Over the years, I have interviewed hundreds of successful farmers. Most farm with family members, and those who don’t rely on trusted advisers to help them in their farming journey. One take away from all of the farmers I have interviewed is they rarely use the words “I,” “me,” or “my.” Instead, they say “we,” “us,” and “our.”  They know successful farming requires teamwork.  

When most ponder the importance of teamwork, the world of sports comes to mind. Basketball great Michael Jordan notably said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” This is certainly true in basketball, but it is especially true for champion farmers like the Monahan family of Waverly, Va. 

Kevin Monahan farms with his sons Brad and Drew and his cousin E.T. Drewry under the name Springhill Farms Partnership in Waverly, Va. in an area just a mile away from where the nation’s first commercial peanut was grown in 1842. The Monahan family is the 2024 Peanut Efficiency Award winner for the Upper Southeast. The family members share the work and decision making, but they also share the credit for their success with their family as a whole.  

A clear takeaway from my visit with the Monahans on their farm in Sussex County is they truly trust and respect each other, a vital component for working as a team. A good rotation program, timeliness, and today’s improved peanut varieties help them in their quest for efficiency and improved yields, but a cooperative team approach brings it all together for the family. 

Related:Team approach brings efficiency for Monahan family

“If you can find a way to work together and cooperate, it makes life a lot easier to deal with the good times and the bad times. It takes a lot of teamwork and cooperation,” Drew Monahan says. 

This approach works no matter what you do. Churches, civic groups, businesses large and small can achieve greatness when cooperation and teamwork rule the day. Farming has always been one of the most challenging and risky occupations with high levels of uncertainty. Farmers know they can’t do it on their own; there is no “I” in team. 

A team approach can tamper down the challenges and difficulties but can also make winning more rewarding because you know you didn’t achieve victory on your own. This is true in sports, and it is true in farming.  

Technical innovation has driven farm productivity since the middle of the last century. But without a team approach, that innovation would have never achieved results. In short, success can never be achieved without teamwork, cooperation and mutual respect.  

Related:Monahans find success in birthplace of commercial peanuts