F-A-R-M: “Find A Real Meaning”

F-A-R-M.  Those four letters mean different things to different people.  Taken together, the letters can be the subject in a sentence or an action word.  A farm can be a place or something someone does to make a living.  Whether a noun or a verb, these letters have always been the real meaning for my life.  I am hoping this column will help you to Find A Real Meaning for life as well.

What does the word FARM mean to you?  You may find it interesting to learn that the word has its origins in Middle English, Old French and Middle Latin according to Webster’s dictionary.  Ferme and firma were the roots of the word farm.  To make a contract, to make firm, secure --- these were its original meanings.  It was a fixed sum payable at regular intervals with the privilege of keeping all that was collected.  It was tied to taxes.  It also meant being let out for a fixed amount, whether renting land or hiring out a person --- as in “farm out.”

The fine-print definition of “farm” takes up twenty-six lines on the dictionary’s page while most words can be defined in simply one or two lines.  It’s worth a few minutes to pull out the dictionary and read all the meanings this word can have.

Most of us think of the definition generally attributed to the word, which is a piece of land with a house and barn where crops and animals are raised, a farm is so much more.

To farm for a living is to be a steward of land and livestock.

Interestingly, the definition of farm can also mean “to destroy the fertility of land by failing to rotate crops.”  Most of us don’t associate the word with a negative meaning, but the fact remains that past actions by individuals have defined it in such a way that it appears in the dictionary.  That is one definition I would prefer to erase in all future editions of Webster’s interpretation of words.

Now that we know where the word comes from, it’s time to understand what it means to F-A-R-M.  This column will be an opportunity for you to share with others what a life in agriculture means to you, or stories about your farm.  At the same time, it will give me an opportunity to answer the question:  “What are you doing with your life now that you have retired from the legislature?”  The answer is: “ I’m  F-A-R-Ming!”

My goal in life has always been to farm.  While I was not quite sure where my future would lead when I was a child growing up on my parents’ commercial beef farm in Dauphin County, the love of farming has always been in my blood and has filled my heart with a passion for agriculture.  I come from a long line of farmers who have worked the land in southeastern Pennsylvania since emigrating from Germany.  This heritage has spurred my strong desire to farm my own land which I have been doing for almost three decades.  It has also given me the passion to save other farms and historic barns in Pennsylvania from being lost to development.

Since leaving the legislature, I have been working with others to launch two non-profit organizations that will help preserve the land and structures on our Pennsylvania farms.  “Adopt An Acre Inc.” will help support the successful farmland preservation programs run by state and local governments in many counties in Pennsylvania.  “The Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania” is just getting organized and will help to document and preserve our wonderful old barns and outbuildings that have stood here for hundreds of years.

At the same time I am pouring my energies into these two programs, I am happy to be back on the farm, spending hours on the tractor and being home to help with calving and other farm chores.  My fourteen years as a legislator were fulfilling and challenging.  I was happy to have helped move farm policies through the political maze in Harrisburg for nearly a quarter century --- first as the director of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and then as a member of the House of Representatives from Berks County.  But I knew it was time to refocus on what I love the most, and that’s the farm.  I want to concentrate my attention on agriculture once again, and hone in on the daily tasks that confront farmers from sunup to sundown.  The long hours won’t change, just the location.  From Capitol to corn field, golden beauty still surrounds my workplace.

I look forward to writing this column where we can share thoughts about farming and its special meaning for the Lancaster Farming family of readers.  Whether you till the soil, raise livestock, or just care about farming and everything it means to the world today, this is an opportunity to reflect, encourage, or reminisce and tell your favorite farm story.

There’s lots to talk about as we F-A-R-M.