Once again, the big revolutions in agriculture are taking us in directions that no one really expected, led by people that so many said would never be leaders — our farmers
Our days here at Country Guide are spent trying to keep pace with Canada’s farmers.
It’s a bigger challenge — and a more relevant one today — than you might imagine. In times gone by, it often felt like Canada’s overall attitude to farmers was that the mass of farmers needed to listen to what the mass of smart people had to say, and all those smart people were in government, in the banks, or just about anywhere with people having letters after their names.
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I know I’m overstating this, but not by all that much.
In fact, it’s been one of the real revolutions in my career, seeing the degree to which farmers are recognized today for the brain power they bring to the table, not just for the stereotypical farm virtues of ruggedness, honesty and neighbourliness.
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I’ve changed too. I used to sum up my thinking about farmers’ brain power by saying: “No farmer may know everything, but don’t you worry, they can get it.”
Now, I say it more accurately: “No farmer may know everything, but don’t you worry, they can get it. And you just watch. You’ll see them put it to work.”
I hope this view of farmers as thought leaders is something you see as a core belief at Country Guide, and I hope too you feel that it’s something that gets highlighted in our pages, issue after issue.
I say all this because I’ve been reminded of it time and again while putting this month’s stories together.
It’s easy to assume that Country Guide and our writers live in a kind of greeting card land. After all, who would devote so many pages and so much effort to writing about mid- career education for farmers, as we are doing this month?
Doesn’t that sound like someone who is writing about what they think should be true, instead of what actually is?
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Well, I don’t think so. Nor do you, really. Can you name a single farm that hasn’t doubled or tripled its financial, accounting and legal knowledge in the past decade?
On many farms, it’s been the result of more or less continuous effort, accumulating the bits and pieces and fitting them into a whole.
On others it’s been more systematic, and we’re seeing more of that. It doesn’t mean all farmers are taking MBAs. In fact, the healthiest aspect of this educational revolution is how farmers are adapting it.
Some are meeting their educational goals by putting their own programs together. They’re building networks, joining peer groups, asking questions, taking seminars.
Others are taking more programs like CTEAM, TEPAP, LeaderSHIFT, ELLE and a list of others that is sure to grow.
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The creators of those programs deserve a share of the credit, but let’s not forget that they’ve launched these programs because farmers are waiting to sign up for them.
It’s like in those old days, let’s not mix up the cart and the horse.
Are we getting it right? Let me know at [email protected].
