Farming w/ the Stauffers

Farming on a prayer.

The Stauffer Family Newsletter

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No Trespassing

Now I am sure by now that most folks know that a “No Trespassing” sign means exactly that, no trespassing. It means that you are not allowed to go beyond that sign. It means that property does not belong to you, it belongs to someone else and that person doesn’t want you on their property. This is no different for farms.

On our farm we have several signs posted on fence posts, gates as well as our barns. We do not want strangers wandering around on our farm and especially not in our barns. You must be thinking, we have something to hide but we don’t. Let me explain why we do not want people on our property or in our barns without us.

  1. It’s our property. It is our barns. It is our animals. We really do not have to explain that any further. It is ours, we own it.
  2. Biosecurity– Now if you have been to another farm or are coming from your farm. You have the potential to bring in bacteria, parasites, etc. that our girls have not yet been exposed too. Exposure could lead to sickness and/or death of our animals. This is serious, very serious.
  3. Safety of our Animals- Our girls are pretty laid back, it takes quite a bit to spook them. However, a stranger walking around in places they shouldn’t be could do the trick. When animals are spooked, they do not so very smart things. When animals do not very smart things, they get hurt. When a 1,000 pound animal gets hurt, there is a good chance it would need to be put down.
  4. The Safety of the Individual Who Is Trespassing- Obviously we do not want anyone to get hurt on our farm. When trespassing on a farm, you are putting yourself at risk of injury (or death). I am not talking about a farmer coming out with a shot gun, although that is very possible. I am talking about, you do not know the animals. You do not know where to walk and where not to walk. You do not know the ins and the outs of the farm to stay safe. You could slip and fall. You cold enter the wrong corral with a bull. There are many things you could do that could end up getting yourself hurt.

Our entire lives revolve around our farm. Our girls (cows) are our world. Trespassing may not seem like a big deal to some, but it could be detrimental to our farm.

A few other things I would like to point out that you may not have thought about.

  1. Fields are our livelihood as well. Driving through them does damage to our crops. Teenagers spending a night out in the field spinning circles in the field, does quite a bit of damage. This hurts farmers financially. It’s really simple, do not drive in our fields and please explain to your children how their actions negatively impact the farmers. Chances are they just didn’t think of it that way.
  2. It is fall, time to decorate your homes in that fall décor. Trespassing in a farmer’s field to remove corn stalks is theft. Yes, I know, sounds so silly but it is true. Taking one or two stalks of corn without permission is theft. You may not realized this but those dead corn stalks that you are wanting to use for your front porch are in fact fed to livestock. I am sure if you ask, they will let you take some but please just ask.
  3. Last year, a fellow farmer grew sunflowers to sell to a bird seed company. The sight of the field was absolutely stunning. It was something you had to pull over to take a photo of. Did you know that by entering that field to get your photo taken, you are trespassing? Did you know that taking handfuls of sunflowers to place in your home is theft? Did you know that those sunflowers are another person’s livelihood? Again, just ask folks.

What can you do when you stop at a farm?

  1. Ask permission. Would you like a corn stalk or two? Ask. Would you like to take your photo with the sunflowers? Ask. Would you like to hunt? Ask. Would you like to pet the cute calves? Please just ask.
  2. Check in at the home or office. If you need to talk with the farmer, please check in at the home or office. There is no need for you to wander around the farm to find them. Leave a note for them to contact you.
  3. Provide us with important information. If you are coming from your farm or another farm, please let us know this before we bring your through our barns.
  4. Be Respectful. Try to imagine if this farm is your home, your backyard. Would you want strangers wandering around? Try to put yourself in our shoes. Would you want someone driving through you nicely groomed yard? I am guessing the answer is no.

Next time you see a “No Trespassing” sign, please honor the owner’s wishes and simply do not trespass!

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Krista Stauffer

Owner at Stauffer Dairy
Krista didn't grow up on a farm but fell in love with a dairy farmer and now works alongside her husband on their family dairy farm, raising five children. Despite her non-farm upbringing, she embraces farm life, enjoys gardening, and remodeling their farmhouse. She also runs a successful women's boutique, manages social media for local businesses, and serves on the board of a non-profit creamery, showcasing her dedication to entrepreneurship and community service.

Comments

  1. Gary Truckey says

    Oh, this is the Countryman’s lament! The worst for us up here in NE Wisconsin is city hunters who used to run rampant throughout the country. Once, when I was about fourteen, I was about to go out on our property to hunt when I saw a bunch of men I didn’t know disembark out of their cars and load their guns. One told me that they were going to do a deer drive through the county land bordering our land on the sound. He, and some others took up positions on our land and I took up a post where I knew the deer would come through. Sure enough, a number of does ran past. I couldn’t shoot, because I didn’t have a “doe permit”, but the other hunters all opened up. Shots rang out all around me and a branch in front of me was snapped off by a bullet. I reached out my hand and touched the spot, just three feet away. The next fall, my Pa posted “no trespassing” signs on our land.

  2. Michelle says

    You forgot one important one – don’t drop off your unwanted animals. Sure we have a loads of room but that doesn’t mean we can afford the vet bill for an unknown animal & getting shots, examinations and probably antibiotics to treat whatever ailments the animal has is probably not in our budget – not to mention it can be expensive! Plus, new animals can introduce bacteria, diseases to our animals…so just don’t do it.

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