Size Matters

Posted by Pharmall on June 15, 2005 at 08:03:55 from (68.9.106.167):

In Reply to: Re: Just wondering posted by Sloroll on June 15, 2005 at 07:34:25:

Out of sixteen sets of aunts and uncles in Missouri, Iowa, and
Illinois, twelve made their living farming, but drifted away to
other occupations over the years. Some sold out. Others rented
the land and took jobs in town. Of the seventy-four(!) children
from these families, only one is still in the business, and he
subsidizes with a "City Slickers" type bed-and-breakfast. Like
Willie Nelson says, the rest (including me) relocated all over the
country to become doctors and lawyers and such. I think it's a
pretty typical story.

In the 1930's, eighty percent of the country made it's living (sort
of) on the farm. Today that number is less than five percent.
That's a lot fewer tractor drivers covering more acreage.

Is bigger better? I don't know. It's certainly more efficient.
Time will tell, I suppose. During the depression years many of
my relatives (and lots of others) were able to get by with no
income. They owned the land, ate what they grew, hunted and
fished, canned for the winter, kept chickens, a few beef and
dairy cattle, woodlot for heat, and bartered for sugar and flour.
I'm sure it wasn't pretty, but it wasn't destitute and starving.

Don't think we would be so fortunate if times turned bad again.
I live in New England now, and God forbid if we couldn't get our
produce from California and Argentina, or the inexpensive high-
fructose corn syrup and soy products that are used to make so
many prepared foods. There's about a three day supply of food
in the pipeline that feeds the mega-grocery stores. Most of the
hundred acre 2WD tractor farms that used to supply food locally
have given over to subdivisions and golf courses, and the long-
vacant Farmers Market in town that acted as the wholesaler for
the neighborhood groceries was torn down to build a Wally-
World. A hundred acre hay operation near here just sold out to
a housing developer for $3 million. The old guy ain't crazy! But
if really cheap transportation ever became a problem and we had
to supply food locally, one of those 30HP 2WD pieces of iron
would be a good piece of equipment to turn over the 18th
fairway...

ps - Grandpa never did buy a tractor - stuck with that pair of
draft horses until he retired sometime in the forties, and he kept
a pair around until he passed away in '69 (at 98). Guess he felt
the same way about them as some of us do about the old
tractors. Or maybe with two boys and eight girls he just couldn't
afford one!

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