Comments (66)

1. George Washington was a farmer

   posted by Will on 5-28-2009 at 2:17 pm

2. Click my name for an excellent Wired story about the king of soybeans, a smart farmer that knows a thing or two about genetic engineering and chemistry.

   posted by Matt on 5-28-2009 at 2:26 pm

3. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington Carver, Jimmy Carter

   posted by bec on 5-28-2009 at 2:26 pm

4. If self-sufficiency were respected, as it should be, this wouldn’t even be an argument. Farmers tend to have knowledge of most all the sciences – they may not be able to deliver a treatise or write a dissertation about them but they use this knowledge to FEED US. Not to mention the litany of inventions they’ve devised to make their work more efficient.

   Wow, this guy’s fried is dumb.

   posted by Debi on 5-28-2009 at 2:27 pm

5. (please fix my typo – this got me fired up) :)

   posted by Debi on 5-28-2009 at 2:30 pm

6. Eli Whitney
   John Deere

   posted by Sarah in CA on 5-28-2009 at 2:30 pm

7. I feel that in general the argument shouldn’t be “the average farmer is dumb, but here are some exceptions.” IT should be that most PEOPLE are smart and capable, regardless of their occupation. Just look at any college agricultural science program.

   posted by Anna on 5-28-2009 at 2:32 pm

8. Old MacDonald had a farm.

   posted by Witty Nickname on 5-28-2009 at 2:37 pm

9. Well, I’m not famous, but I grew up on a farm. My family has owned the same piece of land since 1876…and I am a full-fledged card-carrying smarty-pants Mensan.

   Your friend’s mental model is similar to that of folks who seem to think that everyone who has a foreign accent also possesses a lower intellect…or that rhubarb is a fruit.

   posted by Jenipher on 5-28-2009 at 2:37 pm

10. There’s quite a few farmers who do not fit into the “stupid farmer” stereotype.

    Here are but a few (with facts taken from Wikipedia):

    Eli Whitney – inventor of the Cotton Gin.

    John Deere – inventor of the first commercially successful steel plow.

    George Washington Carver – he was a farmer, scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor whose studies and teaching revolutionized agriculture in the Southern United States.

    Obviously, as other comments pour in, there are many MANY more names to be added to my list.

    posted by Josh on 5-28-2009 at 2:38 pm

11. For a very smart contemporary farmer, check out Michael Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma” for an account of the Joel Salatin at Polyface Farms who developed a number of fascinating green and organic farming techniques, including using pigs to aerate manure, earthworms to restore fertilization, etc.

    posted by Laura on 5-28-2009 at 2:38 pm

12. George Washington Carter and Jimmy Carter are the ones that immediately come to my mind, but I think if you simply ask your friend to spend a couple of years selecting crops, choosing fertilizers and when to use them in what quantities while analyzing the soil impact of each year’s crops to establish a sustainable crop rotation in subsequent years, while also running a business which can frequently rely on a variety of rotating lines of credit and performing basic maintanance on a wide variety of machinery, he may start to recant his dumb-ass remark.

    It sounds like your friend is the kind of tool who thinks his mechanic, plumber and electrician are all morons at the same time that he writes out triple digit checks for an hour of their time.

    posted by EMStoveken on 5-28-2009 at 2:40 pm

13. The friend is quite uninformed and narrow-minded. Farmers have to be knowledgable in veterinary medicine, mechanics, construction, botany, chemistry,animal husbandry, weather forecasting, taxes, and various laws and regulations, and be willing to work long hours 7 days a week. I grew up on a farm (and wnet on to become a lawyer) and most of the farmers I knew had college degrees. Let’s see the friend try to eat for a week without ingesting something that came from a farmer’s work.

    posted by Ken on 5-28-2009 at 2:48 pm

14. Being a farmer sounds a lot like being a Mother :)

    Seriously though, well put. Farmers are jacks of all trades, like many other professions!

    We’re all smart in our own ways, and we each have different things we do to show it. Kudos to all the great comments and examples of SMART PEOPLE!!!

    posted by Stacy on 5-28-2009 at 2:54 pm

15. It is the simple difference between education and intelligence. You can have 12 years of college and loose all of your money in a pyramid scheme or have only finished the 3rd grade and invent a new plow that will help feed billions of people. Who is more smarter? Who is more valuable to society?

    posted by Luke from WI on 5-28-2009 at 2:54 pm

16. I am a graduate student in agriculture and I don’t think you have to go back through history to find smart farmers. Go to your local farmer’s market, visit your local CSA farm, go to your county or state fair. I give presentations on my research to these people all the time and they are engaged, ask intelligent questions, and know a lot more about planting dates, pesticide/herbicide applications, harvest rates, the soil, and their land than I do.

