Modeled after a successful rollover protection structures (ROPS) program in New York, the UVM Extension program was launched in September 2010, the second program of its kind in the country. It offers a 70 percent rebate (up to $765) to farmers who want to retrofit an old tractor with a rollover protection kit, which includes a roll bar and seatbelt.  If this great deal isn’t enough to spark your interest in making your tractor safe, watch some of these videos demonstrating tractor rollovers and their consequences to the mannequin involved.  

Farmers may call a special ROPS hotline to register for the rebate program or to receive information on roll bar kits available for their model, including the cost and where to purchase. The toll-free hotline number is (877) 767-7748.

“According to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, a farmer is 800 percent more likely to die while working on the farm than individuals in other jobs,” says Matt Myers, program coordinator. “The leading cause is tractor overturns.”

“The Northeast has the highest rate of tractor rollovers in the country,” he adds.  Two fatal rollovers occurred in Castleton and Guilford Vermont this past November.  A roll bar would likely have prevented both deaths. a

George Parizo, who farms in Springfield, agrees. “I survived two tractor rollovers. I wouldn’t survive a third. I am very pleased with my new roll bar, thanks to UVM Extension.”

The program is administered by the Northeast Center for Agricultural and Occupational Health, the same organization that’s behind New York’s ROPS program, which has had a ten-fold increase in tractor roll bar installations since its inception in 2007. The center identified cost and difficulty ordering the appropriate equipment as the two main barriers for farmers to get rollover protection on tractors, something the Vermont program hopes to alleviate.

UVM Extension’s Vermont Rebates for Roll Bars program works closely with the Vermont

Farmer Selina Rooney with her new ROPs and program coordinator Matt Meyers.

Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets; the Vermont State Farm Bureau and tractor dealers in the state. It is funded by private and public donations. Leading sponsors include the Lamoille Economic Development Corporation ($140,000) and Cooperative Insurance Companies($45,000).

To learn more, visit http://ropsr4u.com/vt/, contact Matt Myers at (802) 888-4972, ext. 404, or (866) 260-5603 (Vermont calls only) or by e-mail at matthew.myers@uvm.edu.

How do you make decisions? 

Most of us make hundreds of decisions every day. We make small choices—What will I have for breakfast? Will I need an umbrella today? Should we paint the walls blue or green? 

We also make bigger decisions on a daily basis—Is my child too sick to go to school? When can I get my car into the garage for service? Should we buy those plane tickets today or wait for a better price?

Many of these types of decisions can be made without a lot of research. You have the information you need readily at hand. And generally, the consequences, while important, are not critical. A bad choice may result in some regret but is not likely to affect the path of your life.

Life-Changing Decisions
Then there are the big decisions. Should I buy a house or continue renting? Is now the right  time to start a family? Should I turn my hobby into a business? Can I afford to retire this year? Can I make a living from self-employment?

These types of decisions are much more complex. Decisions which have a major effect on your life are referred to as life changes. Life changes generally result in: a long-term impact; a significant level of risk; an increased level of stress; and the need for some careful research. Life changes are often a comparison of at least two alternative actions and frequently involve more than just one individual. For that reason, life changing decisions often lead us into conflict with the very same people whose support we need most.

The decision to start a farm business is definitely one of these life changes. Deciding to start a business is not a right or wrong type of decision. For some individuals it is the very best decision, and for some it is the worst possible decision. The result depends on individual circumstances and how carefully the decision was made. Too often, people make a choice based on a whim or in reaction to a current situation. For example, a bad situation at work with a supervisor can result in someone thinking that all their problems would be solved if they worked for themselves. Or a really great vacation in the country can start someone thinking about how much fun it would be to live that way all the time.

How individuals make decisions varies with different personality types. Some people are naturally conservative and really agonize over making the right choice. Some individuals are, by nature, more impulsive and make choices quickly and without fully thinking through the consequences. Because our personalities are, in part, determined by our values, it is important to involve our values and goals in our decision making. If you regularly make a habit of reviewing your goals before you make big decisions you will, over time, begin to better choices because you will be using a single reference point as your guide.

The Critical Questions
There are six critical questions that can help you through the decision making process. Each of these questions will require you to think about the issue from a slightly different perspective.

