Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
3/2/99
Contacts:
Byron Leu, Extension Livestock, (515) 472-4166
Paul Lasley, Extension Sociology, (515) 294-0937
Treva Blumenshine, Extension Communication Systems, (515)
294-5672
Emphasize 'Culture' in Agriculture, Sociologist Says
OTTUMWA, Iowa -- Two features of rural culture are farming and small towns. "Although farming and rural life have changed greatly, these two features have remained central to the set of values and beliefs that characterize rural culture," Paul Lasley, Iowa State University Extension sociologist, said. "Good farming is farming that does not destroy either farmland or farm people."
Lasley discussed Iowa's changing rural culture at the 28th annual Cornbelt Cow/Calf Conference on Feb. 27. At the Ottumwa Coliseum, approximately 700 producers and exhibitors attended this annual event that featured presentations from several producers and university experts.
"When I speak of agriculture, I place primary emphasis upon the last two syllables of the word agriculture. It is the culture of agriculture that involves the human dimension," he said. "Thus it is the values, beliefs and behaviors or what might be called the lifestyle of agriculture that has shaped the culture of the state and the region."
Iowa now has more rural nonfarm than farm population and has more and more people without ties to farming. "Much of the conflict in agriculture reflects that more people without ties to agriculture are asking serious questions," he said. From 1865 to 1920, the United States was a country building farms -- since the 1920s there has been a decline in the number of farms. "We now have about the same number of farms as at the Civil War time."
According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, only 16 percent of the state's farmers are under the age of 35, with 40 percent over the age of 55. Nearly one in five farmers in the state is over 65 years old. Over the next decade, Lasley predicted a large number of farmers would be retiring. "We have to do a better job of getting our sons and daughters involved in farming -- this is both a challenge and an opportunity," he said.
He said a lot of conflict resides in agriculture today, which is a result of a lack of trust and respect, opportunities, vision and leadership, and fear or dread factor. Throughout rural Iowa there is evidence of the historic shifts in farming and rural life. Abandoned farmsteads, boarded-up rural schools and churches, main streets of small towns that are vacant during prime business hours and empty stores are reminders of the rural restructuring. "These stories often paint a picture of decline," Lasley added.
Lasley urged those in attendance to help restore the practice of neighboring. "We need to think of neighbor as a verb, not as a noun." In recent polls, farmers indicated that neighbors visiting each other over the past 10 years has declined, and that 75 percent agreed that neighbors helping each other has declined over the same period.
While neighborliness has historically been a hallmark of farm communities, there has been a significant decline in neighbors visiting and helping each other. A major explanation for this may be simply the lack of time, Lasley said. "When people do not know each other and don't communicate, then they don't trust each other," he said.
Other presentations focused on management and production practices that apply to the cow/calf industry. Mike John, a cattle producer from Huntsville, Mo., discussed fall calving from the feeding, breeding, calving and marketing perspectives. Don Adams, University of Nebraska professor, discussed ways to reduce cow/calf production costs by adapting the cow's production cycle to the operation's forage and management resources. Doc Blakely, a humorous, motivational speaker, provided participants with 12 essential elements in dealing with people. Roger Musselman, ISU Extension education director in Davis County, represented the Iowa Missouri Beef Improvement Organization (IMBIO) and discussed the rules and requirements, pre-sale and auction procedures, future plans and advantages for the industry concerning the IMBIO. Pat Larkin, Cow Herd Improvement Program Services (CHIPS) technician and cow/calf producer, discussed general recommendations for developing replacement heifers. He focused on the areas of planning, body condition, maternal traits, disposition, uniformity and genetics. Doug Honold, Hat Ranch Breeding System, discussed breeding cattle into a system to create uniformity and predictability of an animal at all stages of the life cycle.
The 28th annual Cornbelt Cow/Calf Conference was sponsored by the Ottumwa Area Chamber of Commerce, Iowa State University Extension and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
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