This blog post may come off as more of a rant than anything else. I’ll admit it; I’m irritated. I am getting older; maybe the increased crabbiness comes with age. Whatever the reason, it seems that more and more often farmers like myself, at least in my area, are asked to provide folks with a place to perform their recreational activities. We’ve got lots of snowmobilers, 4 wheel drive and ATV enthusiasts, and remote controlled aircraft buffs out here.
Many who participate in these hobbies feel that they have the right to be on our property, or other private land at any time. A few of them go through the motions of asking for permission but get angry or sulk and refuse to understand the reasons for our refusal to allow them on the property. The biggest reason to keep strangers off of private land is of course, the liability issue. If anyone should be hurt, I’m at risk. But then, most don’t bother to ask permission. Don’t get me wrong; outdoor activities are great, we farmers enjoy hobbies, too. I’ve spent my fair share of time on a snowmobile. But when the activities result in damage to property or crops, sorry, I’m no longer supportive.
A couple of summers ago we had a group of RC airplane guys crash a toy plane into a soybean field. They lost sight of their toy, entered the field to look for it and destroyed a few acres of beautiful nearly knee-high beans in the process. The men were each using a large wooden walking stick that they would beat the bean plants aside with to try to find the plane. A neighbor called me when she saw what was going on. I got there, blew a gasket, and yelled at the guys to get out of the field before they did any more damage. They refused, saying that their plane was worth over a thousand dollars. I replied that the value of the crop they’d ruined was undoubtedly more. I ended up having to call the police, who pulled the guys out of the field before they found what they were looking for. The sheriff’s deputy chastised them saying that he’d never seen such a lack of respect for personal property.
It got worse; we soon got a letter from the ringleader’s attorney. Since he hadn’t found his toy and we wouldn’t allow him back into the field to continue searching, we were threatened with having charges pressed against us for “holding his personal property hostage”. I actually had to meet this guy on a regular schedule so that he could search the field for an hour at a time under my supervision. He never located his plane, and we were never properly compensated for our crop or time.
Sadly, almost every farmer in our county can tell you tales of trespassing and crop damage. Operators of hot air balloons are some of the worst offenders (tons of stories there; I’ll save that rant for a different day). It probably doesn’t help that there are fewer and fewer livestock operations these days. It used to be that all farms with livestock were properly fenced out of necessity. As the animals left, fences that were costly and time consuming to maintain were removed. I’m afraid that there is a tremendous lack of respect for what we do. In our area, 4 wheel drive trucks and ATVs drive through fields routinely. I was once able to track down one of the offenders, a male in his late teens. I tried to be agreeable and not get the police involved. I met with his parents at their home and was given only excuses, no apology or offer of compensation. I was actually asked, “Where is he supposed to drive his truck?” My jaw hit the floor. I wanted to ask if it would be OK for me to drive my tractor through their lawn. Kind of scary what parents are teaching their kids.
On another occasion I was told by an adult that he “didn’t think that anyone owned the property.” It should be simple; if YOU don’t own it, stay out of there. Winter wheat crops which are planted in the fall, are at risk during the winter months. A wheat field can look like a lawn at this time. It’s easily damaged and often is by snowmobilers, especially those who will ride when there’s little or no base. We’ve had acres of wheat destroyed and fields turned into mud tracks. We’ve also had snowmobilers ride through our fence along the road. They don’t bother to stop and let you know what’s happened, to compensate for or help with repairs, or to advise you that you’re minutes away from having to chase your herd of cattle down the road. Snowmobile clubs in our area go to a lot of trouble to set up trails, gotta wonder why aren’t they used. There are lots of farms for sale, go buy your own.
I’m not sure why folks fail to understand that what we’re doing in our fields is not play, it’s not our hobby or pastime. The farm is my workspace, just as the office, shop, factory, etc. is to those who work in town. Those crops growing in the fields allow us to make a living, pay our bills and support our families. Farming is our profession. Agriculture is a strong, viable industry. But like many industries these days, farmers are facing smaller margins for what they produce. Those destroyed or damaged acres can make a big difference in the bottom line. And no, minor vandalism is not covered by crop insurance.
