Farming is the business that funds a way of life.
You couldn’t say that 30 years ago, but times have changed. Farming isn’t just a way of life. It’s a business. Say it loud and proud, because that’s how you get folks to think about the financial side of this rural life we love.
Doing it may be harder than saying it. Farmers often are more confident in their ability to grow things, from cattle and corn to watermelon and wheat. They’re pretty good at growing families, to — the kind that harvest responsible adults.
Ag editors also aren’t necessarily great at looking at our roles from a business angle. We live on the other side of a firewall from the sales side of this business we’re in because we must focus on what’s best for our audience. Those who forget that lose their credibility, and eventually, their audience. But we are in the business of disseminating content for profit.
Farmers don’t have the luxury of living only on the production side of the business. Farmers simply are in the business of growing things for profit.
About now you’re wondering where I’m going with this, because you’re well aware that this magazine focuses on the business side of farming. And we’re the journalists who have to be comfortable with numbers. So, here’s the point:
It’s OK for farmers to have a business mindset, even a corporate one.
Yes, I said that out loud. On purpose. I might create audio and run it on repeat. Do we need T-shirts?
We need to own it. Here’s why: Because “corporate farming” is a rally cry for those who don’t know what farmers do — but are convinced they’re doing it wrong — and want to change it. As a result, farmers too often are ashamed to admit they’re business people.
We can change that narrative by owning it.
According to Brené Brown, overcoming shameful feelings requires four things. Here’s how I adapt them:
1. Name it. In this instance, the feeling of shame comes from being called a corporate farmer. But here’s what you know: Your family has a corporation because it makes good business sense.
2. Examine it. Reality-check the messages causing the shame. I’m guessing it’s the people who say “corporate farmers” as though it’s a dirty word, and then lump everybody with a barn and a big tractor under that.
3. Reach out. Shame thrives in secrecy, silence and judgment. Break the cycle. (Say it loud: I am a corporate family farmer!)
4. Call it out. First, I ask non-ag folks for their definition of corporate farming. (Many answers are as informed as when people are asked for the definition of GMO.) Then I offer up some facts.
What is corporate farming?
For people outside commercial farming, “corporate” simply means big with lots of negative implications. And folks are surprised that the vast majority of farms in the U.S. are still family operations that are incorporated for all the right business reasons.
That’s when I toss around a few numbers — like that 96% of the farms in Illinois are family operations. I also note that the Hunt Brothers are the founders of the Florida’s Natural brand, and that’s still a family citrus operation.
USDA says 95% to 97% of U.S. farms are family farms. They are sole proprietorships, partnerships and, yes, family-owned corporations, among other business entities.
So, by adding one word to the phrase — family — as in corporate family farm, we can inform and redirect the clueless critics.
Bottom line
As always, the bottom line is, well, the bottom line. If farmers aren’t making money, they can’t keep being farmers, and their children or grandchildren can’t take the farm into the future.
Farmers are businesspeople. And every business owner wants that business to make a profit. Not all, but most folks understand that.
A corporate farming mindset isn’t a way of life. It’s a way to run a business that supports the life you want to provide for your family.
You are a corporate family farmer. Take pride in that.