What is your definition of a farmer? According to the Webster's Dictionary a farmer is a person who cultivates land or crops or raises animals. If the dictionary definition defines someone who is outside taking care of the land and animals as the farmer, who is the one inside taking care of the business side of things? Is a farm a business? Sure. For many farmers, the farm is their sole income. So if a farm is a business, doesn't someone have to run the business side of the farm? Sometimes the farmer is the jack-of-all-trades, but sometimes there is an outside farmer and an inside farmer. When people find out that I live on a farm, they always assume that I am outside in the barn every day doing chores and taking care of the animals. While I can do the outside tasks, and sometimes I do take on those responsibilities, on the average day I am the inside farmer. So what is an inside farmer? If a farm is a business, then the farm business should really have all the same aspects and departments of a fortune 500 company....just usually with one or two people.
Our family works very hard to make this farm work, to take care of our land and to produce great animals, but it doesn't stop there. There is so much that needs to be done sitting behind a desk to make a farm a success. Don't forget about the business side of the farm and how important it is to making the farm business work. Sometimes I feel guilty because I am not out braving the elements and getting all smelly and dirty working on the farm. I just have to remind myself how important the role of inside farmer is. You may find me sitting at the desk, typing on the computer, but the task is not easy. I am constantly being interrupted by someone standing at the back door yelling "Mom!", because they have mud boots on and can't come in the house. What do they want? A syringe filled with Penicillin, the date of the last time the cows were wormed, a reminder to write down that a cow is in heat, and the list goes on and on. Whether the outside farm and the inside farmer is the same person or a different person, it is one of the most important jobs on the farm....and at tax time, one of the most difficult. I am proud to say...I am a farmer...an inside farmer! You might also like...
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AuthorHello! I am Heather... the city girl turned mom to manure loving country boys. My husband and I both grew up in the city, but spent weekends visiting grandparents in the country. We are first generation farmers who learn best by almost always doing things the hard way. I hope you enjoy following along with our adventures down on the farm. Archives
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