Grazing in Michiana
If one were to take a poll of people who have made a career either of farming or of conservation, when asked why they chose that particular line of work, money would figure pretty far down the list. Farming can be profitable, and I do know some very well-to-do farmers. I also know some conservation people who are fairly comfortable, but in each of those cases I believe these individuals have had a rich ancestor somewhere in their background!
I find myself wandering off-topic. The point I am trying to get at is that the successful farmers that I know may be rich, they may be poor, or they may be somewhere in between. What they all share is a passion for farming. Whether or not they make a lot of money at it is not their first priority. They farm because they love it.
This point can be doubly applied to livestock farmers, and especially to rotational graziers. I remember personally the luxury of one fall several years ago, when hay was selling high already in September, and promised to do nothing but go up from there. My family held a council meeting and concluded that we would go out of the livestock business due to the anticipated cost of feed. So, off to Topeka went our collection of pygmy goats and the few sheep we had around the place. Our dear old donkey, Louie, had gone to his final reward the previous spring, and I don't remember what happened to our four geese, but for one blessed winter, I came home from work every evening and read a book by the woodstove in the living room.
No carrying water buckets through the snow and freezing temperatures, no wrestling with hay bales, forking of manure, bedding of stalls, or trips to the feed mill. This lasted one winter. By the next year, we had adopted a horse ... then a goat, donated by a kind-hearted neighbor to keep the horse company ... then later added a couple of steers to help the horse and goat keep up with the pasture growth in the spring. One winter free, and now I'm back to carrying buckets through the snow. People who raise livestock are just plain crazy!
So, farming requires passion. Additionally, as much as we hate to admit it, to be successful at farming, profit does have to play into the equation. For my family and I, agriculture has always been a side occupation. When we were fortunate enough to make a little money, life was good. When the equipment broke, the livestock got sick or the commodity prices were down, we tightened our belts or cancelled that vacation we had been planning. But in our case, profit or loss was not the end of the world.
For those brave souls who have moved on to the next, and greatly more dedicated, phase of farming full-time—pinning entire hopes, dreams, family and fortune on agriculture, the consideration of profit becomes a sheer necessity. The full-time farmer is a bit like a tight-rope performer in a circus operating without a safety net!
In today's world of low commodity prices and high input costs, a farmer must be on the lookout for trends and changes that have the potential of increasing the likelihood of making or increasing profit. In September, I had the privilege of attending a pasture walk on the Lehman farm east of Middlebury. Pete and his wife Lena have operated this rotational grazing dairy farm since 1986. I believe Pete said this farm has been owned by his family for five generations, stretching back into the 19th century. Jay Lehman and his wife Michelle are in the process of gradually taking over the farming operation from Dad and Mom.
I mention the Lehmans because they have a history of identifying and becoming involved in trends early that help increase the farm's profitability. Pete recognized the economic advantages of rotational grazing and switched his farm over to that system in 1992, one of the first to do so in the region. Similarly, the Lehman farm also was one of the first in the area to become certified organic in 2006. I believe Pete would agree that both of these moves added greatly to the profitability of his farming operation.
Opportunity cycles continually. What new directions and changes should graziers be aware of currently? At the June pasture walk, we here at the (LaGrange County) Conservation District witnessed a tremendous local interest in sheep grazing. U.S. domestic production of sheep-related products, both meat and wool, only meets about half of domestic demand. The rest must be imported to the U.S. from as far away as New Zealand and Australia. This represents a tremendous potential for anyone wanting to get into a developing niche market.
As Americans become more health conscious, the Lehman pasture walk brought out another opportunity that seems to be developing. Jay and Pete have recently weaned their dairy cattle off their accustomed grain ration and have transitioned their farm into a grass-only operation. No-grain, low-grain and grass-only movements have been slowly gathering momentum over the last decade as people seek to improve their eating habits with nutrient dense, low cholesterol and low-fat inputs and chemical-free foods.
If you want proof of this, the next time you are in the grocery store, take time to look at the difference in the price between a gallon of conventionally produced milk compared to milk that is "certified organic."
My family found out a long time ago that the key to making a profit at Farmer's Market was to grow high quality produce and have it available before anyone else in the area. The first sweet corn of the season always goes for $6. a dozen or more; mid and late season corn, although good, usually brings no more than half of that. It seems that one way to achieve profitability on the farm lies in identifying trends, predicting whether they are worthwhile, and then getting involved early-on. Sounds a bit like gambling. Maybe that's where some of the passion for agriculture originates from!