Big
is celebrated in many ways because it often equates to success. But for
some reason in today's world, big farming often gets a bad rap. I
ponder this everyday, and especially when I get the opportunity to share
with someone what my family does for a living.
Farming and the Nunnenkamp family goes together
like peanut butter and jelly.
I was never fortunate enough to know my great grandparents but they
starting farming the American soil when they immigrated over to the U.S.
My grandpa Fred is the oldest of 11 children and I am pretty positive
he was born knowing how to farm. Except for a few years where he was
overseas serving our great country in World War II, he has spent his
life tilling the soil and turning seeds into success. Now 96 years later
(he will be 96 in a few weeks, so Happy Early Birthday Grandpa!), he is
still doing what he was born to do,
FARM. Except now, he has his sons and grandsons by his side, and some days even his great grandson. We are a
FAMILY FARM and darn proud of it.
So
back to the "big is bad" idea. Big does not mean that a farm is not a
family business. Our farm did not start big, it has grown over time.
The size of farm my grandpa had 50 years ago was not big enough to be
run by my dad and uncle when they decided to join the operation. And the
size of farm my grandpa, dad, and uncle had was not big enough to be
run by 3 additional members, my cousin and two brothers as well. And I
assume that a few years down the road when the next generation wants to
join the farm, expansion will occur again.
In order for farmers to work together and farm as a family,
operations have to evolve and grow.
Just because we are bigger than most does not mean that we do things
different than any other farmer. We still have the same practices and
take care of the environment. We are stewards to the land and work hard
to grow crops the best that we can. It literally breaks my heart when I
hear someone say that big farms are, I cant believe I am about to say
this F word, "Factory Farms". Yes, we have 450 head of cattle but we
raise and care for them the same way as if we had 50 cows. Yes we have
8,000 acres of crops, but we grow and care for them with the same
passion as if we only had 1,000 acres. Just because one farm is bigger
than the other doesn't mean one is bad and one is good. We need all
kinds and types of farms to create diversity and feed our ever growing
world. So it is
not fair to label big farms as bad or "factory farms".
 |
| Smile boys!...or just open your mouth and stare awkwardly, either works. |
Being a farmer is NOT an easy job.
There are no weekends off or paid holiday vacations. The farm doesn't
close at 5pm or open at 8am. It is 24/7. I was once told that farming
is not a job, it is a lifestyle. And that is a fact. My family lives and
breaths farming, and agriculture in general. And the best part is that
we all breath it together. Working alongside your family is one of the
greatest blessings a person can have. I am sure there are days when my
dad thinks my brothers are idiots or that everybody else thinks that dad
is being bossy, but at the end of
the day I am sure I can speak for them when I say that they wouldn't
change it for anything.
So
I guess to sum it all up, in the Nunnenkamp family, there are some F-
words we like, some F-words that get dropped when they shouldn't on
the farm, and some F-words that definitely don't describe us. But at our
farm,
F stands for FAMILY.
...that's what she said
