NY FarmNet’s Wayne Knoblauch Reflects on 40-Year Career

by Donna Talarico

After more than 40 years of teaching, advising, and consulting, Wayne Knoblauch celebrated his retirement from Cornell University on July 1, 2024.

Knoblauch served as faculty director of NY FarmNet, a Cornell extension program that provides free and confidential assistance to New York farms and farmers. He also taught farm business management and agricultural finance courses through his dual appointment with the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and the Cornell College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS).

Cultivating Community Resources & Support

Knoblauch was with FarmNet when it was just a seed of an idea. During the financial crisis of the 1980s, he served on the committee that recommended establishing a resource for family farms.

“Commodity prices fell. Asset prices fell. Incomes were low,” explains Knoblauch. “So that was our goal: to address the stresses farm families were facing, be it a financial situation or a personal situation arising from financial difficulties.”

As faculty director, he helped provide a framework for how the program would operate, obtain funding, and oversee staff and consultants. Current FarmNet executive director Greg Mruk said that — in the pre-internet days — they announced the program’s launch by mailing a 3-x5 postcard to every farmer in the state of New York.

“It included a toll-free number to call if they needed help,” Mruk explains. “In the first year, 1,200 farmers called and said, ‘We need help.’”

And help they did. Knoblauch is proud of the program’s initial success. “Ninety to 95% of the families we did work with were able to stay in business,” he recalls.

Evolving with the Needs of Farm Families

Knoblauch shares how, through the decades, FarmNet has adapted to address the changing needs of farm families — and evolving business models. Community-supported agriculture (CSAs), farmers’ markets, hydroponics, and agri-tourism have all grown in popularity, for instance. Intergenerational transfer, natural disasters, droughts, and climate concerns are also a growing focus.

Perhaps one of the most significant milestones was adding social workers to the consultant roster and, later, launching the suicide prevention program Talk Saves Lives.

“That was the missing piece. Bringing in mental health professionals who understand family dynamics and communication,” says Mruk. “FarmNet is the only model in the country where social workers and financial consultants work holistically together.”

Created in response to the financial crisis, FarmNet was also a pioneer in responding to the rural mental health crisis. As a founding member of the program, Knoblauch has undoubtedly made a profound impact on the lives and livelihood of New York farmers and their families.

The Future of FarmNet

“Many of us affectionately refer to him as Mr. FarmNet. He was there at the beginning. He truly understood what was going on. He understood the economics behind it,” says Mruk. “He understands the core purpose and objective of FarmNet’s existence.”

With this institutional memory coupled with decades of industry experience, Knoblauch kept Farmnet grounded during times of growth and exploration.

“Wayne would always be there to say, ‘OK, but does this make sense with our core mission?’ He never let us forget the reason we are here: when a farm family is in crisis, we are the people who have to show up.”

Now appointed to the advisory board, Knoblauch will continue to provide valuable input as the organization moves forward.

Influencing the Next Generation of Ag Business Leaders

Knoblauch taught a farm business management course that was ripe with experiential learning opportunities. He later taught agricultural finance through the Farm Credit Fellows program.

“Teaching — seeing students grow and develop — was fulfilling,” he says. “I have former students call me and ask, ‘What do you think of this idea?’ It’s rewarding to know that people remember the class; I tried to make it useful.”

Knoblauch leaned into his dairy expertise outside of the classroom, too. He led the Dairy Farm Business Summary Program, collaborated with Pro-Dairy on various research projects, and published work in multiple bulletins and journals.

Mruk explains that between nearly every CALS student taking a class with “Professor Wayne” and industry professionals engaging with his work, Knoblauch’s connection “is far beyond what many people truly realize.”

“There are very few people in New York dairy who do not know Wayne,” he says, adding that Knoblauch leaves behind many legacies at Cornell and the broader industry. “NY FarmNet is just one of them.”

Continued Growth: Getting Back to His Roots

Agriculture remains a way of life for Knoblauch, who continues to get his hands dirty in retirement. He now manages a farm that grows wheat, alfalfa, soybeans, corn, and cabbage. And there’s plenty more on his to-do list.

“I’ve got lots of things I want to get done, and now I have time to do them.”