And now you know....the rest, of the story

[stonetimber]

Watch this, and then read what I have said. It will give those who do not understand a glimpse into my soul. Go watch, I'll wait....

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sillEgUHGC4

I have only ever wanted to be a farmer, all of the things I have done were to facilitate my being or

Comments

[bytchearse]

I tried to find "Who will feed the people" by Tom Paxton...but can't get through the song without crying.

[maineshark]

Well, the average farmer made $87k, in 2011. Median was $57k, but that's including both farm-generated and off-farm income. Median income for residential and intermediate farms was negative (that is, more than half of all small farms are costing the farmers money, and they have to take outside jobs to make up the difference). Only commercial farms actually stand any chance of making a profit, these days.

Dairy offers the best chance of making a profit. Tobbaco, cotton, rice, peanuts, and grain are next (not necessarily in that order). Pretty much anything else is difficult to make any profit at.

[stonetimber]

That is the problem. By the time I was 18, I was the principal of the farm. My money made in other occupations went toward keeping the farm solvent. There used to be a time, not too long ago, that a small farmer could survive, and even make money. There used to be a time when farming was an honorable profession. But people have been taught that, "You don't need to work hard, you are a special snowflake, you can do anything, etc.". Not everyone can be rocket scientists, or president......not everyone can be farmers either. But we have to stop making it undesirable for people to want to be farmers, or tradesmen, even. I blacksmith, not only because I find it fun, but because sometimes the skill will allow me to repair a tool that I need, but cannot afford to replace, because there is no repair place for it.

[maineshark]

Yup. Heck, now we have folks who "earn" more by sitting home than they would by working. Those who are willing to do anything physical are becoming a rare breed.

I was just replacing a set of batteries for a house. Finding anyone who was willing and able to assist in moving them was a chore. "Oh, but that's too heavy to move." - "No, it's not. It's only 450 pounds. There are two of us. That's 225, each. If I can lift this half of it with a freakin' cracked rib, you can sure lift the other half."

Like pulling teeth.

And then we have folks complaining because we raise animals for food. "Oh, I could never eat at your house - I get my meat at the supermarket!" Don't even tell them that the (then) three-year-old would always ask to watch when we were disassembling rabbit (I swear, that kid's going to be a surgeon, if she doesn't become Empress of the Solar System, first).

[stonetimber]

Naw. Not worth getting my d*** wet.
I see a time when the haves stop selling to the have-nots, a kinda "We are not good enough for you, then don't deal with us. Grow your own damn food, fix your own damn plumbing/electricity/car.....". I know how to grow food, and I can do plumbing and electricity, but I have friends who are better plumbers and electricians, and they like to eat. My roof is always open to those who can make things and do things and are willing to get there hands wet/dirty/scarred. And while most of my friends work in the outside world, they all have skills that make them useful to a farmer. All I need is the farm. My folks started small, and we made strides through simple hard work, and a couple if friends who steered us in the right direction when we needed it.
The funny thing I have seen is that quite a few young people, who work in and for corporate America, want to buy a couple, 2-3 acres, and learn to be more self sufficient. They don't want to go completely 'off grid', but they want to not worry about