Does everyone know who Warren Buffet is? How about Howard Buffet, his son? I have contemplated many different ways to take this weeks article while I sprayed my corn with herbicides. Where will my overactive mind take us?
Howard Graham Buffet, Warren Buffet’s son, farms in Illinois. He wrote the book, 40 chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World. The books title alludes that a farmer has 40 chances, 40 years, to ply his craft and to achieve success before retirement. I have learned that success, or perhaps survival may be fleeting and is a never-ending struggle, especially if you are a farmer in the shadows of suburbia.
William Johnson, the Agriculture professor and prodigy of Joliet Junior College, bristled if you mentioned retirement. I was privy to a conversation between Bill Johnson and Orion Samuelson about 10 years ago when retirement was mentioned. I have now started my 41st year of farming. I have had 40 chances. Is it time to retire? What would you do if you were in my shoes?
Earlier today I was spraying my cornfields that were already infested with waterhemp. This invasive weed was not even apparent in my fields 15 years ago. Now I have nightmares about it overtaking my farm like Creeping Charlie in a suburban yard. At one point I parked the tractor and walked into my oat field only to see the herbicide application I made one week ago was not killing the waterhemp. It was growing unabated in my oats. This would not be an issue if I retired.
After I finished spraying I went to the fertilizer dealer to pickup a load of nitrogen fertilizer to apply to my cornfields. I purposely waited until after the evening rush hour traffic since commuters tend to congest the roads and can drive very aggressively. It wasn’t long before a line of cars had to follow me towards Manhattan at only 30 mph. They seemed content to follow safely until a car came from behind at a very high rate of speed and proceeded to pass. Like too many times before, just as they were about to slingshot past the row of cars the vehicle directly behind me also decided they would finally pass. I prepared to be rear-ended by the ensuing crash. Thankfully one car veered back behind me and the other went for the shoulder and no steel was bent. This would not happen if I were retired.
AT 10:45 am on Memorial Day I was driving my truck with the hay baler to my farm on Hoff road to prepare for an afternoon of baling. As I approached Hoff Road a car behind passed and was followed by about 30 motorcyclists riding in a group. The bikes proceeded to pass; I was only a couple hundred feet from my right hand turn. What I was unaware of was that they were also planning to turn right on Hoff road like myself. About half the bikes had cut in front of my truck when a rider put his right hand up and circled it several times and pointed right. I was confused and immediately thought was he was warning me that I have a flat right tire on the baler.
Taking a brief look into my right mirror was a big mistake. I looked up just in time to notice the two bikers in front of me were brake checking me. They were all slowing down to turn a sharp right onto Hoff while the tail end of the group was still passing me. Had I not already been slowing to turn right myself or been distracted half a second more how many motorcycles would the front end of my diesel truck have swallowed under it. Were these hard-core bikers like Sons of Anarchy or white-collar weekend riders like in the movie Wild Hogs? Had there been an accident, would they have been tolerant and forgiving or would my body be dismembered and never seen again. Once again, if retired, this would never have happened.
That is enough wild speculation about motorcycle club stereotypes. How many more close calls can I endure with each farming season? I have made it to 41 seasons, should I push my luck? On a humorous note, the average farmer in the United States is 57 1/2-58 years old depending on the source. At the current age of 58 ¼ I am finally an above average farmer. It took me 41 years to finally be above average.
Is it time to retire and no longer risk a serious accident on the roads? It is time to circle back to the conversation bill had with Orion. Orion stated, “There is no mention of retirement in the bible.” Orion is 88 and retired a few years ago. Bill passed away while still teaching in his 70’s. I do not have to wonder what Bill Johnson would say. Which agricultural legend will I follow?
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