Artwork by
Dennis Murphy

For the students, by the students

What Kind of Idiot Would Want to Farm
Kellen Fischer, Corner Post Staff

"I tell ya, I get no respect." These famous words often spoke by Rodney Dangerfield are an excellent summation of what some young farmers within the College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources sometimes feel.

"If you sit through a Monson or Bullock class you feel as if they have something against farmers," Matt Beach said. Beach is a junior Agricultural Systems Management major from Leonard, MO. "Farmers are the foundation of the agricultural industry, and I'd think that young farmers would get some respect, rather than be told they're wasting their potential."

In defense of students choosing to return to the farm, "it has been my experience that young men who choose to return to the farm have proved to be quality students and very active within CAFNR," said Dr. Leon Schumacher. "They see a college education as an investment into the future of their operations. It excites me to see my students return to a farming operation."

Farming takes passion, hard work, dedication and ingenuity. Oftentimes farmers will earn less than the average starting salary for a CAFNR graduate and put in twice the hours.

"I work hard every day," Brett Shyrock, a CAFNR alum, said. "I work as smart as I can every day. Opportunities for farmers to make money aren't just waiting there for the best applicant, like in industry. I may not make as much cash as I could every year, but I am also building equity."

Shyrock farms west of Kingdom City, MO. Shyrock and the rest of Calloway farms have displayed this ingenuity and hard work the past two years by opening a corn maze attraction.

"We saw an opportunity and took the risk, and it has worked out great" Shyrock said.

"Farming can be tough, but if you use your head you can make more money than the typical college graduate working a nine to five job," Brett Harkrader said.

"I just never thought about working for someone else, making them money, when I could be making money for myself," Harkrader is a young farmer/businessman from Appleton City, MO.

A general consensus among young farmers appears to be if you work hard and passionately then you can produce the level of profitability that might change a few peoples tune.

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