Comments from folks that felt passionate about the “Sorry I made you cry piece”

Comments from folks that felt passionate about the “Sorry I made you cry piece”

As men, we are taught from cradle to grave, it seems, never to show emotion.  It starts with "Stop crying" goes on "Big boys don't cry" to "You are being a cry baby" to "Real men don't cry".  Women, I think are lucky. They are allowed to cry, but in our society men are not. It is taken as a sign of weakness.  It takes a lot for a man to cry. He has to give himself permission, to realize it is all right, to face up to all those negatives he has been exposed to all his life and say "NO, you are wrong, it is OK to cry, it is ok for ME to cry" - just like it is ok for us to smile, to laugh, to hug and to love.  It took me a long time to realize that - to allow my self to show emotion and more importantly to let others see that emotion. My respect and admiration for Troy was much elevated that day, for up to then I had always thought of him as a "real he man" who would probably laugh at another man crying.  It shows how wrong I was. So thanks. Troy, for showing that real men can, should and do cry.  When we cry, we have earned the right to do so. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Jim C.

WOW!! I didn't realize that my fellow farmers are weeping as well as they care for the earth! This work is more than just caring for the earth and each other this is SACRED work!  Brian says that the reason our plants grow so well for us is because of my love and crying over them! Some days I just hope this is enough....I hold onto the belief that it is and that keeps me going...at least for today. Thank you for allowing the emotion to come through Troy. This also is what will help us heal! We all need to FEEL again!

Thank you once again Troy! Keep em' comin' baby!   Amy

Troy:  You're truly a credit to the agricultural community!  It's strange how a remote thought can conjure up memories of a love one or a long ago experience.  99% of the American public don't understand the farmer's way of life, dedication to a philosophy and just take for granted going to the grocery store and getting that gallon of milk or loaf of bread.  Your advocacy for agriculture and conservation is very much appreciated at least by this humble public servant!   Dick W.

Thanks Troy; I am having a good cry as I reply to your message.  Steve

Tissue? Tissue? I need a tissue!  Now you've got your readers crying.   --Martha

Sustainability and profitability are the main ingredients needed for preservation of the family farm.
Great message.  I know what you are talking about.  Thanks Troy,

Once again, Troy, excellent article.  I sure wish these were getting published more broadly than the Lancaster Farmer, though that is a pretty darned good place to start.  Great job and definitely some things folks need to think about; passion for farming, family continuity and what happens when it is broken, and our intimate connection to the land through our transient stewardship of it.  Keep it up.  Morgan

You're an inspiration!  Thanks for sharing that!  From the Teolis

Hi Troy, Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece.  Sometimes I think I am too old (now 82) to be a farmer and a marketer, but then I realize that I don't know any other way I could spend time that has so many plusses.  Best regards, Martha

Once again you have outdone yourself, saying what many of us have thought or felt at one time or another as we toil through the daily snares of the politics of conservation.  Not everyone can embrace the big picture and understand the small role each of us must play to press on toward the bigger goal.   One of my favorite quotes is “ agricultural development is the foundation of all economic development”  and as I listen to talk of recession, and recovery.  I know that the foundation has to be feeding ourselves.  If we can do that, then the rest will fall into place eventually.  Thanks for reminding me why I love my job.  Laurel

Troy, Having read this article again in Lancaster Farming I thought I'd thank you for sending me the early edition version. I suspect there was a time that you would never have imagined you'd be all over the place addressing big groups of influential people and writing syndicated pieces for influential periodicals.  I do recall your stating the importance of leaving a legacy, and that would certainly be an accomplishment of yours.   For myself, I enjoy your dry sense of humor and that subtle hint of non conformity. I lean too easily towards sarcasm and cynicism.  Anyway, you're probably forever receiving trite e-mail, like this, so I'll just say that I'll look forward to corresponding/communicating with you again, Jonathan.

Good job my man. I read this when you first sent it and yes I did feel a need to get wet eyes. I feel that I am hardened to the losses yet it still hurts to see the pain in so many others.

 Your path is in front of you and thanks for leading the way!   Kim

Dear Mr. Bishop,

We have never met but I know about your work through my connections with NYS sustainable agriculture and obviously somehow I’m on one of your lists.

I value and appreciate the work you do teaching folks about grass feeding production methods.  As someone who regularly cries (and sometimes catches some flak for it) I very much appreciate your writing this piece.  Real men do cry and need to cry.

Thank you. Very best wishes,  Hank H

Thanks, Troy for sharing your writing with us.  You definitely made an impression on us.  I know what it’s like to see your father lose his farm – you try to understand and accept it, but it’s always there…a sense of loss that will always be with you…for the land, the animals, the farmstead. A way of life that has always been part of you and will never be the same again. When I walk through the pastures and fields that overlook the farm from the top of Buck Hill and take in all that has changed in a short amount of time, I quietly weep inside because it is no longer my family’s farm and will never be what it used to be. Donna

Troy, I like the passion in your speech and writing, frankly it is refreshing as we seem to have too little emotion in our business.  I too get a bit misty on occasion. Generally that is when I contemplate the awesome responsibility I feel for my customers when a child of one thanks me personally for providing them good food. It’s truly humbling when I see those bright eyes and hear them singing “I love Farmer Fred”; or bringing me gifts of their art! This is the results of their parents taking the time and effort to introduce them to quality food and hopefully a lifestyle that will assure their future health. Fred

Hi Troy,  

I meant to write and say how much I enjoyed and related to the "Sorry I 
 made you cry" piece. I seem to have inherited this "over sentimentalism 
gene" (as some call it) from my father. After every high school band 
concert and drama production, he would be waiting in the lobby to greet 
 me, tears welling in his eyes. He would even cry at sad moments in PG 
 rated movies. My father died in an accident when I was 20, but I've 
 noticed in the past 10 years that I have the same habit of crying at 
 practically everything sentimental, be it beautifully happy or beautifully 
 sad. A couple years ago, I was sitting with my two year old nephew 
 watching a sad scene in a Disney video. I felt myself get teary-eyed, and 
 then I looked down at my nephew, and the tears were rolling down his 
 cheeks too! I was glad the "over sentimentalism" gene had managed to get 
 passed down. Though embarrassing at times, it's a real gift to be 
 sensitive.     Violet