later.  If you did this as a farmer, or business owner, you would be paralyzed.  In ANY decision you face in life make the best one you can with the information available to you and move forward!

It's OK, I'm going to take care of you!  I first heard this from an old rancher / veterinarian at a cattle conference.  He said that when he would wean his calves (take the calves away from their moms) he would put all the calves in a pen, give them the best feed and he would walk them all around the pen and tell them: It's OK, I'm going to take care of you now!  After I heard this I started saying it to my cows and my family.  Don't tell my wife I wrote this she does not like to be compared to a cow...  I have taught my son to say it to his kitties that he feeds every morning.  You would be amazed at how well it works with the animals and people in your life.  Of course you have to mean it but who wouldn't like to hear that someone is going to take care of them?

Did you do the best that you could?  If you did the best you could do and it doesn't work out then you can have peace about the outcome.  My wife and I are trying to instill this into our son.  There is nothing wrong with failure if you did everything you could to succeeded.  In fact, most of the time you learn way more from those failures than when everything went perfect.  So I would say my time on the farm has taught me more than any other period of time in my life. 

In closing, I want to pass on something that I shared with a friend on the cusp on his own adventure.  Adventure can be a lonely thing but it is worth it!  Going into the great unknown is exhilarating and terrifying, but we are not made to sit idle in comfort.  Opportunities for adventures are out there.  Look for them!  Yes, you might have to turn off your TV, be uncomfortable and lonely but I can tell you that it is worth it.  Please just try!

-Farmer Emeritus Ryan

P.S. - Thank you all for the love and kind words through these last six years.  You have made my adventure even better and I love you all because of it.