Who Is A Farmer? First Episode of Small Farms Podcast Explores Farming Identities

What comes to mind when you imagine a farmer? Is it someone navigating a combine across thousands of acres of wheat? Perhaps it is someone in a dense city, managing a small plot of a community gardening space? Is it the painting, American Gothic? The conceptions of what a “farmer” looks like are different for everyone. So, what really defines someone as a “farmer”?

The debut episode of our Small Farms Radio podcast explores this question and shares an array of perspectives on how our definitions of farmers and the words we use to describe them shape their interactions with agriculture and community. To get an idea of how people define a “farmer,” podcast host Jamie Johnson spoke to several self-identified farmers, service providers, and other agriculturalists.

Some defined a farmer straightforwardly: any person who grows crops or raises livestock to provide food or materials for their family, community, or market.

Others highlighted the diverse agricultural jobs that exist today, which may not align with the traditional vision of a farmer. While some may identify themselves as employees, farmworkers, growers, or something else, farmer Mallika Singh believes all of these roles can fall into the category of a “farmer.” Those who contribute to food production on the ground have just as much impact and value as those who own or manage the operation.

“There’s an impression of farmers being the people who own the farm or who own the land,” Singh said. “That’s not always true … anyone who works with the land is a farmer.”

Others yet defined a farmer through something deeper, by highlighting inner motivation or connection to the agricultural process and natural world as the key factor.

“[A farmer] is so addicted to the land that they can’t do anything else,” said farmer Tom Hutson. “They’re a caretaker for God’s creation.”

“Farmers are those that see the endless possibilities in anything: in a seed, in the ground, in the sky, in themself,” Sea Matías said. “A person that is willing to adapt to an environment that controls you … a person that is willing to understand more than just themselves.”

The Cornell Small Farms Program’s Futuro en Ag Coordinator, Mildred Alvarado, put it simply: “[Farmers are] people who love the land.”

However, some believed it was not useful to define what a farmer is, or what a farmer is not.

“It’s not worth parsing that question as a ‘you’re in, you’re out’ kind of way,” said Michael Rozyne.

Erica Frenay, the associate director of distance learning at the Cornell Small Farms Program, agreed. She remarked that the idea that farmers must “get big, or get out” is harmful to food security because it excludes small farmers and beginning farmers who make up the backbone of the food system. The Cornell Small Farms Program’s Director, Anu Rangarajan, agreed. 

“What’s happened in trying to professionalize something that’s so fundamental to our survival as humans, is that in some ways we’ve downplayed the importance of the heart and the intention,” Rangarajan said. “Farming is heartfelt.”

They argue that these divisions in agricultural professions between “farmers,” “farmworkers,” “growers,” “owners,” and more can be harmful to the agricultural profession because they damage the unity among farmers. Rather than defining who is “in” or “out” of being a farmer, all people involved in agricultural work should be seeking to improve their skills, invite others to engage in farming work, and serve their community in a way that fulfills them.

Communications Manager for the Cornell Small Farms Program, Kacey Deamer, explained that the language we use matters; by expanding the definition of a farmer, more people can feel welcome in agricultural spaces, and take advantage of opportunities to learn and connect with other farmers.

“When someone identifies as a farmer,” Rangarajan said, “I always hope that there is a little bit of standing up taller and feeling a little more proud.” 

Listen to the full episode to hear more perspectives on what defines a farmer, and how our definitions shape agriculture and the farming community.