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While many people travelled long distances to attend the National Ploughing Championships last week, Ken and Marcia Luety flew from Clinton in Wisconsin, USA, to visit friends and attend the event for the second year.
The Luetys, who farm 3,500-acres back home and export corn and soya bean to Asia, are more than impressed with Ireland’s National Ploughing Championships and overall agricultural systems.
Marcia, who works both on and off the farm, was glad to have returned to the midlands for another day at the Ploughing Championships:
“This is our second time coming to the National Ploughing Championships. The first time we came we were just amazed at the size and scale of it and everything that is here. We have farm technology days in the US, but they are nothing like this. I think Ireland is about the size of Wisconsin and we are blown away by how you do it; getting people to and from it. Our infrastructure is much better but I still don’t think we could do it. You do it so well,” she said.
“The last time we only went one day so we wanted to go two days this year to see more. There is something for everybody. It is not just an ag thing. It is great to see people coming from cities too. There was a guy on our flight from Copenhagen and he said he was going to the Ploughing.”
Irish culture
Ken, meanwhile, was astounded by the authenticity of rural Irish culture that he observed on his travels.
“I didn’t really understand until I read an article in our farm magazine why it is called the Ploughing. I just thought there was a demonstration. I did not think it could be like this, but it is so impressive. What I really like about it is the connection to farming, something that we have lost in the US. You are very lucky to still be in a time where there are lots of farmers. We had that too, but now there are bigger farms and few farmers,” he said.
“You guys handled the cancellation of the Ploughing on Wednesday with a very friendly reaction. If that happened in the States, the reaction would not be nearly as positive.”
With the upcoming Women & Agriculture conference, Irish Country Living asked Marcia how females are represented in farming in the US.
“When we got married, the idea was that I was going to be a farm wife but then reality came along and I had to work off the farm to provide insurance for us and our three children. I have always worked but have been part of the farm as far as doing the books and finances,” she said.
“I would say that the next generation of women in US farming hold a much more equal place than there has been in the past. The recognition that there really is not much of a difference between men and women in farming has finally hit. Women absolutely drive tractors and milk cows. There is not much of a difference between male and female farm duties anymore.”
Succession in the US
As for succession planning, Ken noted that the traditional “father to son” inheritance pattern here is very different to that of the US.
“That is where we have turned the corner in the United States, women in agriculture are not differentiated as much. There are a lot more women involved,” he said.
“With your culture it seems that the oldest son always gets the chance to farm. That does not really happen back home. We just want our farm legacy to go on with whoever wants to continue it. We see lots of young men and women getting involved in agriculture.”
However, the expansion of farm size in the US – with the loss of smaller farms – is not something the Luetys are happy about.
“Our dairy industry is really hurting at the moment and that is really sad to see because Wisconsin was always a huge dairy state. The number of small dairy farms that have gone out of business is crazy, while the number of cattle in each herd has expanded dramatically,” Marcia explained.
Ken added that Ireland’s rural culture is thanks to the large number and small scale of Irish farms.
“I am not necessarily proud of how many acres we farm because I would much rather go back to a system where we all had 80 or 100 acres. I think it would be much more enjoyable because that is what I see here. Most of the people here at the Ploughing are not necessarily farmers but they all understand a farm because you are all still so connected to farming in Ireland. We don’t have that anymore,” he said.
“When I am over here I think people feel that because we are from America and have big farms that we almost laugh at your farms. Well I certainly don’t because you guys are so efficient. Your pastures are divided and you graze in rotation. There is not much that goes to waste here.”
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