He's Just a Big Dumb____________

All my life I have heard the following

"He's just a big old dumb cowboy"

"Well, I'm just an old cowboy"

"You know he's just a big old dumb farmer"

 

 

 



Do you have any idea how much that ticks me off? Do people have any idea what is required to be in agriculture? They are small business men who are at the absolute mercy of mother nature.

For instance:
Cattle men need to know:

Profit margins on optimal feeding of cattle to get the price for the amount of feed they put into them

Cattle futures and prediction of how the market will be, versus the market for corn, alfalfa, or other feed.

They need to project how many head an acre will handle based on the environmental conditions,
making sure to not over graze an area so they cut themselves short next year.

They need to be on call for any and all emergencies, from calves born in the middle of the cold February night, to treating pink eye and hoof rot, without needing to call the vet (a guaranteed $300 bill minimum).

Ranchers need to make sound decisions on herd management, including genetics, replacement heifers, first time calving size concerns for cross breeds, and growth genetics.  For instance it usually takes a Longhorn 3 years to mature to full weight, versus 2 for most breeds.  But Longhorn calves are usually smaller and Longhorn's do better in heat with less feed.

Are you getting this yet???

Farmers need to know:

Snow pack levels

Water rights law

How to survey and cut a field with furrows, for instance, a furrow that lets the water fall to slowly will cause crops to drown, but furrows that allow the water to fall to fast don't properly hydrate the plants. Not to mention all the presort and field leveling, without stripping the precious top soil layer.

Farmers need to know proper nutrient requirements for their crops, rotating nitrogen fixing crops like alfalfa with nitrogen promoting crops like corn, to allow maximum nutrient loading to allow maximum crop yield.

Farmers need to budget for equipment, did you know that a brand new combine will cost you well over a quarter million dollars, yeah $250,000.00. A decent tractor will easily hit you for $50K, not to mention all the implements you will need, plow, disc, blade, creaser, seeder, fertilizer spreader, or swathed, bailer, and bail wagon.

Farmers are then at the mercy of Mother Nature, one bad hail storm at just the wrong time, rained on hay cuttings, pest damage, or a host of other plagues, must all be planned for.

Are you still thinking agriculture people are dumb? We haven't even begun to discuss taxes, employing others, business models, inheritance issues, or any other of the myriad issues that are required for Farmers and Ranchers. Still people are willing to do this to feed you and the world. America's farmers produce more per acre than anywhere else in the world. So watch what you say about them, they are probably smarter than you are.