Water and wind are powerful forces of nature for which we can try to be prepared. Buildings can be built to endure hurricane force winds and dams can control water depending on the volume. Farmers monitor weather conditions and can adjust planting and harvest of crops to a point. However, heavy rains, extended drought, or unseasonal temperature swings paired with seasonal, yet unanticipated, hurricanes or tornados can provide havoc to crops and livestock, especially during harvest time. Such is the case for the southeastern farmers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Pecan, peanuts and cotton crops are ruined in Georgia and South Carolina. Destroyed apple orchards in North Carolina, along with the loss of livestock and poultry farms, are examples of a farmer’s investment that can be washed away in a matter of minutes.
National Farmer’s Day, October 12, is designated as time to thank farmers and ranchers and there’s never been a more perfect time. I invited Jesse Horn, a 3rd generation young farmer to provide insights on the realities of farming, and on why he returned to the family farm after college. Speaking from experience, farming is a risky business, and we eat because farmers take the risk!
It’s More Than Physical Labor
My dairy and tobacco farmer father epitomized the common response of “wow that must be really hard work,” which Jesse usually hears when folks learn about his career. During my father’s farming days, there were no robotic milking system and the types of crops grown required more physical labor. As Jesse mentions, the work is hard but the mental stress can be more challenging: “My family for example is farming around 4,000 acres with large high-speed equipment. We have 3 family members and 3 employees to do all the work. Our jobs can be very physical, but the actual planting, spraying, and harvesting are all mechanical (controlled functions from air-continued computer driven equipment) and quite enjoyable … most of the time.”
It is the mental stress that can impact farmer’s health and it is a priority area currently being addressed throughout the farming community. According to Jesse: “Farming is very mentally taxing and quite stressful. The long hours, the labor shortage, and the financial pressure can be quite hard on the farmer, their spouses and children, and family life in general.”
It’s a Long-Term Financial Investment
Like any business investment, financial risk is a reality. But as Jesse notes, the financial risk undertaken by most farming operations is staggering and would surprise most people. Big or small, land and equipment are core to the operation. While farming 4,000 acres like the Horn family may seem impressive, it is expensive.
To expand farming operations, especially in a row crop agricultural area, renting land is more “economical” than purchasing. As Jesse states: “Land costs continue to rise and have far outpaced the cash flow potential of a crop enterprise. So, farmers wishing to expand their operation rent farms from the landowners, either for a predetermined cash amount, or a share of the crop. Rent has become one of the most expensive inputs for a farmer.” Based on U.S. Department of Agriculture data, more than half of cropland is rented, compared with just over 25% of pastureland.1
To farm, the right type and size of equipment is necessary. Jesse explains that the cost of equipment continues to rise. But if farmers are to maximize optimal weather conditions and reap the benefits of increased yields, efficient and adequate equipment is needed. “I own 4 planters so when (weather and soil) conditions are right, regardless of calendar date, we can really put a lot of seed in the ground,” he notes. For example, their 2024 crop did not get planted in the optimum window. “We began planting in the third week of April (a late start for this area) and didn’t finish until the third week of June (an exceptionally late finish for this area) due to the weather,” Jesse says.
Even though the Horn operation uses reburnished planters outfitted with the latest technology, the cost or each can be between $85,000 and $100,000, but new ones cost over $300,000 according to Successful Farming.2 And by the way, to harvest a row crop, combines range from $500,000 to $1 million.
Controlling Inputs, Control Cost
Seed, pesticide and fertilizer are the necessary ingredients for any crop, whether organic or conventional. And as Jesse notes, “It’s all expensive.” Hence the reality that farmers aren’t using more pesticides or fertilizer than needed. With the continuous improvement of seed genetics and pesticides, farmers have experienced improved crop yields and can accept the increased pricing. But as Jesse notes, fertilizer is another issue as prices fluctuate wildly due to global markets.
Balancing of Risk and Reward of Family and Nature
Farming is a balance of risk and reward. Jesse sums it up in this way: “The farmer is trading in millions of dollars, aka risk, for a small margin at the end of the year. It all comes down to many hours of work, worry, planning, spending, more worry, and then if it rains just enough but not too much or little, and the sun shines just the right amount … maybe a profit will be made.”
So why did Jesse decide to join the family farming operating after graduating from the University of Kentucky? “Sometimes I don’t know myself, but I do know there is not a single day since joining my family farming operation and starting my own farm that I have not wanted to get up and go do it again,” he noted.
“Working alongside family, the beauty of a cool foggy morning or a radiant sunset from the seat of a combine bring us, as farmers, back day after day. I’m a spiritual person as I think most farmers are. The power of God and nature are raw and present in each day. Sometimes we thank God for a much-needed rain and other times, we are praying that the rain stops. My grandfather says you should pray for favorable weather (whatever that may be) rather than for rain or lack thereof.”
W.I.T. Is the Farmer Trait
A fierce commitment to the land and animals, independence and committed to the core is how I would describe farmers. Jesse puts that commitment into visual reality: “I see a common trait among farmers; I call it W.I.T., which stands for whatever it takes. In the spring when your ability to plant depends on the weather, when things get right, farmers go to the field. The rest of life is put on hold. When your fields need to be sprayed for weeds or disease or insects, the rest of life is put on hold until the job is done. When a storm is coming and your crop where you spent all your money, worked all year to produce, and worried and prayed about for the last 5-6 months … you do whatever it takes to reap what you’ve sowed. If that means the combines run until 2 or 3 a.m., or even 24-30 hours straight … you do whatever it takes.”
Thanks to the generations of farmers past, current and future who have the “whatever it takes” spirit, we have food. Granted, we have seen higher food prices and will feel the effects of Helene and Mother Nature in our pockets. But we eat because farmers take the risk!
References:
1. “Farmland Ownership and Tenure,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, May 15, 2024.
2. “Retrofitting Is Cost-Effective Alternative to Trading in Planter,” Successful Farming, by Jessie Scott, February 19, 2019.