Iowa Farms and the Leadership Gap (And Why You Should Care)
Sunday mornings have come to be know as “Scrambled Egg-stravaganza” in the Wise household. I make eggs (my wife says they’re the best she’s ever had). We watch the news and generally enjoy the morning.
This past Sunday, I saw a news story that hasn’t left my mind. It was about the next generation of Iowa farmers. As older farmers begin to reach retirement age, younger farmers are rising up and take their place. To make this process more efficient, farm co-ops are starting a “farmers mentorship” program, of sorts.
Simply put, Young Farmer Joe enrolls in the program and is put on a waiting list. Older Farmer John enrolls in the program to be a “mentor” and then retires. Through this mentoring initiative, Young Farmer Joe inherits the farm of Old Farmer John. John shows Joe how farming works–what the land is like, how much to water it, when to put the seed down, etc.
Desperate for Mentors
One sentence by the reporter struck me. At the end of the piece she said, “The list of younger farmers in Iowa is growing daily, with some 300 already on a waiting list. The mentoring program is desperate for older farmers to take part in the initiative.”
Desperate. Wow. Just, wow.
There was no shortage of younger people wanting to learn from an older generation. Wanting to learn the way of the land–learn the craft of farming. But yet, the program was literally begging for older farmers to come alongside a younger generation and show them how things worked. Striking.
Where Da Farmers At?
I wonder where those older farmers are at?
Did I fail to mention that none of the younger farmers profiled in the piece were the “typical” farmer?
- One guy got sick of the corporate world so he decided to take up farming.
- One young woman was studying to be a sex therapist but changed career paths after selling her tomatoes at a farmer’s market.
- Another guy had a passion for producing alternative Iowa produce–watermelon, popcorn, asparagus–as opposed to the traditional corn and soybean crop.
None of them fit the “mold” of a typical farmer. I can’t help but wonder if this is part of the reluctance of the older generation to take young ones under their wing. “They don’t look/act/think/work/talk or farm like us,” I picture the protest sounding like. It could simply be a sense of inadequacy, “Who am I to teach a younger generation? I’m not successful/talented/smart enough!”
We Need Your Help
Either way, this younger generation of farmers let out a collective cry that said, “We need your help. We need your wisdom. We need you to pass us the baton. Help us!” Only, I don’t think it’s just farmers. Young entrepreneurs and pastors; executives and accountants; mothers and project managers; web designers and bakers; foremen and firefighters–they all cry out to the established generation, “We need you!” They may not do things the same way as their predecessors, but they still need help. Maybe even your help?
The only question that remains is, “Are they listening?”
I hope so. I also hope that we can get over ourselves and our new thoughts/ideas/strategies long enough to ask respectfully for their help.
Great post, Justin!
The wisdom of age is never to be underestimated. In the grand scheme of things in regards to things that matter, there is nothing new under the sun.
Wow, the conclusion of this post really struck me. There are a lot of young people out there who are seeking a mentor.
You'll be encouraged to see this then, a mentor network for worship ministry: http://www.worshipmentor.com/
BTW, interesting to see that you are “In Search of Schrodinger's Cat”
I'm totally buying that book now. You should check out “What the $#*@ Do We Know?” It's an awesome documentary on the same stuff!
I've thought about this a lot recently – the passing on of wisdom, skill, roles, stories, influence, power, etc. from one generation to the next.
The ministry that I lead in Cedar Falls actually does this really well. It's been really cool to see. But, this has come about with a great deal of intentionality, humility, and sacrifice… especially on the part of our more senior and faithful members of our arts ministry.
On the one hand, I think we have to recognize: it's hard to pass something on. It's a lot of work. It's costly. For a time, the work suffers. And, the passers-on have to deal with some challenging and even fearful personal questions that they might rather push to the back of their mind:
-questions of significance: if I train someone to replace me, then what will I do? where will I fit?
-questions of convictions and values: what if when I train someone to replace me, they go on to do it differently, or head in a different direction?
-questions of power: where and how do I influence if I am no longer the primary practitioner? what if I am no longer the one in control?
On our side of the fence, I think it's easy to point to the decision that the folks on the other side should make. Those are difficult questions to have to ask oneself, answer, and then change course.
Nevertheless: you're right. Way too much is at stake if this isn't done well. In fact, there have been several along the way that chose to leave instead of play a part in passing things on or participate with a generation going in a different direction than they'd prefer.
But we've had a lot more people who were exactly the opposite. From my observation of the people in my ministry who do this well, they are:
-incredibly humble
-don't care one bit about being significant, even though they have served for a long time in significant roles
-have a high level of trust–not necessarily in leaders, but in God;
-have a pure heart;
-are more interested in the future of the ministry than their part in it;
-love being a part of the community more than playing a specific part in the community;
-have a firm sense of who they are;
-have a high level of discernment; and
-have at one time had a crisis where they've had to ask themselves some of these difficult questions, and chose to press into uncomfortable obedience rather than what was comfortable and familiar.
Really glad you caught that Justin and glad you are writing about it.
Been saying this for a while.
Got a lot of people looking to be mentored, but not a lot of mentors.
Really glad you caught that Justin and glad you are writing about it.
Been saying this for a while.
Got a lot of people looking to be mentored, but not a lot of mentors.