    I think the ‘dumb farmer’ stereotype comes from the perception that farmers are more conservative or traditional than the ‘city folk.’ It is a foolish thing indeed to insult the demographic that is keeping us fed.

    posted by Amanda on 5-28-2009 at 2:58 pm

17. Does your friend like to eat?

    Farmers must know banking, employment laws, tax implications, supply and demand, marketing, accounting, environmental law and that doesn’t include the actual farming. Which crops will be most productive, which varieties of seed to choose, water usage for the greatest benefit while being aware of water savings, fuel costs, fertilizing for the greatest benefit with the least adverse effects, and on and on. Throw conservation in there as well. A farmer must do all this and plan for years and decades in the future. Hopefully, there will be someone willing to work that hard in the future so we can still eat!!

    posted by Michelle on 5-28-2009 at 3:02 pm

18. Gregor Mendel grew up on a farm and his work on genetic linkage was done in his monastic garden.

    posted by Diana on 5-28-2009 at 3:04 pm

19. Wendell Berry.

    posted by Brian on 5-28-2009 at 3:04 pm

20. Many of the early Southern political leaders were farmers.
    For example, Thomas Jefferson was a farmer, and his vision for the nation (why he purchased the Louisiana Territories) was to have enough room to create an agrarian nation.
    James Madison, the father of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights was also a farmer.

    And education does not make someone intelligent. I work in a university, and there are plenty of really stupid, highly educated people out there.

    posted by Elizabeth on 5-28-2009 at 3:05 pm

21. My grandfather had a law degree from the University of Wisconsin and a member of the Wisconsin bar, but, being the only child, decided to continue working at his family’s dairy farm and taking over the business end of the farm as well as the day-to-day operations. In the early 1980′s he sold the farm to real estate developers for several million dollars. Sounds pretty smart to me.

    posted by Walter on 5-28-2009 at 3:08 pm

22. What?! The smartest kid in my college class is a bio major on a FULL RIDE because he’s so gosh darn smart. Oh, and what’s his family? Farmers.

    posted by schmooz on 5-28-2009 at 3:09 pm

23. Philo T. Farnsworth invented the television. The line-by-line scanning method he devised is said to be inspired by the rows he created while plowing a field.

    Ask your friend how long he could last if the grocery stores close.

    posted by Bryan on 5-28-2009 at 3:10 pm

24. My boss owns and runs a farm on top of being an attorney…

    posted by Julie on 5-28-2009 at 3:13 pm

25. My farmer father, who did not go to college, is extremely knowledgeable in pretty much everything Michelle named above. He’s received awards and commendations for his farming skills, so I know he’s doing it right. Also, he can multiply extremely large numbers in his head and was always the one helping me with math in high school.

    My brother has a physics degree and is working on an engineering one as well, but still spends his summers working on the farm and will probably inherit and work it one day himself.

    I have two cousins with ag science degrees, and both are extremely smart.

    Truth be told, I don’t know that I’ve ever met a really stupid farmer–those types end up losing their land pretty darn quickly.

    posted by nutmeag on 5-28-2009 at 3:13 pm

26. As someone who works in the Agriculture lending industry, I know of plenty of farmers with college degrees. (If that is your friend’s definition of “smart”)Smart can also be more about “business/street/real world smart” than “book smart” or a college degree. There are a lot of people who are successful and intellegent but do not have college degrees.

    To be a farmer today you must have the knowledge to run a business including economics (playing the future markets and commodity pricing), business law (labor laws or envrionmental laws), management, etc. That is also why so many of them are sucessful business men or women (lots of new farmers are women) and probably make more money than your friend does. The days of the small family farm where they are cash poor but land rich are gone (out here anyways). Here in California you need enough wealth to buy the land and keep a successful operation. Dairy cattle, orchards, and vineyards do not manage themselves.

