#18 Farmers and Professors in America
"Thinkers" and "Do-ers": which one is which
My grandfather, William G. Murray (who I mentioned in Substack #11) was a Professor of agricultural economics at Iowa State University, the “land grant college” for the state of Iowa. He also ran as a Republican for Governor of the State of Iowa twice, in 1958 and 1966. He lost the general election both times, even though, in 1958, he received the endorsement of the state’s largest newspaper, the Des Moines Register.
One of the reasons he lost, I was always told, was because he chose to be a college professor. A large percentage of the Republican voters in Iowa at the time, were either farmers, or in some way connected to the agricultural economy. Successful farmers tend to be practical, with diverse skills across many disciplines. They are “do-ers,” some of whom may regard college professor as only “thinkers,” lacking in practical skills.
My grandfather was a very practical “do-er” and anything but an “egghead,” but that was no help in politics in Iowa in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Later in life, I came across Richard Hofstadter’s 1963 book, Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, which describes the divide in American culture between “educated elites” and “everyday Americans.” Hofstadter shows this divide has always been present in America. It comes and goes in cycles, but it has always been part of life in America. This divide was most extreme, Hofstadter says, in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and unfortunately that was when my grandfather, the professor, was trying to succeed in politics.
In 2009, as a farmer, in combat with Japanese beetles, and in need of advice, living within 30 minutes of Cornell University, I had no problem reaching out to a professor. I needed to learn about sprayers, and Dr. Andrew Landers, the recognized expert on agricultural sprayers, was only a phone call away.
Dr. Landers and I spoke. He explained the different approaches to sprayer design and asked me about the scale of the operation that I was embarking upon. I estimated it might one day grow as large as 50-60 acres. He mentioned two or three brands of sprayers and then asked about my row spacing and what kind of tractor I was planning to use with the sprayer.
I mentioned that we owned a 1966 John Deere 3020.
That was not going to do, he said because it was too wide to pull a sprayer down my rows which are spaced 8.5 feet apart.
“You will need another tractor,” he said. “And it needs to be sufficiently powerful, something with 100-horsepower.”
Fifteen years later, we farm more than 40 acres. We own three, 100-horsepower, narrow, vineyard tractors. We have three sprayers, one of which we purchased used, at auction, and subsequently re-built entirely. I am a huge fan of Dr. Landers. He knows much more about his subject than I ever will.