Re: What happened to farming pride?

Posted by Rick A on February 11, 2005 at 12:57:23 from (66.82.9.82):

In Reply to: Re: What happened to farming pride? posted by Sloroll on February 11, 2005 at 04:54:06:

I would suggest that if it takes a second job to "make money at this business", that the business of farming is not making a living for you. Sure, if you are dedicated, ambitious, smart, and lucky, you might make some money farming. The question remains, can you make ENOUGH money to raise a family, pay for college, (for yourself, AND your children) provide health care, retirement planning, enact a sound farming plan that covers the increasing costs of machines, chemicals, fertilizers, fuel, insurance, etc. etc. Boil it down, will your farm give you a fair return on investment? Is it large enough to be economically viable? How large does it have to be to be so? Can it survive with current prices for commodities? Will the widening gap between prices paid and prices recieved continue to do so? Can it continue on without eroding your asset base due to leveraging more and more? If that can be done, I congratulate and admire you. If the farm seems to fall a little short of doing that, then I further suggest that your farming is a hobby you choose to spend money on that doesn't return a fair profit, and that you are doing it for the enjoyment of it. No shame in that whatsoever. If farms returned fair profit, there would be MORE farmers rather than fewer. I think the work ethic, the desire, the will to farm is still in our society. I'm not too sure the economic situation relating to farming can encourage our young people to farm for a living. That's sad.

I farmed all my life, was successful, raised two boys that now have engineering degrees, and are pursuing that admirable profession. They are doing so because they are intelligent enough to see the handwriting on the wall, not because they are lazy. I'm glad the farm was able to provide them with that start. I wish that it could have done so for generations, but I suppose the indians would have preferred to still have the land with the buffalo on it too. Things change, and our values as a society point to where we are going. That's saddest of all.

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