This disrespectful behavior is especially insulting in the county where we live. The McHenry Conservation District has nearly 25,000 acres of open space. They provide 32 sites for public recreation, and miles and miles of beautifully maintained trails. The District has been well funded by taxpayers for forty years. Go play with your toys there. Another option would be to find a new hobby. If you don’t personally have the physical space in which to perform your leisure activity, it’s time to take up something else. If I lived in the middle of a desert I wouldn’t choose surfing as my pastime. Bottom line: It’s not my job to provide you a place to play in my workspace.
Willow Lea Stock Farm 
Good article!
Good post! These are examples of the entitlement generation created by the socialist policies of the Entrenched Elites, both financial, political, Republican and Democrat. They are trying to systematically destroy our God given constitutional rights (ie. property, freedom, and privacy) by advocating the utopian lie that if everything was owned or controlled by the government, we would all live in a Utopian world. Unfortunately, history has proven repeatedly that only gets us totalitarian government, no freedoms, and slavery.
I was watching a hunting show the other day and the host made a comment that I thought was right on and fits this post. He said that hunters are upset because all of the “free land” available to hunt is going away because land owners are charging hunters more and more. The host said that there was NEVER free land and that some one paid for it along the way. Just because you got to hunt it for no money out of your pocket it still cost someone something that being the land owner (purchase price, taxes, labor, improvements) or the tax payers or the upkeep of public land.
As a land owner you have to draw a line somewhere and cutting my fence, driving through my standing hay field, or driving through my picked corn field (yes this causes compaction and lowers my yields) is no different keying a car, spray painting someones garage, or throwing rocks through someones living room window it is property damage. We wrestle with hunters every year. I told 1 gentleman that he could drive through our property to hunt the neighbors all he had to do is write me a check for the cost of the land payment and taxes for the year. He never came back!!
Well written these people have no respect for the people that feed the world, I have been told when I caught someone taking my corn for the squirels its only a few ears but if I reached in your pocket and took $10 you would call the police and have me arrested.
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Well said and wholeheartedly agree. We have snowmobilers flying past our house, all hours of the day and night, freaking out our chickens and dogs, as well as tearing up our front lawn, which needs to be grated and reseeded every spring. So frustrating! So inconsiderate! These folks act as though they are entitled to their fun. Thanks for the article-needed to be said.
My only issue is the MCCCD is worse than a farmer…they don’t allow us to do anything on “their” property….other that that great article…
Well said, I can not believe the nerve of people thinking that they are entitled to do as please, wherever they want.
But as the previous commentor noted MCCD WORTHLESS.
STEPH & Djbrown – as voters & tax payers, I would encourage you to lobby your elected officials for appropriate public recreation areas where you can pursue your desired activities. But, don’t expect to be able to do whatever you want wherever you want on public land. There are those of us who would be upset if every trail were opened to dirt bikes and snowmobiles, but if there were places designated for those uses, you can bet I wouldn’t go hiking or bird watching there! I wouldn’t want to ruin your experience!! 🙂
AMEN!!!!!!!
Great post, Michele. A bit of a rant, but something that needs to be said. This is why I support you for the county board!! There need to be more voices representing the rural, agricultural areas of the County! Over half the land out here is farmed. But, as you point out, it isn’t “vacant” – it is someone’s work place! Folks move out here because of the beautiful landscape and rural character, but need to be educated about the whole concept of “working lands”!
Thanks for doing what you do Michele!
Great post. I think part of the reason that people think riding over winter wheat, taking a few cobs of corn, smashing down a bean field, and four wheeling on open fields is perfectly within ther rights is because as a nation only 2% of people farm for a livlihood. The average American has no point of reference in determining the value of what they are destroying. Unfortunately, our winter fields look like ‘nothing’ to the non-farming community. And why not let your cattle out on the road as few people know the worth of a bred cow anyway. I’m with you Michele—rant away!
Amen. We farm in an area that some would consider good for “mudding” in the winter…well we plant our fields in the fall. We get stuck enough on our own that we don’t need more crop destroyed or extra ruts in the field.