Single Sport Athletes ... err ... Farmers

Before we started the farm (and during the first year of farming) I was a head girls varsity soccer coach in our community. I loved soccer, coaching, and impacting students so it was a perfect fit for me. But, what it wasn't a perfect fit for was the farm and it seemed that just as soccer got busy the farm got busy so I knew that soccer had to end if I wanted to farm. But, if you have had any sort of involvement in high school sports over the past 10 years or so you have experienced or heard of the push towards single-sport focus. What I mean is that many students are moving away from playing four different seasons of sports and beginning to focus in on one sport and playing/practicing year-round.

It just too me about 30 seconds and a Google search for "single sport high school athletes" to come up with article after article talking about how it is detrimental to the athlete in so many ways. Here is one article and here is another. A few quotes really stood out to me ... "'A lot of parents are going to fast-track their kids,' Cuthbert says, 'and you've got to be careful about burning a kid out.'"

"Experts and may area high school coaches contend the one-sport emphasis is premature for an athlete who has yet to reach full physical and emotional maturity and has the ability and desire to play multiple sports." 

"A growing number of young athletes are focusing on playing a single sport, putting themselves at greater risk of serious injuries, physicians said." 

"Some parents believe that specialization can help their children becomes stars, earning a college scholarship or even a pro career." 

"The movement toward specialization may produce more successful athletes, but it also results in more injuries. More than 3.5 million children 14 and younger were treated for sports injuries in 2010, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In contrast, 1.9 million were treated in 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control."

You can see there is quite a feeling that this specialization in sports for students is not a great idea. I tend to agree with that because of what I saw with the students I coached ... or the ones I didn't get to coach because they were "focused" on only one sport. But, this is far from a sports blog ... so what does it have to do with farming?

To put it simply I think much of agriculture (like American youth sports) is too fractured and specialized. Of course I could go on and on about how specialization in agriculture is something I don't care for, but that really isn't my current frustration. My current frustration stems from the news I heard on the way into town this morning ... the farm bill will have to wait until after the election.

Of course this is the same farm bill that I went to Washington D.C. to discuss two summers ago (I guess things take time). But, it really isn't the fact that we won't have one that frustrates me (I don't know enough about it). What really has me down is the fractured state of agriculture in the United States (or the world). As I listened to the radio and read a few news reports I found that not only was the legislation fractured along party lines, but also along farmer lines. Farmers are at times lined up fighting against other farmers!

While in D.C. I had one senators staffer tell me that all I wanted was the playing field tipped in my direction. That I wanted an advantage, "because that is what everyone wants". That made me angry ... it still makes me angry! I don't want an advantage ... I just want to be able to do my thing and I want to be able to look at things holistically ... not fractured and compartmentalized.

It seems if we continue down the fractured and specialized road we will just find ourselves with twice as many injuries each year ... you know ... like we are seeing in youth sports partially as a result of the "benefits" of specialization.

More Thoughts on D.C.

The biggest most recurring thought I had while I was in Washington D.C. meeting with congressional leaders and their aides ... the fact that ever meeting I had with someone was a meeting that was preceded by another meeting. That's just how Washington D.C. works I guess. I was there to speak on behalf of some beginning farmers and talk about how the current governmental programs do or don't help a beginning farmer and what could be done to level the playing field (or at least allow me on the scale) slightly. But, while I was out there I realized I was a small fish in a rather vast ocean. One meeting before mine included six very well dressed men with briefcases and fancy charts ... they were with a road construction company and I'm fairly certain they were there for a similar reason as mine ... to share their story and ask for support (which in governmental terms usually means money).

All of that made me wonder what I was doing there ... was my voice going to be a voice or a murmur ... did it matter if I shared my story ... where those "asks" I was asking for even worth the time? There was always a thought in the back of my mind that was a little cynical about the system. But, at the same time I will admit that I was slightly intrigued by the process.

The main reason that the our group was out there was to paint a picture of beginning farmers across the country and speak with congressional leaders about the upcoming farm bill ... which I learned may happen anywhere between 2011 and 2013 ... although it is scheduled for 2012. In fact the thing that we were sharing with people was what is considered a "marker bill" for the next farm bill. In this case it was probably one of the first "marker bills".

As I looked at the bill there were things that really intrigued me and things that I questioned. Some of the ideas for allow beginning farmers microloans through the FSA were interesting, but I was always wondering where so much money comes from! As I mentioned last time and will mention time and time again the biggest thing I shared with the people I met with was that I just wanted to be able to compete in the market without having to always fight an uphill battle against my bigger farm neighbors ... there is room for all kinds of farms as long as one of the farming kind doesn't get pushed off the cliff in favor of the other (and I know both sides probably feel like they're the ones headed for the cliff at times).

Just some more of my thoughts ... oh and the picture above is of my (blurry me) and Tom Latham a representative from Iowa ...

Mr. Smith (Book) Returns from Washington

Somehow I accomplished it ... my first plane ride ... the D.C. Metro by myself ... hailing a cab ... wandering the halls of the U.S. Congressional offices ... and roaming the streets of the nations capital. And as you can see from the picture on the right I have proof that I was actually there (picture lifted from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition blog ... check it out). Before I say anything else let me just say that I really enjoyed myself. The planes, trains, and cabs were no big deal and even though I was nervous and spoke without thinking once or twice I loved the experience and would jump at again if given the chance. As some of you may know I'm a talker ... so I was really in my element with the meetings where I was able to talk about my passions and the issues that face a beginning farmer. I'm not sure if I made a lasting difference, but I was able to speak my mind and that is all part of the process.

I hope to share more in the coming days (or weeks considering my recent blog activity), but thought I would just give a brief overview this morning. As I mentioned just a moment ago my "fly-in" was sponsored/put together in part by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), the Land Stewardship Project (LSP), and the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) ... acronyms are big in the District of Columbia (DC). But, the trip included beginning farmers from all over the country representing different areas, types of farming, and other organizations. There were farmers from New York, Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado, California, and even more states. What was really exciting about the group was to see that even though people were coming from different types of farms (CSA's to cattle ranches to dairies to transplant farms) they came together on many of the issues that effect beginning farmers.

Over time I will share some of the neat things I learned about and spoke about, but the biggest thing that all of the beginning farmers (and myself) talked about and wanted was a more level playing field. One congressman I talked to said that everyone wants "a level playing field as long as it is tipped slightly in their favor". I had to disagree with him because I felt (and believe the others felt the same way) that level would be okay, but more than anything as a beginning farmer I'd just like to have the chance to get on the scale with the bigger agricultural industry. I'm not saying my way is the only way, but rather don't exclude my way or shut me out because it's not your way ... if that's what happens then I think you would be missing out on a lot of great young farmers!

More to come later ...