Agriculture Banding Together

I don’t know about any of you, but this fall has been one of the most trying seasons of my farming career. It seems like the weather has been against us at every turn. First it was too dry to get the crop to grow, too hot for the corn and this fall it has been too wet and too snowy to get it harvested. Then we have the markets, they were soft and that was before the trade war and tariffs. I must admit, I have been down lately. Every time I have tried to get off the mat something else comes along and knocks me right back down. I also know from talking to many of you that I am not alone.

This past week I attended the Annual Meeting of the Kansas Farm Bureau. It is my chosen organization, the one that I give my time too and the place I focus much of my attention on. Is Farm Bureau better than any of the other ag organizations out there? I think so but that is not the point of my thoughts this week and I am not looking for an argument. I hope that you are involved in the ag or commodity group that you feel best fits you and your beliefs and that you get involved in it. In any case, this week was our Annual Meeting and it was the start of our 100^th anniversary celebration.

With all that is going on with my farm, I was a little down when I arrived at the meeting. Soon I ran into many friends and we compared notes about how hard this fall harvest season has been. I am not sure why it made me feel better that I was not alone in my tough fall, but it did make me feel better. Too many times I think we feel so isolated by the very nature of our business, often we are a one or two man show and it is easy to get blinders on.

The words of encouragement from my friends from around the state helped quite a bit. The kind thoughts reminded me that I am not alone and there are pulling for me. Then we started the general sessions and I was reminded of why I am in agriculture by many of the speakers. I guess it helps to hear that what we are doing is important and that people do appreciate the long hard hours we put in each day.

Maybe it was the 100^th anniversary celebration that helped too. It was a good reminder that Kansas Farm Bureau was born out of times just like we faced this fall. It was started by farmers and ranchers who looked to band together to make the world of production agriculture better. A group of professionals who saw the value in working together to make agriculture better and more secure. Sure, things are tough now, but we have weathered storms stronger than this one and come out the other side stronger and more resilient.

This was made clear to me as I watched a workshop put on by Dr. Allen Featherstone, Professor of Agriculture Economics at Kansas State University. Is the economic climate rosy, probably not, but the dark clouds on the horizon are breaking up and there may be some light at the end of the economic tunnel. While this has been a trying period, we have seen worse times and survived. I have no doubt we will make it through this storm too.

I left the day feeling much better. I don’t know much in this world, but I know the weather in Kansas will change and I need to be patient. The one thing we can’t give up is our hope and eye on the future and I have my friends to thank for that. Its funny how just when things look the darkest and times are tough how the encouragement of others in the same boat can help the most.

I guess that is why I think involvement in any of our general agriculture or commodity organizations is so important. We are such a small portion of the general population that often no one else around us understands what we do. If we are to survive, we will come together as an agriculture community to help support each other through times like this. Alone we cannot achieve as much as we can all together. That is why I am involved in Kansas Farm Bureau.

When I return home, I will have a renewed vision and excitement for the challenges farming brings me. The work will get done and the future will hold more opportunity. I can see that now with a little help from my friends. My thoughts for you are that it is much tougher to make it through hard times alone. Find a place you feel comfortable, an organization that stands for the same principals you do and get involved. I promise you will get more out of it in the long run than you put in.