Sooner or later, farming and financial hardship find a way to meet.
Farmers of a certain age – and far too many former farmers of a certain age – may recall how difficult it was to navigate the crisis of the 1980s. That decade’s troubles cast long, dark shadows on the psyche of farmers into the 90s and beyond.
Despite spending his childhood on the farm during this difficult period, Brett Blanchfield, 49, of Churdan, Iowa, looks back fondly on many of his experiences.
“Growing up in the 80s, there wasn’t a lot of free time for us,” Brett said. “Dad had a job off the farm, so we did most of the farming at night because he worked during the day. When I got off school, I went to work. At that time, there were a lot of people on the farm. It was hard work, but nobody minded because everyone was doing it. You just grew up working, and that’s the way you had a good time.”