TWO TRACTOR OPERATORS DIED WITHIN TWO YEARS... THE THIRD ONE RAN AWAY There are some experiences in agriculture that never leave your memory. After one cropping season, management gave all staff a break for the festive period. Everyone went home happy, expecting to resume work in the new year. When work resumed, our most experienced tractor operator, Awwal, was nowhere to be found. His phone was not going through. I called my boss and asked after him. He assured me he would find a way to reach him. A few days later, my boss called me. "Ezekiel... Awwal is gone." I was speechless. According to his wife, he had complained of severe stomach pains before passing away days later. The entire farm was thrown into mourning. We contributed money among ourselves, and the head office in Abuja also supported the family for his burial. Life had to continue. A replacement operator was employed, and because the farm had acquired another tractor, two operators were brought in. A few months later, one of them, Ilayi, started complaining of serious stomach pains. At first, I thought it was ulcer. But the pain became worse. I gave him some days off to seek treatment. Two days later, I visited his house only to be told he had been rushed to the General Hospital. When I got there, he was writhing in pain. The doctors carried out tests and scans but couldn't immediately identify the cause. Two days later... Ilayi died. At that moment, I became deeply worried. Two tractor operators. Two deaths. Similar complaints. The same stomach pains. Something didn't feel right. We buried him. The farm owner gave him a befitting burial, placed his three children on scholarship, and supported his wife with money to start a business. To this day, those children are still benefiting from that scholarship. A new operator, Galoma, was later employed. One day, he called me aside. "Manager, some people are not happy this farm is growing." I looked at him in surprise. "Why?" He said some villagers feared that as the farm expanded, they might eventually lose access to land or influence in the area. Whether that fear was justified or not, I honestly don't know. But it made me realize something important: People can misunderstand your intentions, no matter how good they are. As the season progressed, Yahaya—the other operator employed alongside the late Ilayi—suddenly became seriously ill. This time, it wasn't stomach pain. It started with persistent hiccups and health complications. His family quickly took him away for treatment. Thankfully, he recovered. But immediately after recovering, he resigned and never returned to the farm. That was the day I learned one of the biggest lessons of my agricultural career. Before establishing a large-scale farm in any community: (1) Carry the people along. (2) Build trust with the villagers. (3) Engage community leaders. (4( Create opportunities for locals. (5) Maintain good relationships with your host community. (5) Never assume everyone understands your intentions. A farm can have money. A farm can have tractors. A farm can have investors. But without community acceptance, peace of mind can become your most expensive input. Agriculture is not only about crops and livestock. It is also about people. And sometimes, managing relationships is harder than managing a 1,000-hectare farm. May the souls of Awwal and Ilayi continue to rest in peace. Nigerian agriculture space is too toxic Attached picture is me and Yahaya the operator that survived their attack... ~ © Umaru Ezekiel #Agriculture #FarmLife #Agribusiness #RuralDevelopment #FarmingStories #AgroConsultant #CommunityRelations #FarmManagement #NigerianAgriculture #AgricultureInAfrica #FarmLessons #AgriculturalLeadership #AgbetechAgroConsult #LifeOnTheFarm #LessonsFromTheField

