As the song goes, "Oh, give me land, lots of land, under starry skies above! Don't fence me in!" This is the song of the rancher, who needs wide open spaces and the ability to drive horses and cattle hither and thither with the seasons and the markets, depending on where the water and the money are to be found. The farmer, on the other hand, is all about sticking to a single spot and making it as beautiful and prosperous as they can. The farmer's community is larger, though still not too big, and they are very much bound up with their local town.

Both these approaches can be made to live in harmony with nature, and while they have some enmity as the farmer loves fences and the rancher abhors them, they will always band together against the townie—the urban-dweller who comes out of the city to enjoy what they've both built and protected all their lives. That's why, as the musical "Oklahoma!" reminds us, "The farmer and the cowman should be friends." They both protect something that they love, though they go about it in different ways.

Which of these attitudes suits you best? Are you the farmer, the rancher, a little of both—or something else entirely?