• Will taking this action move me toward my goal?
• If I choose this action will I be creating a new problem?
• Does this action address a root problem or a symptom?
• Have I considered at least two alternative actions?Am I comfortable with this action? How about other within my circle of influence?
• What are the best and worst outcomes that could result from this action? Can I live with that outcome?

Identify Your “Red Flags”
After you have made a decision you have committed to a particular course of action. That should be the end of the decision-making process, right? Wrong! Successful decision-making requires that there be a feedback loop that can continue to measure whether this was, in fact, a good decision or whether you are now off-track and should consider adjusting your course.

Red flags are those indicators that we should be watching. They are early warning signs that the decision may not be working out as planned. Identifying a few red flags ahead of time is a key principle to good decision-making and one that you should practice with all major decisions.

Red flags should be tied to your goals and your core values. For example, if financial security is a core value expressed in your goal statement then some examples of potential red flags might be chronic cash flow problems (not having enough money to pay all the bills in a single month), or reducing your monthly contributions to retirement plans or savings, or trying to save money by reducing insurance coverage. These are all activities that might point to a problem. If you expressed leisure time as a core value then a red flag might be finding yourself passing up social invitations because you have “too much work to do“.  Or it could be comments from friends and family about your decreasing availability. If you expressed health and wellness as a core value then red flags might be things like increasing stress-related symptoms (headaches, sleep problems, digestive problems, being unusually short-tempered, etc.).

These are just a few examples, the point is that you need to identify these red-flag issues so that you can monitor the results of your decisions. Like the gauges on the dashboard of your car red flags will help you know when a decision is heading you into trouble.

Tip # 2:   Increase your chances of engine start up by warming your battery above freezing before use.

Tip # 3:  Pre-heat your engine block using various methods before relying on your battery to start the engine sub-zero temperatures.

Tip # 4:  Keep your battery maintained to prolong its use and preserve its starting capacity

Operating heavy machinery in sssssssusususussssssssssub-zero temperatures calls for special preparations.  As long as you can start the machine, you’re generally good to go– put on some warm clothes and get on out there, right?  This weekend I was reminded the hard way that it’s not that simple.

It’s Sunday morning and I’m stuck with a rented excavator that won’t start.  I’ve taken the battery out and am now trying to warm it.  With half the day gone by, my progress level is equal to the temperature outside: zero. The battery is still on the charger… I’ll write while I wait…    Hopefully by the time I finish this article things will have turned out for the better…

This weekend I decided to rent an excavator to get ahead on a road building project.  I’m carving out about a thousand-foot stretch along the treeline of one of my fields.  “An excavator???- But it’s freezing cold out there,” was the first remark from the guy working the rental shop.  “Yea, you’re right,” I told him.  I had also been telling myself I might be crazy all along.  But a respected contractor told me once that winter can be one of the best times to dig on a building project.  The frost cuts down on the muddymess and traction for your machinery can be superior.  I had also confirmed that the ground was soft under the 8-inches of fluffy snow we just had.  I hand-dug a few test holes.  Despite deep frost above ground, the soil below was still as soft as warm butter!

Operating heavy machinery in winter is doable. Erosion protection will be needed once the ground thaws in the spring.

  All I had do was get the thing started.  Sunday morning I mounted the machine dressed like a north pole explorer.  I turned on the glow plugs, and cranked it over.  Nothing short of a sputter.   I repeated about six times, but all it would give me was one or two pitiful cranks,

                                    “wa…wa……wa…………wa………………..”

and it was a lost cause.  After cursing to high heck I quieted down.  I was the source of my own stupidity.  It was 5 below that morning, and I knew I should’ve brought that battery inside the house for the night, but I didn’t.  Of course the thing won’t start!  It didn’t matter what kind of engineering was under the hood of that machine; there was a diesel engine inside that had not been plugged in despite temperatures dropping to below five degrees that night.  It didn’t have a block heater, so all bets were on the battery for a successful start-up. 

First tip for betting on your starter battery is to put safety first:

Jump starting a battery in below freezing temperatures (vs. jump starting a warm battery) greatly increases your chances of having the battery explode.  Do not attempt to jump start or charge a battery in sub-zero temperatures.  When batteries are at a low state of charge, the liquid electrolyte inside can freeze.  There is a chance the battery can explode when current is passed through frozen electrolyte.  There is also a chance that frozen electrolyte can crack the battery casing causing highly flammable gases to escape which can be ignited from sparks upon charging.  More information on battery charging safety can be found here.

