I think most of us agree that we can and should learn from history. I was struck once again at how good it is to learn from our ancestors as I read an article about John and Abigail Adams in The Dairy Star, one of the many agriculture newspapers and magazines I read. Abigail Adams often managed their dairy farm while John was away doing the work of our newly formed country. In fact, she would operate the farm, with help, for years at a time.

In one stretch he was in Europe for 10 years and so the management decisions were hers to make. She made daily decisions in addition to buying and selling land, their commodities and even supplies John sent her from overseas. There are more than 2,000 letters saved between the two of them, in existence, dating back to the 1770’s.

Some of the letters between her and John reveal the practical issues she faced, such as those in a letter from John to Abigail dated July 30, 1777.

“I am sorry to find by your late Letter what indeed I expected to hear, that my Farm wants manure,” John writes. “I fear by your Expressions that your Crop of Hay falls short. … The true Maxim of profitable Husbandry is to contrive every Means for the Maintenance of Stock. — Increase your Cattle and inrich your Farm. — We bestow too much manure upon Corn — too little upon Grass. Make Manure, make food for Cattle, increase your stock.”

Even 300 years ago, manure was recognized as an important part of plant nutrition and soil health! Agriculture has built our farms and industries on this knowledge from the past. We have learned better ways to farm, recognizing that we are not only feeding our own families, but the increasing population. It is why the US has better food safety than many other countries and why consumers should trust our industry and the food that is on their plate.

While it is easy to romanticize the past, it’s important to learn from it and use more environmentally friendly practices. I remember junkyards of equipment and trash in our woods and the methods used in agriculture that ripped away topsoil. I remember having to leave our dairy barn while dad sprayed fly spray on the cows before we milked them. The purpose was so the cows wouldn’t be bothered by flies and stand still while we were between them milking. Fly spray was for our safety as well as the cow’s comfort and we had to stay out of the barn for 10-15 minutes before dad opened the doors and we could start milking. Fly spray is still used some, especially on smaller farms, but its use is much less than in the past. Many farms now use fans to keep cows cool and to keep flies off them. I personally am glad that we use fans more and fly spray less today.

Crop chemicals are now applied at a calculated rate by trained agronomy professionals. Farmers operate on tight profit margins so only the necessary amount is applied to crops. I remember in the 1990’s farmers took Pesticide Applicator Training classes as they often sprayed their own fields. And before that farmers applied the crop chemicals as they saw fit and could afford. I am 100% more comfortable with the precision and science used today by our industry partners as we operate our farms. The public should also be more comfortable with today’s management than how we did things in the past. Every industry has the same track record as agriculture; that is, implementing better ways of doing things as time goes on.

Farming does not look as it did in the past and for the most part, that is a good thing. And I challenge everyone who wants our landscape to be dotted by only small dairy herds to write your business plan, get financing and secure a processor for your milk. Next, find adequate facilities (able to pass both state and federal inspections), labor and insurance both for your business and family. Then either quit your job so you can be the small dairy farmer 24/7 or keep your job and work it alongside your dairy farm’s 80-hour work week.

I appreciate every farm of every size that does its job well. It is important to recognize just because a farm looks different than yours, does not make it bad. Large farms often have livestock numbers and acres to partner with educational institutions and industry to develop new technologies and innovation. Our farm often hosted UWRF students to do an in-depth analysis of every facet of our dairy operation leading to a presentation they did with recommendations. It was like on-farm training to farm or be a dairy consultant for agriculture students and was valuable to us and them. We also served as a partner with UWRF in research trials for nutrition, milk replacer, and dehorning paste.

EVERY farm is important and every farm that has to sell their animals, shut their doors and shut off their equipment for the last time is something we all should be deeply concerned about. I encourage you to reach out to our state and national legislators to ask for their attention to the growing financial distress on our farms and in our rural areas. Lastly, I ask you to really think about that next morsel of food you put in your mouth and be grateful to the full-time farmers who put it there.