I got some blow back from a guy over my So, you want to be a farmer or rancher post. He is convinced I have a very cushy life as a farmer. He is convinced I pay no sales tax and get multiple govt pay outs and big insurance pay outs for having a farm. After all, who wouldn’t want to live like that?
There’s a big difference between corporate agriculture and small business agriculture. Government subsidies and futures pricing do no favors to the farming community anyway and if the commenter in question had half a brain, would realize they don’t apply here anyway. (Don’t get me started about how gov’t interference traps farmers and ranchers in a state of subsistence living.)
Insurance payouts means something went very wrong. Who the hell is looking for that as a way to make a living? 🤦♀️ Besides, as you pointed out, you aren’t a crop farmer. There’s no insurance payouts for milk, meat or wool production because guess what? Animals die. Easily. Creatively. Unexpectedly. Then you’re just S.O.L.
Rather than the village idiot running his mouth, I think he oughta show is how he thinks it ought to be done and where he thinks all this money comes from.
I enjoyed your article because I can relate. Anyone who doesn’t live the farm life wouldn’t understand and you’re right, it’s a losing battle trying to explain to them.
If we had to rely on our family farm to keep us afloat we would be homeless. Our daughter manages the farm her grandparents built. We finally got enough rain this month that we can BUY hay from someone else, forget having our own hay cut and baled. There isn't any. Five of the older, 16 yrs and over, cows had to be sold. We are down to the five youngest cows and Grover the Charolais bull. The four horses are going to have to go. Can't afford them. They were rescues that her aunt took on. She passed away in Jan 2018 and Audrey stepped in and took on the farm. Her dad was still working full time.
Our biggest concern is the location of the farm. It's on the edge of the city limits of the nearest town. The Dallas North Tollway will be gong right by it at some point in the future and I can pretty much promise you that the city will annex that 100 acres and then we'll owe city property taxes on top of county property taxes. That's when we'll end up selling the farm and moving somewhere else.
But, yes. We know those people, too. The envious ones who don't own property and can't imagine what is entailed in keep a farm afloat. They must think we're all rich with endless sources of income.
Grrr. People have been operating under that very misconception for just about always in my memory. I learned much about the watered down and skewed version of that delusion while attending the public school system. The financial costs alone are what caused meat conglomerates for example (no names mentioned here😡 because that would get me going again) to succeed in taking over the small farmers who couldn't begin to compete. I guess so long as these entitled people can drive their big fancy SUVs to not so fine-and-upstanding but rather self-serving places like Walmart to buy their large variety of toxic genetically engineered food that gets sourced from who knows where, they will continue to misguidedly believe this way. Working the land for even just one week in late March in the wind driven snow/rain, freezing temps with deep mud that leads to stuck tractors resulting in broken axles and electrical failures leading to frozen pipes and water troughs Still probably won't give them a clue. They would think that series of circumstances was done purposely and specifically to Them. That those situations aren't the norm. I won't continue my rant to include foreign interests concerning America's food or, following my above example, the fact that in raising animals for meat your Potential, key word here, for income comes only ONCE per YEAR! No regular weekly paycheck with benefits like your choice of custom fitted medical, dental and vision plans. I'm proud to know people like you Judy - people who want to keep the lifestyle alive and follow a dream.
Sheesh! Even if it was a cushy life, it’s your life.
No need to explain anything to anyone. But this post helps me understand a farmer’s struggle better. I am learning a lot here. Thanks Judy.
He must have missed your post about the abscess sheep lip.
There’s a big difference between corporate agriculture and small business agriculture. Government subsidies and futures pricing do no favors to the farming community anyway and if the commenter in question had half a brain, would realize they don’t apply here anyway. (Don’t get me started about how gov’t interference traps farmers and ranchers in a state of subsistence living.)
Insurance payouts means something went very wrong. Who the hell is looking for that as a way to make a living? 🤦♀️ Besides, as you pointed out, you aren’t a crop farmer. There’s no insurance payouts for milk, meat or wool production because guess what? Animals die. Easily. Creatively. Unexpectedly. Then you’re just S.O.L.
Rather than the village idiot running his mouth, I think he oughta show is how he thinks it ought to be done and where he thinks all this money comes from.
I enjoyed your article because I can relate. Anyone who doesn’t live the farm life wouldn’t understand and you’re right, it’s a losing battle trying to explain to them.
If we had to rely on our family farm to keep us afloat we would be homeless. Our daughter manages the farm her grandparents built. We finally got enough rain this month that we can BUY hay from someone else, forget having our own hay cut and baled. There isn't any. Five of the older, 16 yrs and over, cows had to be sold. We are down to the five youngest cows and Grover the Charolais bull. The four horses are going to have to go. Can't afford them. They were rescues that her aunt took on. She passed away in Jan 2018 and Audrey stepped in and took on the farm. Her dad was still working full time.
Our biggest concern is the location of the farm. It's on the edge of the city limits of the nearest town. The Dallas North Tollway will be gong right by it at some point in the future and I can pretty much promise you that the city will annex that 100 acres and then we'll owe city property taxes on top of county property taxes. That's when we'll end up selling the farm and moving somewhere else.
But, yes. We know those people, too. The envious ones who don't own property and can't imagine what is entailed in keep a farm afloat. They must think we're all rich with endless sources of income.
Grrr. People have been operating under that very misconception for just about always in my memory. I learned much about the watered down and skewed version of that delusion while attending the public school system. The financial costs alone are what caused meat conglomerates for example (no names mentioned here😡 because that would get me going again) to succeed in taking over the small farmers who couldn't begin to compete. I guess so long as these entitled people can drive their big fancy SUVs to not so fine-and-upstanding but rather self-serving places like Walmart to buy their large variety of toxic genetically engineered food that gets sourced from who knows where, they will continue to misguidedly believe this way. Working the land for even just one week in late March in the wind driven snow/rain, freezing temps with deep mud that leads to stuck tractors resulting in broken axles and electrical failures leading to frozen pipes and water troughs Still probably won't give them a clue. They would think that series of circumstances was done purposely and specifically to Them. That those situations aren't the norm. I won't continue my rant to include foreign interests concerning America's food or, following my above example, the fact that in raising animals for meat your Potential, key word here, for income comes only ONCE per YEAR! No regular weekly paycheck with benefits like your choice of custom fitted medical, dental and vision plans. I'm proud to know people like you Judy - people who want to keep the lifestyle alive and follow a dream.
Thank you, you inspire :-)