Are Farmers an Endangered Species?

There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.”

~ Aldo Leopold

I was fortunate enough to grow up on a farm. My family owned beef cattle, a few hens for eggs (and an occasional chicken dinner).  We grew our own vegetables, farmed hay for the cattle, we grew and sold corn and had a small sugar bush that produced a spectacular maple syrup. We did not live in opulence, but we worked hard and we ate well. What’s more the community to which we belonged…simply by choosing a farm life….became this incredible extension of our family. We supported one another, worked with each other, helped one other through hard times and celebrated during good times. I remember it as being such an enriching and rewarding, and demanding, life.

The future of farming is a popular topic where I live. I wonder what it will be like in 10 years, 20 years or even in 50 years. The 2011 Canadian Census reported a 10% decline in farms since 2006 with the number of farm operators following suit. What is more startling, is that farmers are getting older and they aren't being replaced.

• In 1991, 48% of farmers were between 35 and 54 years only.  Young farmers (farmers 34 years of age or less) made up 20%.
• By 2001, 54% of farmers were 35 to 54 years old.  Young farmers dropped to 12%.
• In 2006, 90% of farmers were 35 years or older.   
• By the 2011 Census more than half the farmers were over the age of 55.  55!!!  

Canadian farmers are aging. They are retiring and the family farm is dying. Fewer and fewer farm kids are taking over the family farms. Since 2006, there has been a 9% decrease in the number of farms in the province of Ontario and farm acreage in this province has dropped by 5%.

I watched this statistic unfold in my own family. My father did not choose farming as his livelihood. My grandfather always said that farming was tough and you only got paid once a year. It took discipline and frugal measures that tested the limits of even the most Scottish of farmers. We ate in season, we froze and pickled and canned our goods to hold us through the winters.  We prayed for weather that would give us what we needed to survive and thrive. But my grandfather eventually became too old to farm. The cattle were sold, we stopped cutting the hay and tapping the trees and the cornfields lay fallow. The farm ended.

Today, the net income per family for a cattle farm operation is estimated to be $6279; poultry farms are more lucrative at an average income of $52,000 with vegetable farms hovering somewhere in between at an average net income of $22,076. For comparison purposes, consider that the average Canadian earns $32,100 per year and the average Canadian family earns $76,600.

So why do people farm? Because they love it. Because it's not a job, it's a lifestyle. Maybe they do it out of a sense of duty to their God and to their neighbour. Here's the thing. If we don't support our farmers, if we don't protect them and promote then, we're going to be forced to become them. 

Check out this video.

http://youtu.be/dIsEG2SFOvM

Part Owl, Part Dove With a Just a Hint of Peacock

“The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

 ~ George Bernard Shaw

As I mentioned in my last post, a friend suggested that my latest break-up could very likely be due, in no small part, to my lack of communication. I've been spending a lot of time mulling over this idea.  Did I fail to communicate?  Really?  That seems so unlike me.

I was raised by parents who strongly believed that if you don't have anything nice to say, you don't say anything at all.  I recognize that this little lesson is intended to serve children as they learn how to develop their own little filters to keep them from thoughtlessly hurling insults at others.  Its purpose is to teach empathy and impart socially acceptable behaviours and otherwise prevent children from having their assess kicked across the nation's playgrounds -- at least on the days they aren't serving detention. 

As adults, the rule mutates and further tests our mettle. As grown ups we're not only expected to speak nicely but we are required to do so while maintaining open and honest communications. No wonder so many of us just smile and nod our heads! Sometimes it takes days to craft an appropriate response to a personal affront. You've been there.  I know you have. You're having a conversation with someone when they say something so offensive or obtuse that your jaw literally drops open. Your mind races for an appropriate response as you fight the urge to convey the most natural one. You know EXACTLY which one I mean. The "you're a f*!@king  ass#@le," response to human stressors. But you don't say it because you are an adult. You stammer and choke, maybe say something weak like "I'm sorry you feel that way," or laugh with the hope that it was a poor attempt at humour.  Then it comes to you, three days later while you're brushing your teeth in the bathroom mirror -- the perfect response. An especially thoughtful remark precisely balanced with quick wit and disarming simplicity with a flawless delivery that you practice over and over again to the audience in your bathroom mirror. You smile and nod at your satisfied reflection because it is truly perfect...then you slowly shake your head because you know that it is now, three days later, a painfully useless retort.