How can you tell if the battery is frozen?  In most cases you can’t, which is why it is safer to avoid the risk of explosion by assuming that the battery should not be jump started or charged outside when temps fall below freezing.  Sub-zero temperatures greatly increase the likelihood of a discharged battery being frozen, making conditions especially dangerous.  Warm the battery first by taking it inside and allowing it to acclimate to room temperature.  This might sound like ridiculous advice if you don’t have time for this, but think of it this way:  you might not have time to do much of anything ever again if a battery explodes in your face.

Second tip:  a warm battery will have much more cranking capacity than a cold one.

If you anticipate attempting to start a diesel engine (or any engine for that matter with a battery powered starter) in sub-zero temps, take the battery off the equipment at least six hours prior to using it, and keep it in a warm place.  This will greatly improve your chances of cranking the engine over.  If you are not using the equipment routinely throughout the winter, keep the battery stored in a basement or elsewhere where it’s warm.  This will greatly lengthen the life span of the battery.  It’s also a foolproof way of remembering to keep the battery warm when it comes time to starting a diesel engine in unique circumstances.

Battery blankets are a simple solution for keeping batteries warm in between regular winter uses. Image from www.ptboutique.com

In cases where you need to rely on the battery routinely for starting tractors or other machinery throughout the winter, battery blankets can be used.  These are heating pads that you wrap around the battery.  They are powered by a conventional 120vac circuit, and you can plug them in along with an engine block heater and have both on a timer (more about this below)

Third tip:  Warm the engine before start-up.  There are generally three ways to do this:

1.  Heat the engine coolant

2.  Heat the crankcase oil

3.  Heat the metal of the engine block itself

The general idea with warming the engine is that it is very tough for a battery to energize a starter that is responsible for moving cold, unlubricated engine parts.  It is much easier for a battery to power the starter system when the engine is pre-heated, meaning parts will be quicker to become lubricated, and will be much more likely to move.

1.  Most “block heaters” consist of an electric heating element, similar to the type you’ll find in a domestic hot-water heater, built into the engine block to warm the coolant in the internal channels of the engine.  If you have this type of block heater, plug it in!  Aside from extreme temperatures (sub-zero and below) there is usually no need to keep a block heater plugged in all night long- 3-6 hours prior to anticipated engine start up is usually all that is needed.  Efficiency Vermont is giving free timers to farm operators on a first come first serve basis through its Vermont Engine Block Heater Timer Program.  If the engine has a block heater, use it.

2.  Less common are mechanisms to heat the crankcase oil, but consider this: warm oil flows freely, while oil at sub-zero temps definetly does not!  Preheating the crankcase oil provides superior lubrication for engine components that are trying to move for the first time on a cold morning.  Various electric heating pads can be siliconed or affixed to the underside of the crankcase to warm the oil overnight.

Oil pan heaters are affixed to the bottoms or sides of oil crankcases. Image from www.padheaters.com

3.  Warming the metal of the engine itself is achieved indirectly by heating coolant and crankcase oil.  You can boost the effectiveness of preheating engine components by keeping your equipment in a shed or garage while it is plugged in.  This cuts down on wind that steals heat that you are trying to save.  In turn you save energy costs.

Forth tip:  Keep the battery maintained.  Remove all dirt from the battery surface- this can cause your battery to leak charge over time.  Prove it yourself- test with a voltage meter from the positive terminal to a spot on the top of the battery casing.  If the meter shows voltage, you have a battery that is discharging electricity while it is just sitting there with a dirty surface.  Corrosion at the terminals can cause similar problems.  Make sure all connections and cables are free of corrosion at all times.

It is especially important in cold weather to keep your battery at full charge.  Batteries used for starting internal combustion engines are designed to provide a great amount of energy in a short period of time.  However, unlike deep cycle (e.g., for solar applications) or other types of batteries, starter batteries are not meant to be discharged for extended periods of time.  Failing to recharge a starter battery spells quick ruin for it.  An important battery maintenance tool to have is a good charger.  If the charger will be used outside in various temperatures, it is worth paying for a good one with a temperature sensing feature.