    Maybe suggest to your friend to talk to farmers and see what their lives are truly like instead of judging.

    posted by Gina on 5-28-2009 at 3:19 pm

27. my grandfather was a farmer and he is probably the most intelligent person i know. he was also a politician at the state level and has received countless awards and honors for his work as the president for 20 years for a national farmers’ organization. he’s inducted into the state hall of fame. i could go on and on about him. he has changed the lives of countless people. there is no such thing as a dumb farmer. challenge your friend to grow his own food!

    posted by Shelly on 5-28-2009 at 3:20 pm

28. My dad is farmer. But before he came back to work the family farm, he got his Masters in Fine Arts. He was actually asked to travel to France to study at a rather prestigious school, but thanks to the Vietnam War, he was forced to go into teaching art instead or else be drafted.

    His final exam was to identify a painting, the artist, and its cultural/artistic significance of 20 pieces of artwork based upon a 2″x2″ projected image taken from each one. He passed.

    posted by SpaceMonkeyX on 5-28-2009 at 3:21 pm

29. Stereotyping farmers as dumb is like calling me a numbskull because I don’t know particle physics.
    Ignorance is subjective, and should be put in context.

    posted by MicheleWithOneL on 5-28-2009 at 3:22 pm

30. Dear Reader – Does this “friend” of yours enjoy eating? If the answer to that question is yes, then he should be thanking a farmer somewhere for competently judging soil, weather, climate, and market conditions well enough to provide food for his arrogant belly.

    posted by Keeker on 5-28-2009 at 3:26 pm

31. LOL to whoever said Jimmy Carter.

    posted by Jake Le Master on 5-28-2009 at 3:30 pm

32. Are you kidding me? Farmers are chemist, biologists, meteorologists, stock market analyst, CPA’s, just to name a few skills required to grow a crop of wheat for your friends daily bread… The farmer probably has a half million dollar combine that he drives twice a year. What’s your friend driving?

    posted by Dee on 5-28-2009 at 3:42 pm

33. You need to get a new friend. Anyone who makes a broad statement like that is the stupid one.

    posted by Hyacinth on 5-28-2009 at 3:43 pm

34. I’d say farming is one of the few professions demanding brains AND brawn.

    posted by TBV on 5-28-2009 at 3:49 pm

35. Is this “friend” like 12 years old? Has he ever been a farmer? Probably not.
    I don’t think a list of “notable” farmers is going to make a difference.

    posted by holly on 5-28-2009 at 4:24 pm

36. My dad, though not famous, is a farmer. he didn’t attend college, but is by no means a stupid person. i often go to him when i have mechanical, house fixer-upper, or plant-related questions. he’s also my go-to guy for car problems. Farmers need to know a lot of different kinds of information in order to keep from going broke or losing their land.

    posted by the creature on 5-28-2009 at 4:29 pm

37. yeah- the guy’s a bit dim himself. Things have been well-covered… I’d like to mention a few farmers I know personally who are far from being stupid. First off, my dad- 8th grade education but then went on to teach himself genetics not to mention most of the stuff I learned in my first 2 years of vet school so well that the cattle he bred and raised are still winning awards; he’s one of the most well-read people I know, has an extensive library and can talk intelligently (and knows more about) just about any topic you want to pick. 2 I know retired as millionaires because of their excellent skills not only as farmers but also as agronomists, money managers and stock market analysts.
    I’ve done a lot of travelling- both in the US and in Europe; some of the most knowledgable people I’ve met are farmers. In fact, if you’re going to ‘make it’- as in actually earn a living and support a family- as a farmer you don’t stand a chance if you’re not smart as a whip.

    posted by ann on 5-28-2009 at 4:29 pm

38. Forget it. Your friend is right.

    posted by jack on 5-28-2009 at 4:40 pm

39. John Adams, for one. But really, that remark is insipid. Farming is the basis of civilization. Your friend is stupid.

    posted by Jim on 5-28-2009 at 5:08 pm

40. I agree with vast majority of what was said above, and my only contribution now is to add one more famous person to the list: Cincinnatus. Since you’re friend is obviously the stupid one you may want to enlighten him/her.

    To quote Wiki: “Cincinnatus was regarded by the Romans as one of the heroes of early Rome and as a model of Roman virtue and simplicity. A persistent opponent of the plebeians, he was forced to live in humble circumstances, working on his own small farm, until he was called to serve Rome as dictator, an office which he immediately resigned after completing his task of defeating the Aequians.

    His immediate resignation of his absolute authority with the end of the crisis has often been cited as an example of good leadership, service to the public good, civic virtue, and modesty.”

