Ethanol versus cattle, high input costs, high everything. Sometimes my banter of family, history and daily experiences seem to pale as column topics in the stressful climate of our industry. When we first started Ozarks Farm & Neighbor, our goal was to not be like the typical media outlets that tell mostly of the dark and dreary times. We want to tell the stories of hope, of forging ahead, of making a life on the farm work…
I’ve been a runner for many years now. Recently I ran in the Hogeye Marathon in Fayetteville, Ark., on a marathon relay team. Even though my leg of the race was only slightly over five miles, and even though I am, in theory, a seasoned runner, every step of that leg was a painful one. I wanted to stop at each drink station and just take a break. This race wasn’t even the hardest or the farthest one I’d run before. But I had heard rumors of some giant hills on this course, and of construction taking place on my trail. That day, by about mile four I didn’t feel like running anymore at all.
I think farming can be correlated to my run at Hogeye last month. It’s really not a lot of fun right now. There are many challenges that make the scenery not even enjoyable. But I had a friend tell me once, when you’re running, there are times that it becomes just putting one foot in front of the other, and the pain will be over before you know it.
In life, sometimes that theory is enough. Other times, it's not. If today you’re feeling like a fighter, I encourage you to be proactive in dealing with politics, the economy and beyond. Write your local, state and federal representatives. The website http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml will give you the links to writing or e-mailing everyone from the President to your state representative. Remind them of who their constituents are. In southwest Missouri, we farm and need farmers’ needs and concerns considered in policy.
We’re all on a long run, but we’re not running this race alone. We have each other, and I promise you, through good times and bad, we at Ozarks Farm & Neighbor will be here telling the best stories of successful and progressive Ozarks farmers we can find.
God Bless,
