True confession: I visited The Pie Lady every day of the Farm Progress Show in Iowa this year. I tried her razzle-berry once, but started and ended the three-day run with strawberry-rhubarb. All a la mode.  

Before you say I lack self-discipline, consider this: I only raced up to her counter once daily. 

Would The Pie Lady command such loyalty if she had 20 locations? If she made the pies in a factory? If the ice cream was scooped from a brand-name tub rather than the old-fashioned churn next to her trailer in Lot 1211?  

Maybe not. But this isn’t a story about my sweet tooth; it’s about an unconscious bias — rooting for the little guy.  

Jake and the giant 

When Illinois farmer Jake Lieb raised his phone to record a TikTok video while in a meeting with representatives of a corporate equipment dealer, my heart absolutely leapt.  

I harbored no malice toward the corporate guy, but felt an ingrained passion for Lieb.  

And maybe some farmers wouldn’t think of Lieb Farms as the little guys. And Jake Lieb may or may not be right in his beef with the corporation that bought out his longtime equipment dealer. We may never know the whole story there.  

But what we logically know is that who is right should not be decided by our emotional desire to see the little guy win. That’s not how the rules of business work, even if emotion and logic often collide in the real world of farming.  

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Big isn’t bad 

This critical self-examination started when I took a call outside a Master Farmers event earlier this year in Iowa.  

The call was with Bayer Crop Science to talk about its Dynamic Shared Ownership initiative.  

Katie Robertson, Bayer customer experience activation lead, said, “When we focus on helping our farmers be successful, we can all be successful.” 

Right. “That’s why Bayer is doing this,” I thought with an inner sarcasm that sounded too much like Jerry Seinfeld.  

But then my brain snatched my righteous suspenders.  

You see, Robertson said something I’ve said over and over. I firmly believe that focusing on the success of farmers is key for us all.  

You might have heard me say that while working on the industry side of agriculture. Or you might have read it in this column. And you might not have believed my sincerity simply because I wore a shirt with a company logo. A corporate logo. 

And so I had to examine my visceral reaction to hearing a corporate leader say it. You might need to take a deep dive here, too.  

How many of you feel your gut clench any time you hear somebody talk about “corporate” farms? Does it make you angry, maybe a little self-righteous?  

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When I hear such talk, I struggle to keep my voice level when responding with facts, such as 96% of Illinois farmers run family operations. (Great marketing line, by the way, Illinois Farm Families coalition.)  

We want — perhaps even expect — consumers to trust the U.S. farmer, even though the family operation is incorporated, the tractors are bigger, and the number of acres farmed is in the thousands.  

It’s about survival 

When we stop to think about it, many farmers changed their business models so they could survive and thrive. It turns out that’s also happening with equipment, seed and chemical companies.  

Those companies may simply be trying to survive as well. And so, we must consider that those who serve our needs may possibly be OK, too. Sometimes. 

A little bit of skepticism is healthy. An ingrained, unexamined bias hurts us all. My dearly departed Momma would encourage you to think it over with a cup of hot tea. Accompanied by a piece of pie — perhaps humble pie. Ice cream helps.