Regardless of which side of the conversation you find yourself in most often, there are four distinct communication styles -- the Driver (Eagle), the Influencer (Peacock), the Compliant (Owl) and the Steady (Dove) communicator. Some people fit perfectly in one of these quadrants without venturing outside their communication box. Most people generally fit into one of these styles while sharing characteristics from one or more of the other types.

My communication pendulum swings between Compliant and Steady 90% of the time. I can be an Influencer but only if I'm heavily into "sales mode" or talking about something that I feel especially passionate about. I am not a Driver. Not even a little.

How I Communicate
I try to speak with purpose. I weigh my words carefully. I don't talk to hear myself speak. I don't feel the need to share every thought that pops in and out of my mind. If what I am thinking does not add value, it probably won't make it to the conversation. I am not under the misguided belief that I must share my every opinion with the world. I reserve judgement. I know that words can hurt so I try to be kind; I will, however, hurt you with my words if I'm pressed. I do not feel the urge to sway your opinions or beliefs though I am happy to openly explore them with you. Even if I don't agree with what you are saying, I will respect that you do. I don't need you to see the world my way. If you did...there would be so few conversations...so much less to talk about.

How I Feel
Knowing that I feel this way, it is reasonable to assume that mean-spirited remarks will be frowned upon and condescension will be met with contempt. I believe that if your mind is closed, so is your heart. I believe in the sanctity of a trusted confidence; if I feel that what I say is being met with criticism I will not share; if the confidence is broken, the conversation is over. I believe that character can be measured by the way a person treats his mother, his animals and restaurant wait staff. I believe that even if you deserve every good thing that happens, it doesn't excuse you from giving thanks. I believe that if you carry the burden of anger and resentment you have done so by choice and not by circumstance.

I speak with purpose. I did not speak at length but I spoke clearly about what I expect from my partner, how I feel, what I need and what I want. The behaviour and choices that follow are products of conscious decision-making -- we are, after all, agents of free will. Communication is not just talking...sometimes actions speak volumes.

I do not feel the urge to sway your opinions or beliefs.... I do not nag. You are who you are. You have the right to live your life the way you choose. I choose to live my best life.

“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.”  ~ Peter Drucker

Working Bilge Pump Needed

"Commitment doesn't scare me.  The thought of committing to the wrong person does."

~ Anonymous

A friend and I were performing a post-mortem on my latest relationship when he suggested that I have commitment issues. The 73 minute phone call began with a 15 minute discussion followed by a one-sided dissection of the relationship, my behaviour, my needs, my hang-ups, his merits, his mistakes, his devotion. He talked, I listened. In the end, he simply felt that the breakdown could all be explained by my fear of commitment or, quite possibly, by my lack of communication.

The commitment remark offended me but I was trying to be a good listener and didn't want to interrupt so I silently seethed while he continued to wonder at my decision to end things. His point about my lack of communication was fair but really a matter of perspective so, once again, I listened in silence and made note of the absence of any desire to defend myself.

That's when I recognized it...that familiar vacuum of apathy that sucks away the space that belongs to angry shouts of self-righteous indignation and hurt -- space that belongs to the gritty hallmarks of passion. It was nowhere. It could neither be summoned nor manufactured. It didn't make me sad so much as it made me sure. Something was missing. Something I knew I needed but that had failed to materialize during our time together.