    A farmer leading and saving what some argue is the greatest civilization in history? Yep, farmers must be pretty stupid!

    posted by John on 5-28-2009 at 5:21 pm

41. Wow. As someone in the horticulture and agriculture industry I’m really offended. I’m young, pretty, well-educated and I love farming! There’s nothing like working the land and producing food (on a large or small scale!).

    Some people are just closed-minded and ignorant.

    Modern farmers have to deal with all kinds of chemicals safely and effectively let alone issues of plant genetics and animal husbandry.

    posted by Madison on 5-28-2009 at 5:38 pm

42. I won’t even dignify his stupid remark with recommendation of a “smart” farmer. Suggest to him that he stop buying food at a grocery, fast-food, whatever, and he’s only allowed to eat what he grows. He’ll die pretty quickly…
    Farmers are the basis of society, not “college-graduates”. Book learning does not always make you smart. In your friend’s case, that is quite obvious.

    posted by Nancy Bird on 5-28-2009 at 6:25 pm

43. My great-grandfather was a farmer. He had a master’s degree in agriculture, grew hybrid corn, and taught at the University of Indiana.

    posted by NicoNicoNico on 5-28-2009 at 6:30 pm

44. Mr. English, you and your friends really need to venture out of the academic setting for awhile and meet some of the people of the Earth.

    Your friend proves that knowledge is nothing without wisdom.

    On a side note, I am still looking for historical examples that disprove the statement: “All of Jason English’s friends are STUPID”.

    posted by dagnabbit on 5-28-2009 at 6:34 pm

45. Reminds me of that line from Sweet Home Alabama, “Just because I talk slow doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

    posted by Sarah on 5-28-2009 at 6:37 pm

46. Reader,

    I would love to see a followup. Let us know what tell your friend, and how it turns out.

    posted by Bryan on 5-28-2009 at 6:38 pm

47. OMG, I can’t believe your friend said that! Please tell me you slapped him for that. I would have!

    I think a bumper sticker I saw once summed it up the best-

    “If you want to complain about farmers, don’t talk with your mouth full.”

    posted by dooflotchie on 5-28-2009 at 7:09 pm

48. I live on a farm (kind of) and I have the second highest grade in my class. I get fours on my SAT scores. (course, middle school isn’t all that hard).

    posted by Carli on 5-28-2009 at 7:21 pm

49. I’m pretty sure the guy with the highest IQ in the world is a farmer lol. On the other hand, farmers as a group are pretty isolated from other people geographically, which would hinder information sharing (though probably less so now with the www).

    posted by Pete on 5-28-2009 at 7:44 pm

50. Leo Tolstoy was a farmer. I hear he was pretty clever.

    posted by Sean on 5-28-2009 at 7:46 pm

51. I am from a farming family in Central Oregon. Formal education is not the only measure of a man, but is a good start
    My Father has B.S. in agriculture
    My Mother has B.A. in education
    Oldest sister B.S. in physical therapy
    Oldest brother B.A. in marketing
    Older brother PHd in Executive Development
    Older sister Masters in education
    me B.S. in engineering.
    oh yea and my dad was a fighter pilot in the air force.
    pretty dumb for a bunch of hicks

    posted by Chuck on 5-28-2009 at 7:54 pm

52. My guess is that your friend said that because he thinks smart people wouldn’t go for a career that demands so much work for so little money. However, money is not the be-all and end-all to everyone. Many teachers put up with horrid work conditions for too little pay because they love teaching and get satisfaction out of a job well done. Farmers are the same way in that they don’t necessarily work the land because they have no other alternative. Maybe they enjoy what they do and get satisfaction from coaxing food from the land. In my opinion, choosing a satisfying vocation is more intelligent than chasing more money and/or less work.

    posted by Miss Cellania on 5-28-2009 at 10:09 pm

53. All of the following were at one time farmers:

    Presidents:
    * Millard Fillmore
    * Abraham Lincoln
    * Ulysses S. Grant
    * Benjamin Harrison
    * Warren Harding
    * Calvin Coolidge
    * Herbert Hoover
    * Harry Truman
    * Lyndon Johnson
    * Jimmy Carter
    Inventors:
    * George Washington Carver
    * Eli Whitney
    * John Deere
    * Cyrus McCormick

    posted by kateydidnt on 5-29-2009 at 12:07 am

54. Just look to New Zealand farmers, who have invented heaps of things.

    posted by Dawn on 5-29-2009 at 4:01 am

55. I guess its not reasonable to answer to your friends statement by the help of good examples. That won’t do the trick. I’ve heard a lot of “…all gypsies are thieves…” or “…all politicians are dumb…”, and I’ve yet to figure out the best approach to these revelations. Something more general is needed here.

