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market-farming - Re: market-farming digest: January 20, 2001

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Subject: Market Farming

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: marc AT aculink.net
  • To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: market-farming digest: January 20, 2001
  • Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 15:53:12 -0700


In my travels and conversations it seems that many of the
old competent farmers are well aware of the politicking,
salesmanship and managerial aspects of farming. In one voice
they will tell you that farming is hard work! It seems that
to be a success in farming one must be a business owner AND
include an agrarian mindset.

One of the black humor jokes we speak of in my circles is
when will the legislatures, USDA, Ag departments, Health
departments, Wildlife departments and other leeches
mandating unreimbursed farm activity to quit dragging their
fee and issue us our uniforms, health insurance and
retirement stubs - they've already told us when, where, how
to do it and are supervising.

I have people in the local city and their newspaper running
editorials not wanting us to sell off our ditch water for
their various romantic ideas. I can retire on the water sale
three times over and raise a little garden with my well!!

Good bye inspectors, licenses, regulations, Sierra Club,
health department, code enforcement, rising fuel or
electricity bills to run pumps and vehicles, pure foods
paranoia, animal ethics anthropomorphic mental cases,
consumer protectionist rip-offs, big ag lobbyists,
environmentalists, brainless USDA regulations, hit men
inspectors, etc.

As an engineer I can go to the city and work for $75,000 a
year with no headaches kissing some ignorant bureaucrats
rear and still make double to triple of farming!

My old farmer neighbors kids drive a semi for $50,000 a
year, or do construction for around that with overtime. They
go to a good company and pull down $35,000 plus as a company
trained tech after 5 years, be a teacher or mechanic for $35
to $45K a year, etc. etc. AND THEY ARE STILL IN THEIR
TWENTIES! They cringe at the thought of farming.

The USDA and other hit man organizations blow around in the
political wind and a farmer has a heck of a time making a
decision that won't have to be re-done while the
cover-their-butt "inspectors" change their mind over and
over. In addition there's weather, market conditions,
foreign inport/exports, disease, fertilizer, transportation,
workers, mortgage, $100,000 tractors and USDA meat
inspection facilities, etc.

Bottom Line: It's way too hard paying for the privilege of
kissing some government hit mans butt who represents a
fickle, ignorant and bullying public obsessed with the idea
of free impositions on your property and consumer protection
when one can have a good life elsewhere.

Now for those of you who may say "It isn't that bad!" answer
me "why don't the kids want to farm?"




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