I feel like I'm a dying breed

[woodmort]

I didn't grow up on a farm but in the country next to one where I would often help out--it was owned by my best friend and we live just off one of their pastures. Also I have several aunts and uncles that owned farms--I used to spend summers in S. MN working on them as well. Plus I was fortunate enough to be able to take enough ag courses in HS in spite of being in a college prep track--I did the 4-H to FFA thing. The point is I learned from adults as to when and how deep to plant seeds, how to prune fruit trees, how to properly sting fence, to raise, kill, and dress out animals and, generally, about what was required to grow food. As we as a population get further and further from these roots this knowledge is getting lost. Heck, even many of today's farm workers are nothing more than assembly line workers that know one phase of a corporate operation without having to know how everything works. I see it in the questions asked by many on this forum who presumably are well educated and thoughtful people, but woefully misinformed or naive. (I also see a lot of sharing of ignorance, which bothers me no end.) I hope by answering some of them I'm able to help and pass on some of those things I learned from my elders and through experience. Maybe before I and those others on here that have this knowledge to share finally bite the dust, we can leave something behind. I just worry that there isn't enough time.

 

[Katy]

You are very right. I was raised on a farm and married a farmer....we're still farming and raising cattle. I agree that each generation gets further and further away from agriculture. When we were young (I think we're about the same age or at least in the same generation) even town kids more than likely had a grandparent or as you did other relatives that were still farming so they had some amount of exposure to agriculture. Now most young people are another generation or two removed from it and more than likely have no exposure to a farm or ranch. I don't think there's any way to give that experience either.....and most wouldn't want it if it was offered to them. It involves being outside in the heat and the cold not sitting in the A/C playing computer or video games. I don't think it's something that can ever be recovered.....even with the people who are trying to be more self sufficient on their little plot of land there are many who either can't do that or have no desire to learn how.

 

[speckledhen]

The folks who know how to survive, grow their own foods, fix things, shoot a gun, etc, are the ones who will be okay when it all falls apart. And I'm going to live with one of them

Just kidding! We try to be take care of ourselves and not depend on anyone else. We can grow veggies, save seed, graft fruit trees, fix and build things, keep chickens, etc. We get outside and get plenty of fresh air and sunshine and exercise and not turn to stone sitting by just sitting all the time. Yup, guess we're dying right along with you.

 

[WriterofWords]

It's funny you should bring this up. I had a couple of fathers visit my class after school today,, they were asking about the Kid's Club that starts back up tomorrow. They want to enroll their daughters so they will learn how to cook, sew, crochet, things we used to consider every day things. When they heard I do hatching in my class they asked about teaching the kids in the Club about hatching and stuff. We don't have FFA at our high school out here even though it's the third year in existence. It's so hard to find Ag teachers here,, in the middle of the biggest farming area in NM. It's so sad!

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

so.... when the **** we can all come over to your house, right?

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

I consider myself blessed to have the experience of growing up hands-on in the country. There are loads of things that I can do that most people my age (mid-20's) cannot do or don't know anything about. For example, I taught a 23-year-old college classmate how to plant a garden. How simple is that? She didn't have a clue. Plus, guys think it is just awesome that I know how to fix basic car issues such as changing a tire, changing oil, locating parts in the engine by name, etc.

 

[wildeflowers]

Well, that's great!

I am well educated, and know a little bit about raising animals/food, thanks to my dad who was a farmer when he was young, but his dad sold the farm (much to his dismay) before I was born, so I didn't have a lot of first hand full on farming know how. I feel like the in between, lucky enough to know some things, but woefully ignorant about a lot of stuff.

Glad there are people like you to answer the questions when we have them.

 

[nuts4chickens]

I grew up on a farm in NW Ohio. My grandpa farmed hundreds of acres...corn,soybeans, etc. Just visited back home recently to find most of the fields aren't family owned anymore, but owned by big commercial farming operations. The town is a ghost town, so many people out of work...and none of them are farming. I think it is sad, too. BUT- I do think as people become more aware of what they are eating, and the media promotes organic food more and more- More people are becoming more interested in growing their own foods. Maybe wishful thinking, but I predict more people will be growing gardens and having a few laying hens in this decade. I noticed in my town, more people grew gardens than last year- partly due to the economy I'm sure. But, here where I'm at in GA- there are still lots of people raising cows, goats, chickens, etc. And I even know a few people who I NEVER thought would own a chicken or grow a tomato do so this year. Maybe there is still hope

 

[hcammack]

It bothers me that I am the only person that I know from the city that I live in who is actually interested in farming. I am going to University of Vermont as an environmental studies major in the agriculture school. I have worked on a farm where they butcher all of there own pork and beef on site. They use draft horses instead of machinery when at all possible but no for show because they can make a living doing it that way and it has a decreased impact on the land. They pasture all of there animals and have a small grass based dairy and hand milked their herd up until this year. They are a CSA but instead of just having trendy organic food they provide 90-100% of their members diets all year thats right 52 weeks of the year meat, dairy, veggies, syrup, fruit, eggs, and grains. They produce 100% of the hay they feed there stock on on farm and are working towards 100% of their grain. They grind their own feed and mill their own flour. I think its a truly remarkable place and I think I am going to come back next summer and work again. I have also attended a school and managed a 50 ewe flock of sheep there for the spring in Vermont. I love working outside I don't think I can ever do anything else I really need to farm its really strange people ask me "how did you get into farming?" and I don't know how to reply its been into since I was born even though I haven't grown up on a farm and no one in 3 generations in my family has been a farmer. I look forward to staring agriculture school in two week and hopefully meeting some like minded people.

Henry

 

[gallinamama]

I am so grateful for the information passed on by people like you dedicated to farming and raising animals. You seem to all love nature and what this earth means. I did grow up at an early age... pretty much figuring out as I went along how to accomplish anything I set my mind to. My mother died when I was 5 and being with my father and a SM that didn't care.. I had to grow up fast. I married outside of my culture into an Italian one.. there I have learned a lot of things, different things that can be and should be past on. They are from the old country. My MIL showed me how to make homeade pasta, sauce and alot of other things... they make their own cured ham and cured meats. Can vegetables and make wine... these are lost arts.

It is people like you that can bring that lost art to life again... We all should be happy to learn these things.. the way the world is going we might have to use them... sooner than later...