If you dream of escaping the cubicle and starting a farm, new data says America's farmers are getting wiped out. Leaving hollowed-out communities that rival the rust-belt. A few days ago the USDA reported that the number of farms in America plunged by 140,000 in the last 5 years -- that's roughly 2,500 farms going bust every month.
I would suggest readers actually read the USDA report as the title and presentation are not accurately reflecting the actual report. What the report really shows are shifts from smaller individual farming to corporate farming and consistent with changes in economies of scale, greater profits for the larger corporate farms. Is this “bad” or demonstrably consistent with the authors title and conclusions: no. It is consistent with the movement to greater productivity and consequently greater economic benefit to those farming more efficiently. Given the costs of entry, that is consistent with other market developments throughout the world. Moreover, it reflects that farm products are part of a world market and competition is resulting in consolidation away from farmers (actually farming as a hobby) who have traditionally made less than $5000 choosing not to “farm”.
Ironic that most of those farm communities are likely shopping at Walmart and Costco because they want the lower prices those world markets provide but see their own product as not a commodity that reflects the same world market related pricing structures they seek for the goods they buy.
All by design in an effort to consolidate food production control under the plutocracy. Independence and sovereignty are the holy water that melts the tyrannical vampire.
This all occurs of course, and has occurred throughout world history, because the normal people put up with gradual chipping away of their freedom and sovereignty, and think or believe they can successfully negotiate their fate with satan.
When your opponent believes you are merely an insect to be 'dealt with', much like an ant is dealt with by a boot, it is impossible to negotiate freedom when you are the ant.
Rather, the ant's only option to be free requires elimination of the boot hanging over the ant.
Analyze and decide for yourself who or what is the ant or conversely, the boot.
a recent trip to minnesota highlights another negative...urban sprawl. the footprints of cities are expanding farther and farther from the urban core, consuming valuable farmland (while it enriches the families that hung on to their farms waiting for the developers). a few years ago i read that while the population of des moines iowa has not increased significantly, the footprint is twice what it was 40 years ago....consuming valuable farmland.
I tried to work with the NRCS and it was a nightmare that took over a year, multiple rounds of declines due to bureaucratic nonsense, and would have implemented ridiculous requirements for a small business. We ultimately got declined because we - a minority-owned first-time small business farm - were not ‘ranked’ high enough. Turns out our neighboring farms - owned by multi-million dollar businesses - get these types of programs quite regularly.
I grew up on a family farm. I left the farm to become a teacher. My younger brother remained on the farm and knew from an early age that he wanted to be a farmer. He purchased his first farm when he was 16. He was too young to own property, so the farm was put into my father's name until he was old enough for it to be in his own. My father's farm was 130 acres. When my parents passed, my brother purchased the shares that were inherited by his siblings, owning the farm that was originally owned by his grandfather and later his father. As he purchased additional farms, he would level the farm houses (he discovered being a landlord was a pain in the posterior) and frequently the outbuildings. Other surrounding farmers did the same thing. Most of the farms in the area in which I grew to adulthood are now 1200 to 1500 acres. When I was a kid, there were farms as small as 45 to 90 acres. No farmer today could survive as a farmer with such a small amount of land. When dad came home from WWII, he purchased a new tractor for $500.00. A new tractor today can easily cost $500,000. Meanwhile, the prices paid for commodities produced on farms have not increased proportionately. There are fewer farmers not because people dislike living in the country, but because farming is hard, dangerous work with no guarantee that the next storm won't damage or eliminate your crop, or the prices won't fall below what it cost to produce the crop, or any one of a dozen other factors. I'll close by saying that one of the factors in the reduction of farmland is urban sprawl.
Big Business certainly pushes for more regulations because it steamrolls all smaller competitors and prevents any new competition from being started. I suspect the Big Food Businesses want to be supplied by Big Farms, so drive out the small farmers and then the only (unhealthy) and monopolistic choice with be them. Naturally, all Big Businesses have lots of lobbyists and deep pockets full of cash for reelection campaigns for those who see their point of view. This is why many of us have given up voting. Two corrupt parties vying for the spoils means we "little people," in Leona Helmsley's timeless term, are nothing but sheep for the shearing.
I also think the age of farmers is a huge deal here. My dad is 70 and all my life he still farms, but when he hangs it up the acreage will be rented by a larger farmer looking to add acreage.
Most Americans today worship govt and look to govt as their savior.They are ignorant,that govt is so wasteful,inefficient and enacts so many bad policies,they are the greatest wealth destroyer.They are destroying wealth faster than the private sector can create it.Yet,most Americans want more of what is killing us.
American farmers need to boycott the big cities like New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Stop sending fresh produce to these areas and see what changes will be made!
I really dislike the US federal government.
If a town has a Walmart and a McDonald's. It is lucky. A real dying town has a Dollar General and a Dairy Queen.
