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A nutter of respect?
This week, I’ve decided to
study one of my own
questions in my column—
‘Why do farmers always
have to be men, and why are
farm owners always the
husbands?’
You’re probably won
dering what prompted that
kind of question. Well, to
make a long story short, I
began to formulate this
question in my mind while
sitting through countless
Extension and other
meetings on estate planning
and farm business
management.
Long winter evenings were
spent listening to experts tell
me how a father can be sure
to pass his farm to his son
through proper estate
planning (funny how there
never was any thought given
to a farmer passing her farm
on to her daughter—that
would have been too
shocking).
In order to bone-up on the
facts before writing my
series on estate planning, I
started reading Penn State’s
informative circular called
‘Estate Planning for Penn
sylvania Families’. Here
again, but this time in black
and white, I learned that
farm owners were con
sidered to be of the male
gender.
Circular 567 directed all of
'its information to the mam
character called ‘You’. How
did I determine ‘you’ was a
man? Well, tacked on to
‘you’m most every section
were three little words—‘and
your wife’.
I didn’t have to take a
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Brief answers
to short questions
Sheila's
Shorts
By Sheila Miller
short course in Nancy Drew
to figure that one out.
Even more obvious is a
booklet published by Penn
' State which blatantly
promotes discrimination.
Boldly printed on its front
cover is the title “Father and
Son Partnerships”. Do they
also print a brochure entitled
“Mother and Daughter
Partnerships?” Hah!
Let’s not hang all the
blame on Penn State. There
are many other violators in
the private sector.
Take for instance the May
1980 newsletter put out by
Commonwealth National
Bank (serving the
agricultural community of
South Central Penn
sylvania). In an article on
the family farm, the bank
openly showed its bias, and
stereotyped a farm owner as
being necessarily a male,
and the only one possibly
interested in farming the
land had to be the son or son
in-law.
If they were gomg to
stretch things to bring in a
son-in-law, why didn’t they
mention the infamous farm
er’s daughter or even
daughter-in-law?
The farm business
management specialists who
speak at mixed-company
meetings find it especially
hard to get out of the rut of
thinking farm ownership is a
father or husband affair. To
them, there is no other kind
of partnership other than
father-son.
Would it be so hard for
them to say ‘parent-child’
partnership instead?
Most people cling to then
old prejudices and try to
back them up with
East Towne Mall
to kick off dairy month
LANCASTER Dairy
month will be launched for
the county at East Towne
Mall on Wednesday, June 4.
County Commissioner
James Huber will cut the
ribbon and officially declare
June as Dairy Month for
Lancaster County at 6:00
p.m. as part of a week long
show.
The four day exhibit will
include local juggers Pine
View Acres, Maple Hoff
Dairy and Oregon Dairy
with free samples of milk;
Shenk Cheese Company of
Lancaster with samples of
their cup cheese, eee cheese
and schmearcase; plus a
yogurt demonstration and
cheese samples from
Hickory Farms of Ohio. On
Friday and Saturday
arguments like ‘That’s the
way most farms are run—
the father owns them and the
sons come in later.’
But where does that leave
the women who have
inherited or bought farms?
Are they not considered
farmers—why are their
husbands more qualified to
be the farm owners in most
folks’ minds?
There are also a lot of
women who drive tractors,
milk cows, the books
and records ,:i cJght, and
manage the fa m are these
women farmers o. tinners’
wives? No one evr' seems to
discuss the pleasures of
being a fanner’s husband.
What about the single
woman who is farming—
what in the world would she
be called? >
Now this might seem like
I’m nit-picking at semantics,
but this bias, no matter how
harmless it might seem,
grows into a monster when it
comes to settling an estate or
proving a woman’s con
tnbution to a farm.
When talking to several *
young women who are
fuel Call today
member
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Kreider Dairy Farms of
Manheim will have sample
ice cream cones.
Also on hand for the four
days will be the present
dairy princess, Lucinda
Landis, as well as the dairy
pnnr - is candidates for 1980.
They d be making butter and
handing out samples to
shoppers.
The Magic Cow from the
local dairy association will
also be on hand to greet
shoppers at the East Towne
Mall. Other surprises are
planned to kick off this
special month to honor
today’s dairy farmer. The
activities are at the East
Towne Mall, Route' 30 East of
Lancaster. Mall hours are
10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
members of the FFA, I
asked them what they
thought of when someone
asks them to describe a
farmer. Both said ‘someone
outstanding in their field’.
Unfortunately, they both
thought of a farmer as a
father or husband. One
sported a tee-shirt saying
‘l’m glad to be a farmer’s
wife.’
These young women are
active farmers, milking,
feeding hogs, doing field
work, right next to their
fathers, husbands, and
brothers. In addition, they
also tend the kids, make the
supper, do the wash and
nther household chores,
most of the time with little
help.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I
am not one to run out and
bum items of clothing, but I
also don’t like how the
contribution of women on the
farm can be so easily
overlooked.
Let’s not be so quick to
stereotype farm owners and
partners as was done by
Penn State, Commonwealth
Bank, and many more.
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