55 Years And Counting From The Tractor Seat

By bill whitman 

 Have you ever wondered why so many countries want the United States to fail? You only need to look as far as agriculture. What we accomplish as farmers and ranchers is unmatched throughout the world, and the land we have is coveted like no other. 

A little over a decade ago, our Country was experiencing a banking crisis, and some banking rules were amended to allow foreign investment in domestic banks. I read that the intention of the government was to stimulate investment into the economy through banks servicing the commercial and common lending customers. What the foreign investors did was focus on the banks whose major lending was in agriculture. Made sense, 2% delinquency on loans compared to over 15% in other sectors. Amazing that we allow so much of ourselves to be sold off.

There was a similar concern when the government allowed JBS to begin purchasing meat processing businesses all over the United States. I still question the wisdom of our government turning over most of the meat processing and feedlot production in the country to a business owned and operated in another country. 

I don’t think those who understand our economy question the importance of agriculture to our country. After all, it is still one of the safest places to invest and has a very low delinquency rate. My own father invested in cattle feed yards from the 1950s through the 1980s. he family had no idea and my stepmother told us that dad had started on a tip from his father. Year in and year out, dad made more money in cattle than any other investment he was in.

What I do want us to turn our attention to is the blessings we have here in the United States. As Americans, we enjoy freedoms unparalleled in the world. 

Look at how the strength of agriculture still provides our country with a power unequaled in the world. We manage to generate income and equity in an economy that has sold off its real value in virtually every other industry. Factories… took their jobs elsewhere, car manufactures are controlled by foreign companies, even agriculture equipment and input companies have been bought out by foreign businesses. What are they trying to buy, or do they even know what they want? 

Several years ago, a prominent ranch family was hired to show the Russian people in Siberia how to raise cattle the way we do. I read several articles about that effort but the best information I received was from a cowhand that spent 12 months over there. In his opinion, he doesn’t believe it will ever work in Russia because the workforce was each assigned a specific job and the people would not do another job even if it was more important. A “fence-minder” would not go to the aid of a cow or calf in trouble because it wasn’t their job. 

So what is it that makes American agriculture the pinnacle of production in the world? It is the drive within each of us to control our own destinies. Each of us learns to work with the land and livestock we have in order to produce not just average yields but the best in the world. We’re not satisfied with average, because if you are you will not be able to last. We embrace the responsibility of feeding a nation and appreciate the opportunity.  

Add to that, we respect the right for others to do things differently and encourage their success. Let something happen to our neighbor and you’ll see everyone in the area step forward, drop everything, and take care of their troubled neighbor first. It’s that inner spirit that is always willing to go above and beyond in producing a better crop, better livestock… and helping a neighbor that stems from the pioneers who developed this country and made it the envy of the world. Can’t buy that.

IndianaAg@bluemarble.net