    I would also add to this category insights like “…I’m not a physicist, but this large hadron collider is definitely dangerous to our planet (and by the way, all those scientists are stupid)…”. Or “…why every other country but ours care for their residents…”. Sometimes these really drive me crazy.

    posted by krustabas on 5-29-2009 at 5:18 am

56. Farmer in the Dell
    Old McDonald
    Fern, who knew enough not to kill Wilbur.
    I could name more but I don’t know anymore.

    posted by Nt4thBook on 5-29-2009 at 6:54 am

57. @ folks who quote Jimmy Carter, Thomas Jefferson and the like
    These guys went on to be political leaders. So they no longer remained farmers.
    “Knowledge” and “Achievement” does not necessarily reflect wisdom or the lack of stupidity.

    posted by tunafish on 5-29-2009 at 8:07 am

58. Vote everyone out of Washington and fill it with farmers. Practical, hardworking and HONEST people will save this country! Your friend’s the “stupid” one. As a person with a master’s degree in education, I can say with conviction that he has a lot to learn. Bet he also looks down on the people who maintain our sewers, clean our sepit tanks and pick up our garbage. The fella has no clue. The more I type the angier I become.

    posted by jim on 5-29-2009 at 8:42 am

59. Should read septic tank.

    posted by jim on 5-29-2009 at 8:44 am

60. My grandfather was valedictorian and my grandmother the salutatorian for their class. She became a nurse and he a science teacher. When they retired they bought a farm in western Virginia. They are very well read and very sharp. Farming just brings them joy.

    posted by Tanya on 5-29-2009 at 9:15 am

61. One of my best friends has lived on a farm all her life and was valedictorian of our high school class.

    She received a scholarship to Harvard (which she turned down in favor of studying chemistry and neuroscience at Williams College).

    I’m appalled at the willingness of some people to generalize without any relatable experience.

    posted by Roz on 5-29-2009 at 10:03 am

62. The vast majority of Roman senators and statesmen were also farmers, and I don’t think Cicero + co. were dumb guys!

    posted by Meg on 5-29-2009 at 12:06 pm

63. George Washington Carver
    Jethro Tull

    posted by Ella on 5-29-2009 at 6:55 pm

64. Talking to a farmer about farming is like gazing into the night sky. You suddenly realize how little you know and how fragile your life is, not to mention how out of your control.

    My brother-in-law worked farms in his youth, and when he tried explained crop rotation and fertilizer mixtures to me, I realized I was completely ignorant of anything but the most rudimentary food production and would starve to death in a matter of weeks without that knowledge. Personally, I think the knowledge of how to feed the world is far more important than most college degrees.

    posted by evilcupcakes on 5-29-2009 at 9:38 pm

65. I know the man who originally posted this comment and I’m also friends with the man who said, “all farmers are dumb.” To give it a bit more context(because the response is so massive-and to further stir the pot), the man who said “all farmers are dumb” is a man from Seria known as “SCHMAPOU”. He came to Brooklyn, NY at the age of 10 and he is a sruggling plumber(usually unemployed because he thinks he’s better, smarter than his bosses) who would like to believe he is an intellectual because he’s read a few history texts. He is doggedly outspoken and turns most pleasant discussions into fierce debates(because he usually makes blanket statements) and he usually tries to steer any discussion toward the direction of his own areas of interest; mostly being ancient greece and seria(which he deems as the most advanced civilizations to this day)—he also feels that “all Native Americans are inferior because they left behind no visible buildings, structures” and he’s also said that “the Irish contributed nothing of substance to America or the world.” He is a laughable, silly, fat young chap and his massive ignorance has served as a source of entertainment for me and others for well over a decade now—-He also despises Republicans and the entire upper class–glad to shed some light upon all of this—-enjoy-

    posted by BrooklynIrish on 5-31-2009 at 9:46 am

66. What a nitwit. Farmers are all stupid. Not likely. But to coin the phrase from The Halfway House on rte. 22A in Shoreham VT. , “Don’t complain about Farmers with a full mouth”. Simply put.

    posted by rickinwny on 5-31-2009 at 11:09 am

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