Is farming an 'identity'

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
Bit of a discussion in Hfd Towers this morning .
I have just had a rough weekend health wise and though I'm much better now but I do have underlying health issues .
We (OH & me) were just generally talking and OHmade a comment saying " the trouble with farmers is that farming is their identity"
We have a friend who is late 70's and can't bear to miss a market day . His wife desperately wants him to slow up and do things together but he keeps going to market and buying more livestock ....and he is very successful . His wife says that his biggest fear is that if he is not buying livestock and in the market then he will have no 'identity' ......though he will never admit it she is probably right .

........is that the problem with all of us ( or me anyway). .....farming is our/my identity .
I don't need to be continually pushing ....but I do !

Up for discussion 😊
 

robs1

Member
For many it's their entire life, my ex FiL for example would never mix with bon farmers and even most holidays were farm tour based one, what a narrow outlook. Luckily my father had plenty of other interests so I had a better example, after my divorce I joined several different groups and did more skiing, luckily my current wife is a delight to spend time with, still love my farming but try to spend more time away.
 

Nearly

Member
Location
North of York
I tell people I'm a cereal killer.
new holland tf44 masty bank 2021.jpg
 

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
How many farmers including myself do you hear saying , "they( the next generation) can do what they like with the farm once im gone" . They and i arent going to be the ones in the family history who sell the farm. Contractors are the same especially if generations have done it. Heard just lately of a family who have warned markets not to accept bids from and old timer as they do not want them to continue in ill health.
I do think more and more of us are questioning what we do but doubt many will act on it.
 
We have a friend who is late 70's and can't bear to miss a market day . His wife desperately wants him to slow up and do things together but he keeps going to market and buying more livestock ....and he is very successful . His wife says that his biggest fear is that if he is not buying livestock and in the market then he will have no 'identity' ......though he will never admit it she is probably right .

Quite a proportion of that age group were born into farming when it was a profitable/lucrative occupation, especially if land was owned and passed down.

Many of them never worked elsewhere, or travelled or studied, which is why old farmers tend to talk about farming and not a lot else.

The 30-50 year olds are a more diverse generation, as they have usually worked away, travelled and studied through necessity.
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
Bit of a discussion in Hfd Towers this morning .
I have just had a rough weekend health wise and though I'm much better now but I do have underlying health issues .
We (OH & me) were just generally talking and OHmade a comment saying " the trouble with farmers is that farming is their identity"
We have a friend who is late 70's and can't bear to miss a market day . His wife desperately wants him to slow up and do things together but he keeps going to market and buying more livestock ....and he is very successful . His wife says that his biggest fear is that if he is not buying livestock and in the market then he will have no 'identity' ......though he will never admit it she is probably right .

........is that the problem with all of us ( or me anyway). .....farming is our/my identity .
I don't need to be continually pushing ....but I do !

Up for discussion 😊


G U L P...
 
I would say it’s a lifestyle but I do get a it lost when people involved with non farming environmental type businesses start talking to me and think I should know chapter and verse every breeed and every weed what bird tweet is this or that. I enjoy my life and family I think I might miss somethings but I have what I want.
 
Very true, alot of order men in there 70s will never give up, until the last. Once my poor old dad could go to the market or give you a hand that was it, dead in afew months, man near me who's wife had went on at him for year to give up told me he hoped the sale would fall threw after finally giving in.
 
Quite a proportion of that age group were born into farming when it was a profitable/lucrative occupation, especially if land was owned and passed down.

Many of them never worked elsewhere, or travelled or studied, which is why old farmers tend to talk about farming and not a lot else.

The 30-50 year olds are a more diverse generation, as they have usually worked away, travelled and studied through necessity.
this is true but not necessarily always a good thing, some 30-50 year olds i come across are not dedicated enough in my opinion, the excuse of work life balance has been used plenty times as an excuse to take weekends off/sell cows and take it easy, its a competitive environment business you have to do what you can to get an edge
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
this is true but not necessarily always a good thing, some 30-50 year olds i come across are not dedicated enough in my opinion, the excuse of work life balance has been used plenty times as an excuse to take weekends off/sell cows and take it easy, its a competitive environment business you have to do what you can to get an edge
I recall hearing on the radio, when we were trying to get vulnerable Afghan employees out of Afghanistan, the civil servants here were not working overtime, as it could affect their work life balance!!! You could not make it up.
 

toquark

Member
Its a funny one farming. I do consider it as part of my identity, but only a part. The "culture" of farming is pretty deeply ingrained especially in livestock regions, round here you can go into any pub and immediately spot the young farmers: jeans, dealer boots, big belt buckle, checked shirt...talking to the floor.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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