Typical battery charger. This one shown is temperature compensated to ensure optimum charge voltage according to ambient temperature. Image from www.batterytender.com

There are a plethora of great resources out there detailing battery maintenance.  It is the kind of thing where, for a very small cost of keeping your battery maintained, you will save a lot of money by prolonging the life of your batteries and avoiding the time and hassle from unexpected failed starts.

I ended up getting lucky this weekend.  I brought the dead excavator battery inside, warmed it up for an hour, then put it on the charger for another three.  The weather was no warmer when I attempted again that afternoon to turn the engine over, yet with a warm, charged battery it fired right up!  Wish I could say the same for my fingers and toes, but the job got done.

What are your favorite methods for battery care and engine start-up when it’s five below?

How does having a financial plan help?  Well most businesses, and individuals for that matter, take their income, subtract their expenses, and whatever is left over is their profit for the year.  With a financial plan, you start the year with your expected income, plan the profit you want to earn, and create an expense budget with the remaining funds.  Obviously, there is some give and take in the planning process.  But most people find that planning for their profit puts a whole new spin on their finances.  Also, when you have a plan, you can monitor as the year goes along.  This allows you to make changes as you go if you see expenses rising or income dropping.  The ability to make course corrections means you are likely to end up where you want to be at the end of the year, rather than scratching your head and wondering where all the money went.

Luckily, there are great resources out there to help with farm financial planning.  To get the basics, UVM Extension offers Intro to Ag Financial Management.   This class is being held in February, and can help you take the financial reins of your farm.  If you’re ready to make some changes in your farm business, the Farm Viability program offers up to 18 months of technical assistance.  This program helps farmers create a business plan and financial plan for their growing operation.  The UVM Extension New Farmer project has recorded presentations on their website, covering several financial topics.  You may even be interested in the online webinar offered on January 31 focusing on filing taxes as a farm business.

A whole slew of information about pricing farm products for a profitable farm is available at http://www.uvm.edu/farmpricing/.  Intro to Pricing Workshops will be held at the NOFA-VT Winter Conference and online.  Farmers who participate in these workshops will be eligible for intensive clinics that focus on creating strategic pricing plans and also individual mentoring.

All this and more can be found on the UVM Extension New Farmer Project website email us for more info  newfarmer@uvm.edu.

As you dive into this new year, I hope you find ways to turn your aspirations into realities.  If any of that has to do with creating a profitable farm business, get in touch with us and we’ll see how we can help.

the CCTA Link Express

Buddy is my bus driver. I guess there must be days when Buddy would rather do almost anything than navigate a giant bus through rush hour traffic in the snow, ice, wind, and rain transporting a load of commuters in various stages of morning grumpiness. But you would never know. Buddy greets every passenger with a cheery welcome and big smile. He teases and jokes with the regulars. He coaches the newbies on how to pay, where to get on and off and introduces them to the ‘regulars’.  If someone arrives without exact change or is a little short, Buddy makes it right. Before his run begins he puts up motivational signs, posters, flags and little banners to give his riders something to focus on if they choose not to nap, read the paper or work via the on-board wifi.

Just before he pulls onto the highway Buddy introduces himself, welcomes everyone aboard and thanks us all for riding with him.  Near the end of the trip he thanks us all again and shares some bit of trivia or a poem! He has a kind word for every person as they hop off the bus, frequently reminding us to put on hats and gloves.

Think I’m exaggerating? One of his passengers nominated him for Vermonter of the Year! The thing is all of this is 100% sincere.  Getting me to work safely is what Buddy got up to do!

If you haven’t connected the dots on where I am heading with this story, let me do it for you. Buddy loves his job! His passion is contagious.  Being in the company of someone who loves what they are doing leaves me inspired, happy. I leave that experience determined to find a way to make someone’s life better. Paying it forward becomes my goal for the day.

I frequently meet farmers with that same level of passion.  They love what they do so much that their joy just spills over into every transaction. They might be worried about some aspect of their business.  There might be family problems keeping them up at night. But, when they show up for market, or when they are making deliveries you don’t see the worry, the stress, the anxiety. You see someone who loves what they do. In spite of the frustration and disappointment, they would not trade their life with anyone. They make it a point to know their customers. They take time to catch up on the news. They ask questions and listen to the responses. They fuss over their displays, care for their products, and never fail to say thank-you. This kind of love and caring is contagious. And our society needs a lot more of that passion.

