Slipping away

Now if most of us want to enjoy living in scenic, rural settings, maybe it's time state and local governments started asking non-
farm residents to help support these vanishing operations before they become history. Call it a "pay per view" tax or something like that. I'd do it. Anyone feel the same or am I just dreaming.

• Dying breed

In the beginning I did what I wanted to do with no thought to what was needed in the market in which I was involved. I got a lot of hard knocks.

Finally I learn to look for a market, or niche, that was not being supplied or was not being supplied well. I finally reallized some rewards getting into these markets. It was not always what I wanted to do, but more often what needed to be done.

I guess that I finally learned that since I was not the brightest bulb on the string I had to find a string without too many bright bulbs.

Progress brings opportunity. This is the land of opportunity.

But how is another tax or more government involvement going to help. Government regulations is one of the problems and causes of small farmers going out of business.

If you think about it the invention of refrigeration and high speed interstate system is what started this problem. Are you ready to give up either of these??? From the first refrigerated rail car they have been hauling beef from the big ranches out west back east.
With the ability to truck anything across the country in 48 hrs or less you no longer need local farms.

This is also a bigger problem than just farming. If we subsidize farmers and pay them not to produce or artificially inflate the price where does it stop. Do we subsidize every hardware store that Home Depot put out of business. Do we subsidize every Five and dime or corner store Wal Mart has put out of business. Do we subsidize every factory that has closed because of imports from Mexico or China.

We as a country have made this bed now our children must lay in it. We have taught them to buy cheap; throw it away when used and buy more cheap stuff rather than buying quality local products. We have empowered our government to regulate us to death in a hope of protecting us from each other. We have empowered or legal system to sue each other in a attempt to get some free unearned fast money or to make our neighbors do things our way. Ect ect ect…………………………..

So all I can say is..... ...
Welcome to the modern world.

These are audio files made in August 2004 and I have no problem listening to them with my sllooooww dialup.

Part one
Link

Thanks for the audio links. Gordon makes a convincing argument as to how it all happened. When there is more people in prisons than there are farmers in this country, something is out of balance.
I didn't catch his solution, but I believe the core problem is that there exists too many people in this world for the old small scale business models to work. So rip up all the highways and return to cobblestones, gaslights, and warm beer ? Maybe. Hey, things could be worse-like raising coconuts in Canada thank to global warming..... . Kestrel n CT

P.S. consider the amish farms (I've never seen an amish farmer on welfare)
If you haven't seen there operation's you should go and see one, (I know, I know, They have very large families, but that's how the farm and family were intended to be.)
I await your response

I was fascinated by the bit at the end of the article about half a dozen Connecticut farmers joining together to retail their own milk. Takes a certain amount of gumption.

The more I live and learn, the more I realize that the only way we'll be able to compete with the mega-corporations is to go directly to our neighbors and those in nearby towns and cities and do what the big guys just can't do--- sell truly quality products which don't disadvantage someone along the way, but only benefit the producer and the consumer. I guess the only one hurt in this scenario is the fat cat corporate boardroom guys. The nice thing is that each small farmers' coop makes such a small dent in the big guys that the big guys probably wouldn't even notice. See, no one's feelings get hurt. Now that is a win-win-win situation.

Merry Christmas to all. Blessings in the New Year.

Christopher

What are we going to do, when all the farms and factories are gone??

Don't know what to say - it seems like around here, for every farmer going out there is another one on the next corner hell-bent for 320 more acres and a couple more sprinklers.

I farmed for 14 years before I figured it would just be easier to take an office job.

The only advice I'd say to have is keep a very close eye on the BOTTOM LINE and not to let the huge stream of money going in and out lull a person into thinking it will "just all work out".

The loan officer sure won't have that attitude.

I'd sure hate to be doing that at age 70!

HH

So when Jack and Susan Tiffany decide to sell out the only potential buyers will be other farmers that watched them go broke? How much do you think they'll get for their farm then?

They inherated their land and still couldn't make it pay, how's that going to work when some one is trying to finance the land?