I am Bloodhound hear me howl! Or, something like that.
I went to a farm forum yesterday and learned about the state of farming in Ohio. I think Ohio is returning to it’s agricultural roots. We are becoming the Green Belt, and I welcome that change. You have my permission to snicker at corn fields and pig farmers. You have my permission to make jokes about farm folk. You may snort behind your hands at the thought of working with the land in order to create a world of your own. We should all be so lucky. I’m not here to romanticize cornfields, but I can think of few people who live a life of more independence and take more risks than Ohio’s entrepreneurial farmers.
It got me thinking about my own life among the cornfields of Ohio, and my own sense of independence and freedom, and I wonder why it might be different for you.
We are all here, online- the great equalizer, btw- reading this. Maybe from a farmhouse in the middle of corn-fed world that your own hands and hard work have created, but maybe from a loft in a world of concrete that you did nothing to create. Most likely you are reading this from a tract home on a piece of dirt that will never produce for you. Wherever you are reading this, Welcome to your future. Now what?
Freedom is the reason I became a Realtor- my freedom, but also my client’s freedom. Wasn’t that part of the attraction for you? The freedom to think your own thoughts, have your own life, decide for yourself how you choose to live. I decide how many hours I work, how much money I make, where to spend that money- it’s all in my hands, I get to live or die by my own sword, just like you. So here’s my question: Why shouldn’t I take offense to an organization that is created for the purpose of restricting freedom? Or, more to the point, why wouldn’t you?
Why would you willingly allow someone to curtail that freedom? Why would you choose to follow those that are openly declaring war on your freedom? Why would you think that it’s good and healthy to give up your freedom? Putting your own freedom at risk puts all freedom at risk, would it? If you give up your voice, haven’t you given up your client’s voice? How do you maintain a fiduciary duty when you are shackled to an organization?
Yeah. So. Those are my meandering thoughts from the middle of a cornfield. And rest easy city slickers, for now my pitchfork ::giggle snort:: is still in the barn. Don’t make me use it.
James Boyer says:
I became a Realtor because my family and I had just relocated accross the country and I needed to have the freedom of a moderately flexible schedule as well as the freedom to be as successful as I was willing to put the effort into. I have been slugging it out with the nasty media and rotten economy for a while now, and feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel now.
Becoming a successful Realtor is much more difficult than most people think it is, and I have to say more difficult than I thought it would be, but it is rewarding to the person wanting to be independent and control their destiny, especially for people at brokerages such as RE/MAX.
March 8, 2009 — 1:07 pm
Sean Purcell says:
Interesting Teri. I am curious about the farm forum. How viable do they believe the family farm to be going forward? Especially, how does the small farm look sans farm subsidies?
Your other post mentioned water rights and I’m betting that is going to be a bigger and bigger part of this discussion.
BTW, in answer to your question: I became an (active) realtor because I could not stand watching how it was being done… 🙂
March 8, 2009 — 1:33 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Hi James-
I think that your experience is typical of most independent Realtors.
March 8, 2009 — 4:21 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Sean-
The forum was a panel discussion, and they didn’t get into the intricacies of subsidies. Still, I learned quite a bit about how dependent the livestock farmers are on the grain farmers, and how the world, and their governments, depend(s) on the delicate balance between grain prices and profit.
Then you put the bio fuel industry, various environmental groups, and animal rights groups into this discussion, it was mind-boggling to me how many regs one farmer is up against. It’s much more complex than most of us ever consider when we sit down to our dinners. It was fascinating.
Oh, wait… back to your question- The family farm: I’d put the average age in the room at about 60. I don’t know, nor do I think anyone knows, what is going to happen to the family farm. I know that there are companies looking into very high-tech farming practices that might, might, make farming sexy enough to attract young turks, but, it’s a lot of big ideas and small successes right now.
March 8, 2009 — 4:40 pm