Every profession has a few “Buddy’s”. They make the world a better place. I think farming has more than the average number. So, in these final hours of 2011 give some thought to your career choice. Are you a Buddy? If not, what changes can you make that will bring you that level of happiness? Where will you find joy in the coming year? Will you be an inspiration to those who do business with you? No matter what labor fills your days I hope you find great joy in your work and look for ways to pass on that passion to those you interact with.

Happy Holidays!

The basic level of protection is NAP.  This is offered through your local USDA Farm Service Agency Office (FSA).  The cost is low and so is the coverage.  It does make you eligible for other FSA programs, should the need arise.  There is an administrative fee of $250/ crop, up to a $750 maximum (if you have land in more than one counties this is different.)  The fee is waived for farmers with less than 10 years of farming.  The fee is also waived for ‘limited resource producers’ who have less than $163,200 in gross sales.  There is a 50% ‘deductible,’ so that you would begin receiving a benefit only when you lose more than 50% of the crop.   NAP stands for ‘Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.’  It provides catastrophic level coverage for weather-related crop losses.  

In order to be eligible for USDA natural disaster payments (through FSA’s Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program) a producer must have all insurable crops enrolled in either NAP or federal crop insurance.  The program provides disaster payments for crop losses resulting from natural disasters, such as flooding, hail, frost, wind, drought, insect and wildlife damage. (There is fine print to this program.)

Here is the link for USDA FSA offices in Vermont,  http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=vt&agency=fsa

And here is the link for more information about NAP, http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/newsReleases?area=newsroom&subject=landing&topic=pfs&newstype=prfactsheet&type=detail&item=pf_20110830_distr_en_nap.html

Then, one step up would be the basic level of crop insurance, CAT, through the federal crop insurance program.  There is an administrative fee of $300, again this fee can be waived for limited resource farmers.  Once again, this is disaster protection for you from weather events.  The basic policy pays 55% of the established price of a crop on losses in excess of 50%.  CAT stands for ‘catastrophic.’  CAT is sold and serviced by private crop insurance agents.  There are several insurance agents in Vermont who sell this, USDA has a crop insurance agent finder at this location, http://www3.rma.usda.gov/apps/agents/index.cfm

Vermont farmers with 5 years of farm sales history shown on IRS Form 1040 Schedule F can try a policy called AGR-Lite.  This insures gross sales, not a particular crop.  This policy has a variety of coverage levels and loss payments rates- these are similar to the deductibles on our car policies.  More coverage costs more.  AGR stands for ‘Adjusted Gross Revenue.’  This is where more information on AGR-Lite can be found, http://www.rma.usda.gov/pubs/rme/agr-lite.pdf   Insurance agents who sell CAT also sell AGR-Lite.

It would be a good idea to talk to your local FSA person early this winter (before the March deadline) about NAP and crop insurance.  You could also ask them if they think you would be a good candidate for a crop insurance policy.  Or you could contact Pam Smith, with UVM Extension to talk about crop disaster protection, 802-349-2966, Pamela.a.smith@uvm.edu

Expert Enough‘s Corbett Barr has been studying what it takes to develop expertise. He offers five simple principles — all of which apply to aspiring and new farmers.

There are many considerations that factor into setting the appropriate cash rental rate for leasing a field or farm.  Generally, the rate usually depends on three things:

1.  Type of land in question. For example, pasture land vs hayland vs prime crop land.  All else being equal, rent for tillable land is usually higher than for hayland.  Hayland is usually higher than pasture land.

2.  Type of operation that is leasing.  For example, hoophouse vegetables vs corn/soybeans.  A farmer engaged in intensive vegetable production is likely to pay a higher cash rent per acre than a farmer sowing annual commodity crops.  A hay farmer or a grass farmer grazing livestock usually pays the least.

3.  Whether or not there are buildings and/or other infrastructure being leased.  Having buildings presents a greater risk and a higher cost of ownership for the land owner, and these properties usually are rented for more money.