Truth is, I am not afraid of commitment. I think that's the easy part. Commitment requires loyalty, patience, respect and trust. I can do all that and I'm confident in my abilities to recognize those traits in a partner. Over time, however, I have learned that other qualities are critical to a relationship's enduring success. There are things that each of us can or cannot live with or without. We all have our own deal breakers and our list of must-have's. I have no plans to list mine here but, in the end, I must have unwavering faith in the relationship's sustainability before I will surrender to it completely. To commit to a relationship absent of passion, at least in my mind, is defeat not surrender.

Relationships are complex -- easy for some, less easy for others -- but they are as unique as the individuals in them. The only thing they have in common is that they are imperfect. Every relationship is a leaky boat. The trick is to find the leak and determine what you need to staunch the flow.

It takes courage to enter into a relationship. We move forward with open hearts and open minds, of the attitude that we will learn something valuable whether or not we succeed. In every case we grow; we learn more about ourselves and others through our failures as well as our successes. And sometimes...we have our ass handed to us. So we rally...and we find a new boat...and we step lightly packing our bailing bucket, just a little bigger than the last one.

A Blog's Identity Crisis

"A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list." ~ Anonymous

How lame is it to blog about your blog?  OK, well, I'll keep it short.

Fact is, I haven't changed this site since I first created it so I really felt like the time was ripe for change.  Besides, every time I open up my Blog account, the template creator takes centre stage and it seems -- at least lately --  like it has taken on a more menacing quality.  Blogger has a new look!  (so update this tired mess)

Naturally I resist.  I can follow but I'm not a follower.  (I dance to the beat of my own kazoo....if you get my drift.)  Having said that, after seeing "Blogger has a new look!" day after day after day, a seed had been planted and I guess the idea finally grew roots.  Suddenly, nothing is more important than replacing the old polk-a-dot page.

I flipped through the templates and fell in like with page after page of fun and colourful designs.  I tried on a few bright and bold templates but the look felt pretentious.  I drafted up a couple of "awesome template" samples but in the end I felt like the template over-promised.   Let's face it...this isn't your source for daily news or market tips.

The blog references the wordpecker so I instinctively leaned towards nature, birds, trees and settled on a look that felt like a fit.   I can tweak it over time but...for now...welcome to the Wordpecker's new look.

Should Have Demanded A Handshake

Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with one of our clients  -- a senior citizen with a lovely disposition and a wonderful sense of humour.  During the course of our conversation, he came to tell me about how he acquired his first home mortgage.

About sixty years ago, this fellow walked down the the local sawmill to meet with the owner of the mill.  A successful business man and a pillar of his community, the owner of the mill was a friend to everyone.  My client explained to the sawmill owner that he was interested in a particular home "down the road" that was for sale along with considerable acreage.  The sawmill owner asked about my client's family and then quickly and directly explained his lending terms.  "I will finance the purchase at 5% on the condition that you pay each month without fail.  If you miss a payment, you make it up and pay the note out at 10%."  Needless to say, assured my client, that he never missed a payment.  They shook on it right then and there on the floor of the sawmill office.  The lawyers drafted the note but it was a done deal as soon as they clenched hands.  Sixty years ago a man's word was his bond.  It was currency.  It was credibility.

Three hundred and sixty days ago I shook hands.  I stood on a sawmill floor myself and promised I would knuckle through twelve months of an unfavourable term to break through with considerable gain at the end of the year.  Short term pain for long term gain.  A risky investment fueled by emotion more than logic but justifiable nonetheless after a quick cost-benefit analysis.   There was no kindly sawmill owner.  What there is, regrettably, is a bureaucracy with a deeper sense of responsibility to its shareholders than to the individuals in which they invest.  I was an investment and, as good as it was...they want more and have no compunction whatsoever in reversing their original agreement with me.  The terms have changed...just when they were supposed to turn in my favour.  At least they will, if I don't terminate....and I will terminate.

I am the first to admit that I am hopelessly naive but it is only because I have an unwavering faith in the goodness and truth of others.  Don't get me wrong, I can spot a fraud, but all things being equal, you have to earn my mistrust.

This experience won't change my outlook. I know that because I've survived worse and I still believe in the greater good.  

Next time I'll be sure to insist on a handshake.