Last Friday dad received a phone call from a landlord. During the conversation he was asked if we were bankrupt. Apparently that is the word at the coffee shop.

Was it a farmer we bid against on land up for rent? Was it the neighbor who had to go before the planning commission when he didn’t follow setback distances for his new building? Was it someone who was late for work when they got stuck behind a tractor? Was it simply someone running their mouth? Was it to get a leg up on us? Was it to ‘get even’?

These are all questions we had. We will never know, and it doesn’t really matter. It only takes a few minutes of the news to see that the nature of man is to tear down.

To be honest, we appreciate the phone call. At that point we were unaware of the rumor. We had been going about our daily activities preparing for spring like every year before.

It doesn’t really matter what some people think. If you’re going to do business with us and we’re going to do business with you, then you will have all the information you need. If you’re not vested in what we do, then what business is it of yours? But if you’ve heard something, and it doesn’t sound right, if you don’t want to call, then google it!

The question is what damage has been done? Will we miss out on future opportunities because of this person? Truth will prevail in time. The rumors will subside. There will be something else to talk about. I know this kind of stuff happens all the time. It’s the annoyance that someone would do it. We’ve come to the point of laughing at it.

Yesterday, the combine that we traded in December was picked up. Today the rumor may be it was repossessed!

The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of Farm Futures or Farm Progress.