With that said, there are other nuances that come into play when determining rent.  The most fair rental rate, in the end, is one that’s determined by landowner and farmer as result of transparent and informed communication.

This article presents two useful online tools that might come in handy when determining baselines for cash rent.  Neither tool should serve as the sole determinant for a rental rate, but rather as objective data alongside other information that assists in making a decision.  Both tools are based on data on average cash rents collected by USDA as part of the agricultural census or other surveys.

1.  The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is in the process of updating “Quickstats,” its online query tool for filtering USDA census and survey data.  The interactive database contains average annual cash rental rates for land categories in VT counties. To use the NASS Quick Stats Query Tool, Highlight “RENT” in the “commodity category.”  You’ll see that the page automatically reloads to fill the other menus with appropriate information.  For continuing with a search for cash rent, in the “data item category,” choose “EXPENSE, MEASURED IN $/ACRE” for the appropriate land category.

The New England division of NASS publishes a monthly “Agricultural Review” which compiles some interesting statistical reports.  Land prices are featured from time to time.  Page 6 of this recent report compares land rent rates for New England States.  Rhode Island is by far the highest at $142/acre/yr for cropland.

2.  The other online tool that can be used as a reference is the FSA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Soil Rental Rates (SRR).  CRP is a program that pays farmers cash rent to take their land out of production and put it into conservation practices.  The Soil Rental Rate is the price that USDA FSA will pay farmers per acre per year to enroll in CRP.

Click here to get to the FSA Soils Data Management System website, where you can access the SRR reports.

Once entered into the Soils Data Management System webpage, click on “View Soil” under “Soils Data.”  Choose the state and county and a list of SRRs will appear.

The SRR reports are based on the USDA NASS average rental rates.  They are unique in that a specific rental rate is listed for every NRCS soils map unit (soil type).  Soil types with fewer limitations to cultivation and that are more productive get a higher cash rent.  Again, just like the NASS query tool, the SRR tool should NOT be used as a single determinant for cash rent.  FSA bases SRR on NASS market rental rates, but marks them up using certain factors to incentivize participation in CRP.  The SRR tool is most useful as a reference for comparing two different parcels or plots of land with different soil types to determine which might be deserving of a higher cash rent.

Contact UVM Extension New Farmer Project at newfarmer@uvm.edu for assistance with sorting through considerations in setting a fair and appropriate cash rental rate.  We can also serve as an objective third party facilitator for the lease negotiation process between farmers and land owners.

A Safe and Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!

We know this has been a challenging year for many of you. We are inspired by your determination and passion.

As we gather the generations around tables laden with the fruits of the harvest, this essay by Wendall Berry seems appropriate.

Conserving Farm-Raised Children

If we want a decent food economy and a decent rural landscape, we have got to find the ways to prepare and encourage our farm children to grow up to be farmers. Because of the dominance of industrial values and the prevalence of economic distress on the farm, our rural schools act and have acted for a long time–as child-confinement operations, where our farm children are gathered up, processed, certified, and shipped out. This may be the most urgent “farm crisis” that we have.

To conserve our capacity to produce crops and livestock and timber, we must maintain the productivity of the land. This means we must conserve our soils and our soils’ capacity to conserve water. In regions of varied and difficult topography, soil conservation must always involve the conservation of farmers, farm families, and farm communities. To keep the land productive, we must keep a resident population that is able, and is motivated, to use it well.

This implies a need to conserve farm-raised children. But to speak of the conservation of our farming people is only another way of saying that we must conserve local memory and local cultures, which include the knowledge of the best ways of using local landscapes. For members of rural communities and (whether they know it or not) for consumers, it matters whether our farmers farm or work in factories. This is not an easy point to get across. Most journalists and politicians evidently cannot see the connections among farms and farmers and food. They think that (for other people) any “job” will do.

We need also to think of forest conservation and wildlife conservation, and not just for the sake of hunting and fishing, but because our woodlands are economically precious and because farming depends on nature’s processes and its health.

