What do you think of, when you think of farmers?

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Yeah, I'm kinda biased, my family's been farming the same square mile of Oklahoma for over a hundred years. Government subsidies are a fairly modern concept, they produced most of what they needed themselves. Had a stand of Maple trees for molasses and syrup. Had a stand of Cherry trees, a stand of Walnut trees, about the only thing they had to trade for was fabric, tools, and dairy products.

[Wezil]

Exactly Ghengis. Most family farms trade locally - not internationally.

[Jamski]

Most family farms are unprofitable so they get MY tax money to survive through bloody subsidies.

Its actually more profitable for a farmer to grow nothing these days - the subsidies are worth more than the crops

-Jam

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Jamski
Most family farms are unprofitable so they get MY tax money to survive through bloody subsidies.

Its actually more profitable for a farmer to grow nothing these days - the subsidies are worth more than the crops

-Jam

That's a pretty broad statement. Jurisdictions? Sources?

[Jamski]

Well, there's the "Set Aside" subsidy, where a farmer can set a field aside for nature for a year (to help the enviornment and to stop overproduction) but the subsidy is more than the crops would be worth... guess what? Farmers abuse it to hell!

Then many crops are unprofitable to grow as the market prices are too low (due to overproduction) - so the farmers get a subsidy to grow them anyway, as they are staples (like corn, potatoes, wheat, etc) and then the EU even buys up surpluses and burns them... Its crazy - and its caused by people demanding cheap food.

-Jam

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Jamski
Well, there's the "Set Aside" subsidy, where a farmer can set a field aside for nature for a year (to help the enviornment and to stop overproduction) but the subsidy is more than the crops would be worth... guess what? Farmers abuse it to hell!

Not on our farm. No 'set-aside'.

Then many crops are unprofitable to grow as the market prices are too low (due to overproduction) - so the farmers get a subsidy to grow them anyway, as they are staples (like corn, potatoes, wheat, etc) and then the EU even buys up surpluses and burns them... Its crazy - and its caused by people demanding cheap food.

-Jam

Perhaps the public should pay the actual cost of production? Political suicide (I'm not opining on validity of the proposal).

My parents farm is more livestock than agriculture. With the current BSE situation in Canada they are taking it up the ass.

[Whoha]

Farmers grow food so I don't have to, great people.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Kucinich
Just like modern steel mills are evil. They put blacksmiths out of work.

Blacksmiths didn't make steel or iron. They just worked it into tools and weapons.

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Kucinich


Just like modern steel mills are evil. They put blacksmiths out of work.

No, they're evil for being smog belching hell forges.

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Jamski
Most family farms are unprofitable so they get MY tax money to survive through bloody subsidies.

Its actually more profitable for a farmer to grow nothing these days - the subsidies are worth more than the crops

-Jam

I think that most subsidies end up going to the 'corporate farmer' rather then the 'family farmer'.


But I'm not sure how common these so-called 'family farms' are in the west, anyways.

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Originally posted by Jamski
Well, there's the "Set Aside" subsidy, where a farmer can set a field aside for nature for a year (to help the enviornment and to stop overproduction) but the subsidy is more than the crops would be worth... guess what? Farmers abuse it to hell!

Then many crops are unprofitable to grow as the market prices are too low (due to overproduction) - so the farmers get a subsidy to grow them anyway, as they are staples (like corn, potatoes, wheat, etc) and then the EU even buys up surpluses and burns them... Its crazy - and its caused by people demanding cheap food.

-Jam

I'm pretty sure there are strict limitations on how much or your land you can set aside in the US. I do remember some years ago where my Uncle was joking about that year the fallow fields earned more than the unfallow ones due to some bumper crop in Kansas lowering the prices.

Since the late 70's they were earning more off the oil and gas royalties than the farming though.

[Jamski]

Yeah, I'm talking about the EU though - the biggest single payment the EU make is farming subsidies.

Farmers... You ever see a poor farmer?

-Jam

[Urban Ranger]

Yeah, most of the 800 million of them.

Different country, of course.

[OzzyKP]

I voted hardworking and prosperous.

Though perhaps subsudy sucking and prosperous would be apt.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
Although...I though you'd be in the "Protectionist SOB camp, for some reason...

I would, if it wasn't for the SOB