What does it take to be a Regenerative Farmer or Rancher?
Alert! You might no like what I am about to say. This blog’s topic is about what it takes to be a farmer or rancher plus some observations about the current state of the American food system.
There are only two ways to create wealth: mining and agriculture. Mining acquires something that is inaccessible and makes it accessible to the market place. Agriculture takes sunlight and air with a few minerals from the earth and makes something exist that didn’t exist before. These two industries are the MAKERS. Mining at any level is destructive to the earth. Agriculture can be destructive, but it doesn’t have to be. Agriculture can be regenerative by changing no more than management practices. Every other endeavor takes what these two make and shifts it from one pile to another, usually with losses along the way.
I grew up on a ranch in South Texas. We had 1500 acres and lost 1300 to bad management. That hurts. I came of age in the 1970’s. Those were “interesting” times. At the beginning of the ‘60’s ranches of any size usually had one or more Mexican-American families working for them as cowboys (vaqueros) and laborers. By the end of the ‘60’s, most of those families had been displaced to the cities. We had double-digit inflation wreaking havoc with our purchasing power. We even had wage and price controls! My father did not adapt to the changing environment and lost the ranch. His dream was to be a cowboy, a very different thing than being a rancher or farmer. Let’s dig into the roles just a bit and see what we learn.
A ranch hand or farm hand executes a task or set of tasks. That does not imply that those tasks are simple or easy. They are not. Skilled men and women working at farm and ranch tasks are almost always keen observers of all of their surroundings. Weather, soil moisture, animal condition, field or pasture condition, fences, etc. They can almost read it like a book. Every one I have ever known in such a role is also hardy. That is, that person has the ability and willingness to just keep working regardless of conditions long after I am exhausted. Likewise, they seem to have an instinct (or hard experience) to know when conditions require a “let’s wait this out” approach. They are consummate tacticians. How do they do that?
The rancher or farmer in this context is the person in charge. She or he is the strategist. This person is responsible to set the vision for the farm or ranch so that the required tasks are clearly understood. This is also the person that must understand profit and loss and make the necessary decisions to keep the operation in the black. What does that take?
Here at Hood Family Farms, we are dedicated to doing regenerative agriculture. You can read some of my previous blogs to explore what that means in more depth. I’m a ranch kid. I have come to the unpleasant realization that my upbringing is actually a hindrance in some areas. I have a picture in my mind of “right” that is wrong from a regenerative perspective.
Wait for it… Almost there…
So, we start with getting our powers of observation calibrated and fine-tuned. The ability to look, see, and interpret is probably the single most important skill of all. For instance, looking at a field of ryegrass, it is all green - or is it? Some of the green is emerald, some is is yellowish. What does that mean? Does it have significance?
Next, I would list problem solving. Life on a farm or ranch can legitimately be viewed as a never ending series of problems to be solved. Some problems are small, some are not. All ultimately have to reach some sort of resolution for the operation to flourish. Some people thrive on dealing with the problems, choosing to see them not as “problems”, but rather as parts of the adventure that is agriculture.
Soil science, at least at a minimal level, is to me critical. The biology in our soils is what makes everything go. Our ability to maintain and promote the health of the subsoil biome is not esoteric fluff, but an essential skill to accomplish our regenerative goals for ourselves and for the world.
Pest control without synthetic herbicides and pesticides is a really big deal for anyone with a market garden, flowers, or trees. To a lesser extent it also applies to graziers (army worms!!!). Those of us involved with the “farming” side of regen-ag also must understand how to feed and water our plants.
Then there is animal husbandry. Animals basically run on auto-pilot. But just as in aircraft or Tesla cars, the pilot/driver/rancher must be attentive to know when intervention is required. Just this lambing season (February for us), I had to pull one lamb. Animals must also be fed and watered and sometimes supplemented according to their kind. Chickens don’t need the same things as sheep. Sheep don’t need exactly the same things as cattle…
Those are my big 5. Accounting, mechanics (tractor and equipment repair), fence building, project management, design, communications both written and oral, sales, marketing, machine operation, use of hand tools, etc., fill out the rest of the skills. All of us in regen-ag must possess the big 5 and most of the rest in some degree in order to succeed. The biggest requirement of all, though, is desire - even passion to do the job. Almost anyone can do this with desire and a willingness to learn.
To illustrate the importance of sales and marketing from a farming perspective, let’s take a look at a Cornell University report of the American food system in 2013 Click Here:
About ¾ of all consumer food spending goes to cover marketing - supply price can change considerably but has little impact
The share of income spent on food has been reduced in part because real household incomes have improved with more women joining the work force in the past 50 years and contributing to the household’s income. However, it may be also argued that reducing the share of income spent on food wrongly encourages policies that are low cost at the expense of the environment, food quality, safety, and health.
Thus, if you want to be able to run a profitable (this is ESPECIALLY important if you farm on a small scale) farming business that doesn’t rely on chemicals to increase crop yield, or government subsidies to bail you out in a sub-par year… you need to be able to absorb some of the sales and marketing roles into your farming operation rather than relying on a 3rd party who will take most, if not all of the profits.
Please note that nowhere did I mention a degree. Up until very recently, a university degree in agriculture would set one up for a serious un-learning process in regen-ag. Thankfully, some universities are now beginning to take regenerative agriculture seriously. Growing up a a farm or ranch kid likewise mandates a certain amount of un-learning when moving into this new mode of doing and being.
Those of you, my friends, in the cities and suburbs, please appreciate what it takes to do this job. Be aware of the words you use with respect to farming and farmers. We are not a bunch of hayseeds, even if we don’t dress or talk like you. There is great skill required to do what we do. I would challenge you to grow some of your own food this year. (I know many of you do.) Do it without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Spread the word about what it takes to be successful out here.
Learn how to be a MAKER, don’t be content with just being a TAKER.
Let me know what you think.
Robin Hood
Hood Family Farms