In landscapes so varied and demanding as ours, we need to think of the conservation of livestock breeds and plant varieties. It is shocking to realize that once popular breeds such as Guernsey and Ayrshire cattle and Oxford sheep are now in dangerous decline, with North American populations of fewer than 10,000 head. This means that in only a few years these breeds could become extinct–along with the genetic diversity and the agricultural adaptability they represent. That a breed or variety doesn’t fit in now does not mean that it will not fit in later, when we will need to adapt our farming to the nature of places and the requirements of local ecosystems, as well as to our own economic needs. We must not allow fashion and the market to be the only determinants of what is to survive.

In thinking about breeds and varieties, as in thinking about everything else, we must start with the landscape. What does it have in it now that we want to keep? And how can we keep the good things we have?

The problem for rural communities in a time of general agricultural depression, people will say, is a development problem. I want to urge that we think of it first as a conservation problem. Farmers use the landscape, and in doing so they are the only stewards of soil and water. The landscapes of most of our agricultural regions are diverse and easy to abuse. If we lose local farmers, we risk losing the land.

After we have thought justly and extensively enough about conservation, then maybe we are ready to think about “development.” Let us realize, to start with, that development is not necessarily inconsistent with conservation, but that it often has been. Change puts things at risk. Therefore, I am both pleased with the new phrase “agriculture-based development” and uneasy about it.

I am pleased with the phrase because I assume it recognizes our need to process farm and forest products in the same localities in which they are produced. This need is critical. We should do all that we can to find ways for local money to be invested locally in small slaughterhouses, meat-processing plants, canneries, coolers, cheese factories, and the like.

I am uneasy about “agriculture-based development” because it so urgently requires us to deal with issues of locality, local work and enterprise, and scale. Scale, maybe, above all. People who want to found their thinking and their work upon the landscape must tell themselves over and over again: There is no law requiring the processors of farm and forest products to be big, let alone global. What makes them big is not necessity and not efficiency, but greed.

Why do we need to prefer agriculture-based development to industrial development? Because we are using fragile landscapes that we must either use well or destroy, and because we need to eat.

If we keep our work and our goals comprehensive enough, we will be saying to people outside the farm communities that what we are working for is not just our own interest but everybody’s health–and this will be the truth. The problems of farmers and farm communities are the same as they have always been: how to survive, how to hold together in our families and communities and keep on, how (if possible) to prosper a little while we survive, how to take care of the natural and cultural inheritances that we use and depend on.

This is good work, a good calling. I am honored to take part in it with my friends and allies.

Wendell Berry is a writer and a farmer in Henry County, Kentucky. This essay first appeared in The Progressive in January 1999.

Growing Places is a perfect class for people who haven’t started their business yet or who are looking to retool their business.

Building a Sustainable Business is perfect if you have some experience but haven’t really got that business plan developed.

Basic Ag Finance…well, the truth is that you cannot run a business without knowing how to put the numbers together and how to interpret the story those numbers are telling you.

Farm visits and guest speakers are often a feature of workshops..

There are several more classes coming up and I hope you will check them out. But the real point I want to make in this post is not what you should be signing up for but why you should be signing up for a class. Whether you take a class with us or with someone else, it is important that you take a class.

Yes, I want you to have a business plan. Yes, I hope you make a profit. And record-keeping…well if you are going to do it you might as well do it right. Classes and workshops will help with all of that and so much more. But the real benefit of professional development goes beyond any of these goals. It’s all about “sharpening the saw“, which you can read about in Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

With a nod to Stephen Covey, here is my list of why you should be making time for some professional development:

• To test your understanding.  “Yes” you think when the announcement arrives in your email box, “that would be a great class for someone that doesn’t know X. But I’ve been doing this for years…I know all about X“. A class might push you to think outside your comfort zone and try one new thing.
• To get unstuck. Sometimes business owners get so focused on the next task they forget to look at the bigger picture. Frequently, the way out of a sticky place is that last idea you would have considered. Learning environments foster creativity.
• To get that idea on paper. Most of us have more good ideas than we have time to implement. The ones that get done are most likely the ones that make it onto paper. Workshops and classes give you that extra ‘push’ to get it written down.
• To build social networks. It’s true. The best learning in any workshop often takes place during the coffee break. You’ll meet new people, catch up with old friends and share ideas — all very worthy activities.

There is more that could be said but you get the idea. Experience and research both indicate that one of the keys to being successful in life is to continue to put yourself into learning environments. This year find multiple ways to sharpen your saw.