I would suggest readers actually read the USDA report as the title and presentation are not accurately reflecting the actual report. What the report really shows are shifts from smaller individual farming to corporate farming and consistent with changes in economies of scale, greater profits for the larger corporate farms. Is this “bad” or demonstrably consistent with the authors title and conclusions: no. It is consistent with the movement to greater productivity and consequently greater economic benefit to those farming more efficiently. Given the costs of entry, that is consistent with other market developments throughout the world. Moreover, it reflects that farm products are part of a world market and competition is resulting in consolidation away from farmers (actually farming as a hobby) who have traditionally made less than $5000 choosing not to “farm”.
Ironic that most of those farm communities are likely shopping at Walmart and Costco because they want the lower prices those world markets provide but see their own product as not a commodity that reflects the same world market related pricing structures they seek for the goods they buy.
All by design in an effort to consolidate food production control under the plutocracy. Independence and sovereignty are the holy water that melts the tyrannical vampire.
This all occurs of course, and has occurred throughout world history, because the normal people put up with gradual chipping away of their freedom and sovereignty, and think or believe they can successfully negotiate their fate with satan.
When your opponent believes you are merely an insect to be 'dealt with', much like an ant is dealt with by a boot, it is impossible to negotiate freedom when you are the ant.
Rather, the ant's only option to be free requires elimination of the boot hanging over the ant.
Analyze and decide for yourself who or what is the ant or conversely, the boot.
a recent trip to minnesota highlights another negative...urban sprawl. the footprints of cities are expanding farther and farther from the urban core, consuming valuable farmland (while it enriches the families that hung on to their farms waiting for the developers). a few years ago i read that while the population of des moines iowa has not increased significantly, the footprint is twice what it was 40 years ago....consuming valuable farmland.
I would like to own a farm. The costs of buying one, acquiring the machinery and operating it are just out of reach.
Yikes! A very sad report.
This is important, and it is part of the globalist strategy. Included it in my relevant article today:
https://rayhorvaththesource.substack.com/p/welcome-the-the-unites-states-of
I tried to work with the NRCS and it was a nightmare that took over a year, multiple rounds of declines due to bureaucratic nonsense, and would have implemented ridiculous requirements for a small business. We ultimately got declined because we - a minority-owned first-time small business farm - were not ‘ranked’ high enough. Turns out our neighboring farms - owned by multi-million dollar businesses - get these types of programs quite regularly.
Same fate for the ranchers…
I grew up on a family farm. I left the farm to become a teacher. My younger brother remained on the farm and knew from an early age that he wanted to be a farmer. He purchased his first farm when he was 16. He was too young to own property, so the farm was put into my father's name until he was old enough for it to be in his own. My father's farm was 130 acres. When my parents passed, my brother purchased the shares that were inherited by his siblings, owning the farm that was originally owned by his grandfather and later his father. As he purchased additional farms, he would level the farm houses (he discovered being a landlord was a pain in the posterior) and frequently the outbuildings. Other surrounding farmers did the same thing. Most of the farms in the area in which I grew to adulthood are now 1200 to 1500 acres. When I was a kid, there were farms as small as 45 to 90 acres. No farmer today could survive as a farmer with such a small amount of land. When dad came home from WWII, he purchased a new tractor for $500.00. A new tractor today can easily cost $500,000. Meanwhile, the prices paid for commodities produced on farms have not increased proportionately. There are fewer farmers not because people dislike living in the country, but because farming is hard, dangerous work with no guarantee that the next storm won't damage or eliminate your crop, or the prices won't fall below what it cost to produce the crop, or any one of a dozen other factors. I'll close by saying that one of the factors in the reduction of farmland is urban sprawl.
IRS paperwork and fees alone are destroying small businesses - and farms. It’s a national shame.
Big Business certainly pushes for more regulations because it steamrolls all smaller competitors and prevents any new competition from being started. I suspect the Big Food Businesses want to be supplied by Big Farms, so drive out the small farmers and then the only (unhealthy) and monopolistic choice with be them. Naturally, all Big Businesses have lots of lobbyists and deep pockets full of cash for reelection campaigns for those who see their point of view. This is why many of us have given up voting. Two corrupt parties vying for the spoils means we "little people," in Leona Helmsley's timeless term, are nothing but sheep for the shearing.
I also think the age of farmers is a huge deal here. My dad is 70 and all my life he still farms, but when he hangs it up the acreage will be rented by a larger farmer looking to add acreage.
Most Americans today worship govt and look to govt as their savior.They are ignorant,that govt is so wasteful,inefficient and enacts so many bad policies,they are the greatest wealth destroyer.They are destroying wealth faster than the private sector can create it.Yet,most Americans want more of what is killing us.
American farmers need to boycott the big cities like New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Stop sending fresh produce to these areas and see what changes will be made!