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  • From: Thomas Patrick Hurtgen <hurtgenmeadows AT gmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] how many computer people on this list??
  • Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:08:47 -0400

... interesting reading. I was raised on a Wisc dairy farm, worked 40 years in an office and have been full-time market farming for two years (with hay sales to horse owners-8 yrs). Started with CPM machines prior to PCs. Used many computers and networking devices over the years in extensive educational media production operation. Finished streaming educational presentations to the web. I agree -- a bad day on the farm beats a good day in front of a computer screen. Tom (7B) ... almost finished with asparagus, strawberries are about ready, hope to sell lettuce this weekend. Spring onions almost finished.
On Apr 12, 2010, at 12:53 PM, Barking Cat Farm wrote:

How many computer people are on this list?? Meaning that's your other job??

Both my business partner/farm co-owner and I come from tech backgrounds.

She was in digital hardware design and eventually management w/same for close to 20 years. Worked for a defense contractor on hardware design, then went to a startup that designed and manufactured DSL interfaces when that technology was brand new.

I was in digital hardware design, then went into IT for a defense contractor, then into computer networking/information security for a startup consultancy. Did that combined for over 20 years.

So between us we have over 40 years in tech roles, 3 engineering degrees, a computer science degree, and several technical certifications. She gardened as a hobby for many years while working her day job; I didn't garden but I enjoyed working outside. We each retired in '02 from engineering, started farming full-time in '04, and never looked back. While I really enjoyed my engineering career and for the most part really liked the people I worked with, a bad day of farming always beats a good day in a cubicle/office sitting behind a computer screen in my humble opinion. It was my experience that the longer you stay in tech, the less actual hands-on fun stuff you get to do and the more you get pushed more into management if you are good at what you do or at the very least I kept seeing the same thing time after time. It's just a natural progression, I think. I find that I use my troubleshooting skills a lot more now than I did as an professional engineer. The science is
just a lot less exact than digital engineering of course. It's a lot less about ones and zeros than degrees of failure and success.

I find it fascinating to hear others' backgrounds. When I first started in IT it was in its infancy and I was always surprised where my co-workers came from (physics, music, psychology, teaching, etc.). It is sort of like that now with farming, as unlike 50 years ago, most of us don't come from generations of farmers. And when I find the rare bird who has a lot of farming background, I try to become their friend as quickly as possible as they are invaluable founts of knowledge! :-)

Laurie
Zones 7&8
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