Farmers First: Remind me again why I’m farming

What’s the number one challenge every farmer faces?

Ask this question of a group of farmers, and a few nominees will likely rise to the top: weather, regulations and everyone’s favorite, money – particularly the lack of it.

So which of these do I think is number one? None of them.

I won’t deny that these are all very significant challenges. The weather is inextricably connected to most of my most visceral farm memories. Farming sometimes feels like trying to waltz with Mother Nature when all she wants to do is step on your toes. We might cuss at the weather, but deep down we know that nature isn’t really out to get us. Things might be uncomfortable, but there’s no malice behind it.

Not so with regulations. Few things can feel more capricious to farmers than regulations, especially if the people making the regulations seem to have very little understanding of or appreciation for farming. I think most farmers would agree that there is a need for certain regulations if we want to prevent abuse of our land, water, animals and even our community well-being. The problem is that farmers often feel that regulations cost them two of their most precious resources: time and money, with money being arguably the biggest one.

Few people outside the industry truly understand farmers’ money struggles. On paper, farmers look like some of the richest people in the country. This is especially true in my home state of Rhode Island. We have the most expensive farmland in the nation, so the farmers who own larger tracts of land are literally sitting on millions.

As for sheer cash flow, even relatively small farms can easily bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Unfortunately, those dollars often flow out just as quickly in the form of soil amendments, equipment repairs, vet bills, seed stock, etc.

That being said, these pale in comparison with what I consider to be the greatest challenge to farmers: lack of a clear purpose.

What do I mean by that? I am a firm believer that every person is here for a purpose. Unfortunately, we sometimes confuse “purpose” with “occupation.”

Let me be clear: I believe that our purpose, our meaning for being, is much bigger than the work we do.

What is your purpose? What value or goal keeps you going when things get hard?

Maybe it’s feeding people. Encouraging people. Maybe it’s challenging injustice. Maybe it’s caring for the land or just leaving the world a little better because you were in it.

Notice that I didn’t say “Maybe your purpose is farming.”

Farming is something we do, something we love, something we value. It is not who we are.

Maybe you bristled a little at that, and I get it. As a fifth-generation farm kid, former full-time farmer and current farm life advisor, farming is literally in my DNA. It is programmed in, and no matter where I go, it goes with me. However, to claim farming as my purpose, my identity, would be to say that I was only valuable and useful as long as I was farming. And that is dangerous.

I believe the confusion of work with identity, job with purpose, is one of the reasons that farmers have suicide rates between two and five times higher than the general population.

If we live long enough, most of us will outlast our ability to do the work of farming due to age, health or some other factor. If our sole identity is “farmer,” we have a problem: Who are we when we stop farming?

If, however, we separate our purpose from our work, we are able to recognize our own value, whether or not we are actively farming.

I’ll use myself as an example. If I had to identify my core purpose, it would be to love God and to love people. For most of my life, that purpose has been lived out in relationship to farming, but not always.

Should the time come when I am unable to do any of the things that I currently do – write, speak, grow plants, care for animals – I will still be able to fulfil my purpose, because love is something I get to choose in my heart every day, in every place and in every circumstance.

If you’re like most of the farmers I’ve met, this might feel a bit uncomfortable – maybe even downright scary. Your entire sense of self may be wrapped up in one word: farmer. That’s okay. That discomfort may be a sign that part of you is recognizing a truth that another part of you is afraid to consider.

Be reassured: Clarifying your personal purpose does not prevent you from being a good farmer. If anything, it makes you a better farmer.

When you embrace your purpose as you, you become free to farm in the way that satisfies your deepest values and desires. You begin to spend more time on the activities that matter to you and your goals instead of focusing on activities that are driven by outside people or situations. You start to experience more energy and find more pleasure in every aspect of your life – both on and off the farm – the “abundance” that I write about so often.

If you like the idea of having a clear purpose and an abundant farm life, but you’re not sure how to get there, email me at kcastrataro@pen-light.org.

It’s your time to grow!