Lucy Walker: Too much competition can be bad for farmers

My dad loves comparing me to my siblings, whether it be our academic achievements, trailer-reversing ability or even the speed at which we can run around sheep.

I’m not alone in this – we farmers can be an incredibly competitive bunch.

Whether it’s arguing over who’s got the better tractor, who can get more tonnes per acre, who’s got the highest scanning rate or livestock sale price, sometimes I think we ought to rein it in and remember that we’re all trying our hardest.

See also: Lucy Walker – hospital stay reminds me of need to not rush

About the author

Lucy Walker

Lucy Walker lives on a beef and sheep farm near Bakewell in the Peak District. The 17-year-old is studying A levels, hoping to be a vet. She’s an active member of her local YFC, dances, and works part-time in a pub. 

Read more articles by Lucy Walker

On our farm, we might not achieve the highest gross prices for our stock at market, and the time the cattle spend on farm may make some wince, but we have a system that suits the farm we’ve got.

Direct comparisons between farms never tell the full story. We’ve all got different altitudes, geology, soil types and set-ups.

We just need to make the most of what we’ve got and focus on the best system for ourselves.

It’s the same when it comes to brands. There’s no other industry quite so competitive in this respect.

Whether you’re team John Deere or team New Holland, it’s likely it was decided for you, long before your birth and will remain with you long after your death.

We even have to be seen to be wearing the best of the best, hence every farming event contains a sea of Schöffel’s and Barbour jackets.

As an industry, we rightly like to focus on mental health and how to help people when they’re struggling.

There’s often less attention given to how to limit people’s struggling in the first place, and the odd sarcastic comment about someone’s wonky tramlines or ancient machinery could potentially upset them more than ever intended.

Of course, life is a competition (imagine how boring a non-competitive Olympics would be).

It’s often said that there can only be one winner, but who says we can’t all be winners at our own game?

Perhaps, the only thing we should compete over is who has the most positive outlook on the future of their own farm.