It’s good to be back in the saddle

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I’m back to my desk at the office and it feels really good!

I want to thank all the folks of Clinton County for the many thoughts and prayers towards me and my family as we struggled through my illness.

If you were not aware, I have been absent from my post here at the Clinton County Extension Office since late January. Without going into all the details, just know it has been a journey for myself and my family to be on the road to a full recovery.

I still have a ways to go to build up my strength and stamina for a full schedule, so for now I will be working half-time.

One of the lessons that our family — me mostly — is struggling with is letting go of the many things we do on our farm since I am not at full capacity. I probably won’t quit raising my swine, but it will probably be on a smaller scale in the future.

With that in mind, are you and your family prepared for the unthinkable? Many times we are not ready and learn the hard way that we are not prepared.

I can honestly say the Nyes were not fully prepared. For a brief period of time the outlook for me looked very grim. My family was making hasty decisions based on the few facts they had at the moment. Some of these decisions were added stresses they did not need to be dealing with at the time.

There can be many things to think about if something happens unexpectedly. In many situations, family farms are led by one key person to make the day-to-day decisions.

If that person is not capable to make those decisions, who will to keep the farm in operation? Is there someone in the family that can keep the farm going, like a son or daughter?

Do you and your family have a transition plan for the, “What if”? Do you talk about the plan and the “what if”?

Do you have a will to direct the family what to do in the case of death? Do you have a lawyer or tax preparer to discuss financial and legal decisions?

On your farm is it just crops or is livestock also part of the operation. If it is only crops there may be time to think about what to do next. If livestock is involved there are immediate needs to be handled such as feeding and care.

Is there a need to exit farming? What implications are there to think about?

Take time to evaluate the situation, both financially and physically.

Do you have goals and needs that can help make necessary decisions? Can you retain assets to farm part-time? Is there another enterprise worth investigating? Are you at a stage in life where it’s best to retire and enjoy time with family, travel, or enjoy a hobby?

What about life after farming? Are you prepared to do something else?

I could go on into more detail, but for now think about the “what ifs” and the decisions that may need to be made. Make sure the family has an idea of what to do next if disaster in any form hits the farm operation.

Natural disasters are usually instances beyond our control, but we still need to have some kind of contingency plan. An accident can be very disastrous and one should never think it will never happen to them.

And there is health.

Don’t take it for granted because we may not know when a serious illness will strike without warning.

Tony Nye is the state coordinator for the Ohio State University Extension Small Farm Program and has been an OSU Extension Educator for agriculture and natural resources for 29 years, currently serving Clinton County and the Miami Valley EERA.

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Tony Nye

OSU Extension

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