Why I Stopped Selling My Birds to Frozen Food Companies This is not theory. This is experience. When I started broiler farming, I started big, close to 1,000 birds. My focus then was production: raise them fast, sell in bulk, and keep growing. At that time, selling to frozen food businesses looked like the easiest option. They could take many birds at once, so I thought it was safe. But I learned the hard way. Selling to frozen food comes with many hidden challenges. They buy at lower prices, and worse, they delay payments. Sometimes a large amount of your money will be held for weeks. As a farmer, that delay can destroy everything. While my mature birds were being sold, I still had younger birds to feed. Feed dealers don’t wait. Workers don’t wait. Birds don’t wait. Because my money was trapped with frozen food buyers, I couldn’t feed the junior birds properly, and in that process, I lost a huge amount of money. That experience almost broke my farming journey. That was when I understood something very important: Farming without direct selling power is dangerous. Since that experience, I changed my strategy completely. I started marketing my birds myself. I began posting online, taking birds to the market, selling by the roadside, and building direct customers. The difference was clear. ✔ I sold faster ✔ I sold at better prices ✔ I collected my money immediately ✔ I reduced extra feeding costs ✔ I regained control of my business Today, I no longer depend on frozen food buyers. Let me be clear: If you want to sell to frozen food, the best way is to combine both, be a farmer and own a frozen shop. That way, you process your birds yourself and sell directly to consumers. But selling your birds to frozen food buyers alone, without control, can drain your capital silently. This is my story. This is my lesson. And I’m sharing it so someone else won’t learn the hard way. If you’re a farmer, remember this: Marketing is not optional. It is survival. ~Adebayo Qosim #PoultryFarming #BroilerBusiness #FarmersExperience #AgribusinessNigeria #FarmLessons #DirectSelling #NoMarketingNoProfit #FarmToMarket #SmartFarming #PoultryNigeria #FarmingReality

Week 5 lesson from the farm: growth doesn’t rush, it responds to care. 🌾 Every seed needs time, consistency, and patience to become food on our tables. #FMAN #FarmLessons #Week5OnTheFarm #AgricultureJourney #GrowthTakesTime #FoodSecurity #FromFarmToTable #SustainableFarming

What’s one thing you’ve learned on your farm lately? #GoatFarming #FarmLessons

Kiri Kiri(Hausa) 1st picture, the strong headed weed. This is like an AIDS to rice plants. If you want to get rid of it with Herbicides, you will probably kill the rice. The only way to get rid of it is by selective hand picking. #farmLessons

almost 6 pm when we called it a day. The snow plowing wasn’t done, but the cows were home, & secure. My boots were soaked through & I was exhausted but I grew stronger this day. Challenge complete. #FarmLife #FarmLessons #ConnectToTheLand #WinterMakesWool #TopsyFarms 11/11

Farm life is cool! Whenever we would visit my grandmother on my father's side, we got up so early every morning to feed the animals & clean. I remember putting my hand in the pig pen once & my Dad ran over to me so fast & yanked it out as a pig was coming towards me. #FarmLessons

“Do not despise these small beginnings...for the Lord LOVES to see the work begin.” - Zecc 4:10 #farmlessons

Commission 2/3 The pic features #kelly, from the #farmlessons comic series created by JAB. Unfortunately, the client got his twitter account deleted. Enjoy... #commission #nsfw #nsfwfanart #tiquitoc

A boy and his horse. #farmlessons

At the farm few days back I shared some of my lessons I have learnt from the farm in the last 5years. #Farmlessons #farmexperience

With no school, girls got to help ultrasound the fall cows and semen test the bulls today. Sometimes more learning happens when you aren’t in school. #NeverStopLearning #FarmLessons

That's an adorable pic. When I was a teen on the farm, I wanted to drive my dad's pick-up to school. He agreed, as soon as I rotated the tires. No cellphones back in the 80's. He wanted to make sure I could take care of myself. I learned. Love you dad. #FarmLessons #FarmDads

Sitting in the twilight on my parents farm, a once feral cat curled up by me feet (took 1 1/2 years to get him to purr)... I think, yep: we all really are sweet souls who just want love and connection. And given the right conditions (safety, live), we will purr. #farmlessons

#PPCD made homemade butter!! 🐄 #Dairy #FarmLessons #HandsOnScience #ShakeShakeShake @BPE_Broncos

Did something very unusual today. I actually put the blade on the tractor before it got -40 with a foot of snow on the ground. #farmlessons

Can you relate to these lessons learned from working on a farm? ow.ly/zjDn305uQH7 #FarmLessons @VetMedIllinois

Can you relate to these lessons learned from working on a farm? ow.ly/zjDn305uQH7 #FarmLessons @VetMedIllinois

"You know what teats are don't you?! They are the long nipples that hang under the udder." #farmlessons #awkward

Do not breed fair pigs or keep your pigs fat when pregnant. #FarmLessons