Hope springs eternal in the mind of a farmer, even when it’s time to stop farming. It’s not easy to park the tractor by the shed and pass the keys on. It’s not a simple thing to forget the wonder of bringing a baby calf into the world. 

Retirement, for most, is the completion of a job well done. For the farmer it can symbolize the end of a way of life.

Not all farm children have the will to farm and not all farmers want their children to accept the mixed blessing of challenge and success that follows a farmer throughout life.

Cleveland County Farm Bureau Board of Directors member Floyd Warlick and his wife, Mary, raised three bright children who followed career paths outside of agriculture. The children understood the good things a farm life had given them, including the opportunity to choose another path.

When the children left home, Floyd, a fourth generation farmer, continued to milk cows twice a day, as he had since 1961.

“My granddaddy bought 375 acres from my great-granddaddy here in 1873,” the dairyman says.  “The amount was $500,” he notes with a chuckle.

Along Came A Kid

Jeff Cornwell was born and raised in Cleveland County and had always wanted to farm. Floyd Warlick made sure the young man got lots of experience when he let him work summers at his dairy while attending high school. Though he had no farm to inherit, the optimistic young man pursued a degree in Ag management at North Carolina State University. He says he planned to work for an ag-related company or possibly become a herdsman for a large dairy operation.

In his heart Jeff wanted what all farmers want—to be master of his own destiny.  

At NCSU he met Mary, his bride to be, and she followed him to Virginia Tech where Cornwell earned a masters degree in dairy science.

Stars Aligned

It just so happened that when Jeff finished work on his Masters degree in 2005, Floyd was looking to retire. The dream of one day owning a farm surpassed any thought he had had about working for someone else.

A lease arrangement was agreed to by the two men, a contract was drawn up and Cornwell took out a loan to purchase the retiring farmer’s cows and the crop of field corn the older dairyman had already planted.

“I wrote up a five-year business and cash flow plan and took it to Farm Credit,” Jeff explains.

“The hardest part of the process was convincing the bank to approve my loan. I know from experience how hard it is for a young person to start farming today,” he says.

One point that helped smooth the lease arrangement was the fact the older farmer had recently paid off the farm.

Twice a Day, Rain or Shine

Jeff and Mary Cornwell, both 26, lease the 160 acre Warlick farm and own 80 dairy cows. He milks twice daily and does his own artificial insemination to provide replacement calves and to account for culled animals.

The present lease between Warlick and Cornwell expires in 2010 and both men say they hope to write a new lease arrangement at that point.

“The main advantage Jeff has in becoming a successful dairyman is his wife, Mary,” Warlick says without hesitation.

“She’s a hard worker, supports her husband and shares the goal of owning a farm one day,” he adds.

The young woman, a native of Georgia, was not raised on a farm but has taken on the job of feeding and caring for newborn calves. Most mornings she works an office job in town to help with farm operating expenses and helps Jeff milk whenever he needs help.

“Mary is one of a kind,” Jeff agrees. “Last Christmas Eve she was out here in the cold helping me replace a milk machine motor—not something a lot of people would do.”

Jeff Cornwell acknowledges that the farm-lease agreement he has with Warlick is not typical.  Young men and women, who have not inherited land or equipment, usually can’t qualify for the financing necessary to be a player in production agriculture. 

“This is about the only way I could hope to enter farming,” the young dairyman explains.  “I made a one-third partial payment for the cows, the equipment, the land and the buildings,” he points out

“Obstacles outweigh opportunities for many young people who want to farm today,” the young man says.  “I couldn’t commit to buy a farm because I couldn’t get the financing I would need to start,” he adds. 
           

The availability of adequate financing and low interest payments for beginning farmers is a priority of North Carolina Farm Bureau. From the other side of the fence, retiring farmers could use greater incentives to help the young man or woman who wants to manage their farm. 

“These concerns need to be addressed while the next Farm Bill is being discussed,” says Andrew Branan with the North Carolina Farm Transition Network.  “Financing and tax incentives need to be in place if we’re to have enough young farmers to carry forward America’s agricultural future,” he adds.

Mary Cornwell says she loves many things about farm life and the common bonds she and Jeff have built through collective work on the farm. Although she says she is not wild about replacing dairy motors on Christmas Eve, she hints at an important goal of her own that keeps her focused on the future.

“A farm is a wonderful place to raise a family, don’t you think?" she asks Jeff with a coy smile.

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