long trend hits pretty close to home

In an attempt to keep a long story shorter I'll do my best.Neighbours just lost their farm and home to supressed cattle prices.The father in law farmed there with his father for many years before,and he lost all his land except for barns in the early 90's to potato market problems.He than lost his swine barn to a fire a few years later and kept on with beef.They had between 5 and 800 head year round and cattle were very well looked after.The father in law is/was abit of a creep around children and went to a crow bar hotel for a few years and than the son in law saved his and his wife's home by taking it over himself with his wife.The son in law is very shrewed and hard working but many years of high input costs and low beef prices have forced the bank to foreclose the mortage.They have lost both their homes and everything they had left.I don't feel sorry for the old creep,but his wife,daughter,son in law and grandson have done nothing wrong except tried to make a living farming,and now have lost their home in return.I know this has been going on for years and is happening all over the world every day,but it's sad to see good people (with the exception of one of them) booted out of their family homes because there isn't a living in farming anymore.pd.

There are a lot of folks out there who would say that this guy simply borrowed more against the farm than he was able to pay back, so it's his own fault. If he was from the city and got laid off and couldn't pay the mortgage, there's no doubt in my mind that your friend would get no sympathy...they'd just say he bought more house than he could pay for, and it's his own fault.

Funny how these cynics have all ths sympathy in the world for a farmer who can't control market prices, but have none for the factory worker who can't control consumer buying patterns any better than the farmer can control his market prices.

Just an observation...

it's true for sure,it's too bad that they require personal guarantee's on farms now.

If bit of a creep around children is supposed to mean pedophile then you need to state things better before hitting submit.

yeah he's a pedophile,he deserves to loose his home.I dislike the b@$tard,don't feel sorry for him what so ever,his son in law kept his wife in a home for the last 10 years and lost their own in the process.Maybe this post should get deleted,turning ugly pretty quick.To state the record,the older guy is a detriment to society and gets no sympathy from me,it's the younger son in law,that pass inspection?

I am seeing a trend here in Indiana as you farm because you daddy did and so did his daddy with out ever thinking that farming is a business first....... not a way of life.

I saw this in the 80s and seeing it here again. Guys around me made some money the last few yrs and have been spending it like its burning a hole in their pockets but the bottom is about to drop out and they are going to be sucking rock.

He stated that the old man is a creep. The sad thing is the son in law and the grandkids have lost the farm. You should have sympathy for a factory worker who loses his job. And you should have sympathy for a farmer that loses his farm. Farming is a much tougher business than others, there are fewer and fewer farmers every decade. This is a MAJOR PROBLEM. Maybe he could have done things different, but you shouldn"t have to be the single best in the county to survive. Back in the old days you could work hard and make a good living. Guys are blind if they don"t see major red flags for the future of agricultural rural areas. I"m talking 10 farmers per county if something doesn"t give. This is a HUGE PROBLEM for our future.

Every night I pray that God will bless the small farmer, that he will put back the profit, the opportunity, the pride, the desire and the youth. I pray for 500 acre farm sized equipment instead of todays behemoth combines. I pray for the continuance of the single pole barn, 2 grain bin 160 acre farm. I pray for the returned viability of 350 acre full time grain farmers, 150 acre serious part time farmers, 50 head dairies, etc. I pray that we can go back to the day where you could get into farming on your own.

In 3 generations we have seen the substantial reduction of the American farmer. With 12 row combines, 24 row planters and an average age of 57 we are particularly seeing the ERADICATION of American grain farmers.

Trevor

Somebody young has to step to the plate and continue the family farm. There is opportunity, now sons and grandsons and neighbor boys need to take the ball and run. I'm 26 and I know more 80 year old guys still farming than other 26 year olds. Its easy to take that cash rent check each year, its hard to have the foresight to run a successful family farm.

Buzzman.....very, very well-stated.

Some might also say that the problems that exist today in the Canadian cattle industry are the result of nothing more than a manufactured 'crisis' brought about by multi-national packers.
THe BSE 'crisis' destroyed any value that remained in our industry in 2003 and those global companies are now using their power to increase their control of the market.
Funny that, how they never found BSE before but all of a sudden found it 6 years ago. Funny how retail pricing on beef never dropped one bit. Funny how these compaines reeled in record profits at the direct expense of those suffering the most in this business.
I hardly think it was the debt that put the guy under given that most can't meet their daily expenses in the beef industry today... but think what you like.
Just hope it isn't your corner that gets nailed next.

Rod

I knew what you meant just thought lets call a spade a spade.Some things you cant say nicely.Sorry if I ticked you off.