Wilmeth's West

‘It’ and Pocket Knives

By Stephen L. Wilmeth

     The hot summer days of the years from the mid ‘60s and before were when the seeds were sown for what we now know as our own modern age of agriculture.  It was a time when farm families still relied heavily on labor from within the family, and every boy carried a pocket knife to school.

    Recently, I read from the writings of a farm child of the ‘40s and ‘50s.  That person, now retired, came to the conclusion that he was ready to chronicle his childhood.  It took several months for him to complete the work, and, it is my suspicion, he gained more from making himself systematically work back through that time in his life than he ever expected.

     There remain two types of children of agriculture.  There are those that cannot wait to leave it, and there are those that, from the start, live only to live ‘it’.  What our child of the ‘40s and ‘50s found was that his life was at times in both camps, but his most precious memories and recognizable character traits are allowing him to reclaim his membership in the latter group.  It is now okay for him to reassure himself that ‘it’ has always been part of him.

    ‘It’ has been the dominating characteristic of many outstanding minds.  Whether the phenomenon of American Agriculture came from the immensity of the resource or the character of the American mind, it doesn’t matter.  The combination has created the most efficient system the world has ever known.  Even as our economic system is teetering on calamity, the strength of American Agriculture is the envy of the world.

     What occurred around those farm family tables in the middle third of the 20^th Century that set the course for the wonders of today?  What were the forces that brought forth the real green revolution? 

     I maintain that the foundation of the current phenomenon came from conversations and interaction that started around those farm family tables.  ‘It’ was there when breakfast occurred after chores were done and the days started.  ‘It’ was there after the dishes were washed and homework was done on the same table.  ‘It’ was there when that kid sitting in the last seat at the table was brought into the conversation about his responsibilities, and ‘it’ was there when his mama kissed him goodbye before he went off to college to continue his dream of being part of ‘it’.

    Being part of ‘it’ was the culmination of immersion in the process.  For those who have never been around that little kid sitting in the last seat at the table, what a shame.  Those farm kids who came from those circumstances and grew up to be the participants in the industry as we know it were productive citizens long before they were old enough to vote.  They grew up in an environment of opportunity to engage in real issues rather than being constrained by imposed limitations of why they couldn’t.

     Has anybody read a governmental labor order lately? Nobody disagrees with protecting children and confronting abuse, but relegating them to the corner to play with the newest electronic wonder gives pause to anybody who was ushered through our time of innocence with stewards who presented us with real world dilemmas and responsibilities.  Similarly, who of the graying generation recalls with fond memories a visit to an old time school principal?  There were no modern day bureaucratic shields between you and that principal.  It was just you, the school secretary seated outside the door trying not to smile, and that immense authority with his or her split bat with holes drilled in it contemplating your status among the living. The only thing worse was the confrontation that was inevitable when you got home.

     Mentorship, responsibility, and discipline were all influences those farm kids were exposed to on an ongoing basis.  ‘It’ was with them when they went forth and ‘it’ was there when they created the phenomenon of modern agriculture.  It is a culmination of personalities, acquired skills, insight, and talents but it all came from the combination of influences that constitute ‘it’.

     Is there another agriculture age in our future?  If there is, perhaps the first stop should be around those family tables of long ago.  If there is departure from the acceptable and high road, perhaps a visit to the old time principal is in order.  And, just maybe he will conclude his duty with an admonition to all of society wondering why boys, men in training, are not allowed to carry pocket knives to school.  He would be the first to say it isn’t the boys with pocket knives that are our problem.  Rather, it is the departure from ‘it’ that promises our downfall. 

Stephen L. Wilmeth is a rancher from southern New Mexico.  “We are mired in a society that incessantly creates barriers to why we shouldn’t do something rather than portals of opportunities of why we should.” 

THE WESTERNER

Wilmeth sent me this column with a note saying "See if this rings any bells." Well the bells are still ringing...and I can see that table plain as day.

There is another thing we learned at an early age, and that is the time and effort involved in producing something. Crops were planted and calves were born in the spring, were tended to all summer, and harvest didn't occur till the fall. A great deal of time, work and risk happened between sowing and reaping. Compare that with today's "instant gratification" society. Besides, now a days too many people are reaping what other folks have sowed.

There is one thing in Wilmeth's column to which I cannot relate. Having been a near perfect child I really don't understand that principal and paddle thing.