The cost of avoiding cost

Summary:  Learn how avoiding change can spell the end for a farm.

There is one emotion we all fear. One word our ears pick up and notice in a crowded room full of conversations. One statement from a friend remains in our memories long after it was uttered. Regret. This one word conveys so much, and yet, if we don’t prepare ourselves to prevent it, we doom ourselves to experience it, perhaps most emphatically in farming. 

We’ve all been there, feeling regret or listening to a friend’s story of regret. Unlike many common emotions, such as anger, sadness, or happiness, regret is more complex. And because of that complexity, it is often more painful than anger or sadness. Regret starts with frustration, anger, or sadness at a situation. But then we each realize that the origins of that initial emotion lie firmly with our own flawed decision or series of decisions. Regret reveals not just disdain for a result, but an acknowledgement that we have only ourselves to blame. Try as we might to find others to blame or justify our decisions, regret brings each of us back to where we started, our own mistaken thought process. Accentuating the emotive significance of regret is the amount of time left to redo the decision; to make amends to ourselves and our individual history, to right the wrong, and obtain the goal you had initially set out to achieve. 

A few years ago, an old friend of mine reached out needing a friend’s ear and some career advice. His career was at a bit of a crossroads, with job opportunities few and far between, and with plenty of competition. We had started on the same career path, but I chose a detour early in my career, partly out of interest, but also partly out of concern for future opportunity in the sector. I could feel his regret as he sought a strategy to make a similar detour, but much later in his career journey. Now with a family and halfway up the career ladder, making a jump to another career ladder became almost impossible. 

In my career, I have talked with hundreds of other farmers. I have heard many happy stories of growers glad they adopted cover crops or another carbon farming practice that has made their lives simpler while yet more productive and more enjoyable. I have also heard the stories of frustration from farmers who tried cover crops, but were not equipped with the right tools or guidance to experience strong success, or those still searching for the right strategies. By far, the most memorable stories have been from retired or soon-to-be-retired farmers who ignored the trend toward carbon farming practices, but only recently realized they missed a great opportunity. They pause as they tell their story of regret, shifting from describing the situation to voicing a pain that cannot be resolved. They cannot go back in time and use new information gained or a better perspective to make a new decision.

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Those of us who still have the opportunity to make the decision to implement carbon farming practices can glean two lessons from these growers. 

1. Retired growers have the benefit of perspective and a longer-term view. We, as decision makers,  need to take advantage of that longer-term view while still having the opportunity to make important decisions for the farm. Ask yourself, do you plan to farm five or ten years from now, or will the next generation be farming in five or ten years? If so, why are we making decisions that do not build up that farm that will better serve us in the future? (Never mind the immediate advantages of carbon farming practices, of reduced costs, improved weed control, and reduced fertilizer needs)
2. We need to remind ourselves of potential future regret with the big decisions for our farms. We can always correct implementation strategies with each growing season. But eventually, we run out of chances to change the direction of our farm through important decisions such as implementing carbon farming practices. 

I know… change can be difficult and a bit unpredictable. But Indigo has numerous resources available to help you learn about these practices, as well as expert agronomists who can walk you through options and plans for your farm.

It bears repeating, every time we consider costs in the decision-making process, we need to also think about the potential regrets or missed opportunities. It is reasonable to consider costs when making decisions, but we also need to consider the opportunity costs. We must ask ourselves: What do we miss by not making this decision? If you cite transition costs (short-term approach) as the primary reason to not start implementing carbon farming practices then you also need to consider what your future farm will miss by not implementing carbon farming practices; healthier soil, better field accessibility in wet weather, better drought tolerance for your cash crops, more effective weed control, and a long list of other advantages. Calculate price change profitability and transition costs. 

So many of the retiring farmers I spoke with over the years voiced these missed opportunities, but more importantly, they voiced the missed opportunity to build more meaning and intention in their farming career. “If I’d had known what this could do for the farm and future generations…I wish I could go back and change how I did it.” Their biggest regrets are in the missed opportunities, not in the missed cost reduction. 

Those of you sitting on the fence between maintaining the status quo and trying a new practice may also face a bit of anxiety about implementing a new practice. Perhaps you’ve even heard a story of another farmer who experienced a setback when he or she tried no-till or cover crops for the first time. Know two important facts: first, agronomic knowledge has improved quickly on these practices with Indigo providing highly trained experts to offer you guidance, and two, these farmers will never experience the regret one experiences after it is too late to pursue an opportunity. They are not missing the opportunity, and because of that decision, they will not have regret.