Farmers are an optimistic bunch for the most part.
Yet ask a nonfarmer about how they see farmers and you won’t likely hear “optimistic” in their descriptions.
That’s because farmers temper their optimism with a practical, common sense attitude that goes something like this: don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
No matter how promising prices appear to be in spring, or how good the weather is for seeding, or how well the crop develops, farmers have seen it all before, only to see their hopes dashed due to some misfortune beyond their control. It is remarkable that farmers stay as optimistic as they do.
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Part of the problem with farming’s public image also lies in the news coverage.
Many farmers shy away from spotlights and are reluctant to share their success stories. As a result, farming’s image is left in the hands of governments and news organizations, which tend to focus on dramatic events, at the expense of the everyday. That’s too bad because too much dramatic coverage creates misperceptions among the public that farming is always in crisis.
That’s not to say we should stop reporting the dramatic – news by its nature is dramatic – the floods, droughts, fires, storms and the like.
But news is also about the recoveries, the human strengths, the successes, and yes, even the everyday. Everybody has a compelling story.
That’s why in The Western Producer you’ll find stories on farm entrepreneurs, farm family features, production news and research stories. Each week, we aim to cover dramatic events readers will want to read about, the news, markets and production information they need to know, as well as feature stories that, over time, will give readers a sound grip on the general moods pervading the countryside.
Which brings us to a survey on the moods of pulse growers across the country conducted by Syngenta Crop Protection Canada. It was an online survey of 170 growers conducted between Dec. 5-7. Its accuracy rating is unknown, but it could help provide a snapshot as to what’s on their minds.
More than 60 percent who took the survey said they would recommend growing pulse crops to friends and family and 24 percent said they planned to plant more pulses in 2008.
But there are concerns. More than one-third of growers surveyed said pest problems were their top concern. In addition, 25 percent cited high input costs, and 13 percent said marketing was a main concern.
As well, 60 percent of growers in the survey said the industry could do better at campaigning for better transportation.
So what’s on the minds of pulse growers? If this survey is any judge, they seem to be generally satisfied, although like most of us, they see room for improvement.
