By Betsy Jensen for Prairie Grains Magazine
Once upon a time, high-school Betsy went to Russia with FFA. Imagine a bunch of country kids, ages 15 to 18, heading to Russia. God bless those chaperones. Not just a trip overseas, but a trip to Russia. Unfamiliar food, language, alphabet, architecture, even the Pizza Hut and McDonald’s tasted funny. We split into smaller groups when we arrived in Russia, and I was sent to Siberia. I still can’t believe we all made it home.
Knowing that a bunch of country kids were going to be overwhelmed, National FFA sent us to a few days of training. Part of that training has stuck with me for 30 years. We were told to keep repeating, “It’s not wrong, it’s just different.” We saw so many different things on that trip, but we had to remember that it wasn’t wrong. It felt like everything was wrong, but it was just different.
As I work with farmers, I use that mantra every day. Each farm is different, and there isn’t one correct way to farm. Different machinery, different crops, different rotations, different balance sheets, different financial decisions. Farming has more than one path to success.
We released our annual farm management data, and of course you should be pouring over that data and analyzing all the numbers. There is a lot of great information in there, but it isn’t the same as your own data. Each farm is different, and each farm has unique strengths. Make sure you know where your farm has success and where it can improve.
You can find generic crop budgets and marketing plans, but they might not work for your farm. I have farms that can store their entire crop, and maybe a little more. Other farms must deliver half the crop during harvest. Some farms split between several different elevators, and some have been loyal to one elevator for multiple generations. Your marketing plan should reflect what works for your operation.
Keep an open mind as you see a farm try new machinery, new crops or new methods. I appreciate when someone else is the guinea pig. If it works well, maybe we can adopt those methods on our farm.
When it comes to your marketing plan, I cannot stress enough it should match your farm’s needs. When do you need cash? Do you want the income this year or will you defer it? How much crop insurance do you have? All these factors should be reflected in your plan. Hold and hope is not an effective plan for all your bushels.
If you have a new generation on your farm, this is an opportunity to remember it’s not wrong, just different. New ideas are essential on your farm, and new faces might give you the nudge to experiment.
If you are the new generation, remember your parents think your new ideas are wrong, so have patience. Different can be scary.
Each farming year is different, and farmers seem comfortable with that. Early spring, late harvest, dry summer, corn standing in December; we know the weather is different every year. That doesn’t mean the weather is wrong.
I am prepared for a difficult financial year, and some things might have to be different on the farm. Capital purchases may need to be pushed forward, tax planning can be adjusted and crops sold earlier to minimize interest expense. I have been impressed with the changes farmers have been willing to make.
As you start questioning your decisions, your neighbor’s decision, a recommendation from your bank or Farm Business Management instructor, keep an open mind. It’s not wrong, it’s just different. We need to stay adaptable in agriculture because there is never one right answer.
