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  • From: "Rick Williams" <mrfarm AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] OT Thought Provoking (or maybe justprovoking:)
  • Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 21:17:26 -0600

Del Williams wrote:
> Oh for crying out loud, Rick.
>
> You are not Mother Theresa. If what you what are doing didn't produce the
> right amount of funds you'd drop it in a heartbeat.

You would be very wrong indeed. I have outlined our farm philosophy before,
and I can not imagine anyone going into market farming for the money. You do
it because you believe in it and get enjoyment for producing fresh, local
products for yourself and for others. You don't do it for free, but the
return is very small compared to most other endeavors in life if you operate
is as a small family run farm.

As I have pointed out, we are doing this partially as an experiment to see
what can be done by a husband and wife team who have had a joint interest
for decades in growing and now marketing our farm products. We publish our
experiences on our web site in considerable detail and are probably the only
farmers in the U.S. who publish their Schedule F there as well:)

Although I am stepping down as the facilitator for our two county grazing
organization, I am active as a delegate to the Wisconsin GLCI, and was very
active with the restructuring of GrassWorks, which is our state level now
farmer controlled grazing organization. So we have a public service aspect
that is a common theme in our life.

> That or your wife is a professional with a 6 figure income. Or, perhaps,
> willing to live in the near poverty you have convinced her to accept for
> your political agenda?

We have seen people like that too, but we have little in common there:) We
are average income earners for most of our working lives in the fields of
education and human services.

For several years now, Judy has been nearly 100% on the farm all the time.
She has done some substitute teaching, but maybe half a dozen days of the
year. She enjoys getting off for a few things, just like anyone.

> You like to bash the left so I have to assume... that you might
> like to have
> a wife who subsumes...

I tend to criticize either extreme. Left and right. Especially the
intolerant right, just like the intolerant left.

> Ah gee, do you really want me to put your lovely wife in that category of
> truly abused and low self esteem women farmers?

Judy is hardly in such a category. Why would you say such things? She is
currently the Vernon County Farm Bureau Women's Committee Chair, so is a
voting officer at the county level. She is also now the president of the
V.C. H.C.E.

True story: Judy does not blow her own horn a lot. Many years ago we were
visiting a well known nature center in our area and I mentioned to her that
I bet the person across the room was probably the President of the N.C. She
said no, she was not. And I kept thinking that she was and said so. Finally,
my wife said to me, "she is not the president .... because ... I'm the
President."

She is also past president of the local chapter of the AAUW.

Sincerely,

Rick Williams






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