There'll Be Years Like This

There are a lot of jobs out there that come with risks, some more than others. Many young farmers just starting out this year may be asking themselves what they’ve gotten themselves into, what with the worst drought in decades scorching a major portion of the country. But as most seasoned farmers with years of experience fighting droughts, floods, disease, and pests would tell them, when you go into farming, you know there will be years like this. Still it can be quite difficult to remain optimistic during such times. Farming is after all a risky and uncertain business even at the best of times. It is also a lifestyle worth preserving and defending. Mother Nature is going to win every once in a while, that’s just a fact of life. Farmers young and old know that. They also know that farming, despite all its trials, can be one of the most rewarding and satisfying jobs in the world. Non-farmers cite numerous reasons why not to be a farmer, “you can’t make any money farming, you have to have expensive equipment, the markets determine how much you make, and you work 24/7”. Truth is, they’re at least partially right. But farmers don’t farm because it pays well and it has a benefit package, they farm because they love it.