Matthew Naylor: We can learn from our elders

When I first started writing these columns the subjects came naturally to me. I must have been dripping with prejudices because there was always something to rant about.

Today I’m staring at the screen, and indeed the print deadline, wondering which subject I can exercise my tiny mind upon. The first sign of a desperate columnist is a quotation. I promise never to resort to that. As Douglas Adams said: “Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a piece of blank paper until your forehead bleeds.”

The subject of agriculture is as diverse and broad as life itself. But writing about it isn’t as easy as the venerable gentleman next door (David Richardson) makes it look. In fact I find it gets harder. Life experience keeps softening my views and robbing me of material.

I met DEFRA secretary Hilary Benn a little while ago and, his policy decisions aside, I liked him, Goddammit. Similarly, my admiration for farmers just keeps on growing. This is why I now try to avoid sermonising on subjects or dispensing advice.

So today my subject is Experience. Enough is said already in praise of young entrepreneurs and about the need for young blood in the industry. This implies that there is something wrong with the old blood. Wrong. The economic crisis (supermarket price wars, credit problems and new protectionism) reveals that the warnings of older farmers were right all along.

There is a chronic lack of understanding between younger farmers and their seniors; which may explain why some feel unwilling to pass on their farm. The transferral of responsibility would be much smoother if older farmers felt that their ideals were being honoured. We should be celebrating the wisdom of the elders of our tribe, making sure that their knowledge is cherished and their experience built upon.

Mark Twain said: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished by how much he’d learned in seven years.”

My grandfather always used to say: “I should write a book.” If he had, I would read it every day.

Since this year is the 75th anniversary of this magazine, I would like to encourage our “most-practised” readers to record and share their experiences somehow. I have been thoroughly enjoying the stories of Fred Waterfall (Owd Fred) on his blog. Nowadays the internet is a natural place to publish such memoirs and the information will be a valuable resource in the future.

We all know that it is less boring to hear someone else’s old relations reminiscing than your own. But I would urge young readers to help the older generation to document the story of their farming lives in the same way that Fred has.

This is a gentler column than usual. You and I both know that what I really wanted to write today was a biting satire on the “Essentials” range in Waitrose and how they embarked on a publicity campaign about price cutting in the same week that all their staff got a 13% bonus.

Wisdom can mean learning when to keep your gob shut.

More from Matthew online…

“It’s a shame to see Paul Temple step down as NFU vice president. He was a good guy and he worked well with Peter Kendall and “Uncle” Meurig Raymond. Although the NFU comes in for a bit of stick about how its leaders are chosen, we had a strong team at the top. Richard Macdonald, the director general, is also stepping down this year. In my few dealings with him I have always thought that he was exceptionally good. It will be interesting to see how and when the replacements are chosen.