I have friends in US and in UK who are farmers and yep they are rarely if ever in the black. Add to that the hard work which happens 24/7/365 - no days off unless you can find someone to take care of the farm. My US friend is a fiber farmer, she raises llamas for their fleeces, shows them, and sells them to other fiber farmers or as pets. She works away up and down the east coast all spring as a shearer to make more money. I've attended wool shows with her and inevitably we meet people who rhapsodize about having a llama or alpaca farm in retirement. We laugh wryly and remind them of the work commitment, all day every day, regardless of weather. Vet bills, shearing bills, hay and feed bills, mortgage, heat, water, etc., etc., etc. People have romanticized farming and they need to stop. Farmers are among the categories with the highest rates of suicide.
Little House on the Prairie. Walter, have you read ALL the books, and the others by the adopted daughter of Rose (I think it was)? It's been 30+ years for me, but the picture there is not far off what you tell here. The hard life. The broken dreams. Far from the TV fantasy.
I used to have a good sized piece of property and raised horses and goats, but the city changed the tax status and backdated it by 5 years. I was not able to pay it and had to sell half of my land. It was not enough to keep the animals, so I had to sell them too. It broke my heart, and I miss them.
Thank you Walter. It was heartbreaking, When I took my favorite goat to the animal shelter, he put his front feet on the fence and cried as I left. I cried too. But I still have dogs and cats and they are wonderful! :) I am grateful to have them.
So true, and when you do not even have a family that loves you, (my Mother told me as a child that I ruined her life by being born) it is MUCH more difficult, but we must survive somehow, right? I am 75 years old now and I have survived things that some people would never believe, but I have dogs and cats, and a kind neighbor, and I am at peace. Most of my hopes and dreams from earlier days are long gone, but that is okay. Peace is what I have now, and I treasure it!
Thank you for caring! I will never recover from my life- the mother who told me that i ruined her life by being born, the employer who took me to the basement to abuse me, the husband who did not even bother to make the wedding arrangements and did not care about my wishes- the other employers who told me they did not care if I was treated badly as long as I made money= feel so guilty for not being there for my children, but I did the best that I could and hope they will understand some day how hard it was for me and forgive me. I am not perfect and not superwoman. I did the best that I was able to do.
The farmers way of life teaches them to be dogged and persistent. When trouble comes, they put their head down and push through. Unfortunately, that strategy is not adequate to prevent them from eventually losing it all. It’s like dinosaurs who saw the meteor pass overhead, but had no idea what was coming.
And when the farmers can no longer pay their bills, and the bankers and tax collectors come demanding “their due”, who happens to be waiting to buy up the farms ….billionaires like Bill Gates and Chinese nationals. These rich men are then deciding that genetically modified foods grown with pesticides should feed us. All kinds of personal….
I would be interested to know why the small family farm is so untenable. The fact is we need farmers, so why can't they make a living. I don't know much about the industry, but I suspect it is the same reason all mom and pop operations are no longer profitable. The big guys have the scale and market share. Personally I try to give my business to some local family farms.
I have friends in US and in UK who are farmers and yep they are rarely if ever in the black. Add to that the hard work which happens 24/7/365 - no days off unless you can find someone to take care of the farm. My US friend is a fiber farmer, she raises llamas for their fleeces, shows them, and sells them to other fiber farmers or as pets. She works away up and down the east coast all spring as a shearer to make more money. I've attended wool shows with her and inevitably we meet people who rhapsodize about having a llama or alpaca farm in retirement. We laugh wryly and remind them of the work commitment, all day every day, regardless of weather. Vet bills, shearing bills, hay and feed bills, mortgage, heat, water, etc., etc., etc. People have romanticized farming and they need to stop. Farmers are among the categories with the highest rates of suicide.
yes, we need to stop romanticizing it and address the real issues. That would solve many of the problems in the US.
Little House on the Prairie. Walter, have you read ALL the books, and the others by the adopted daughter of Rose (I think it was)? It's been 30+ years for me, but the picture there is not far off what you tell here. The hard life. The broken dreams. Far from the TV fantasy.
I used to have a good sized piece of property and raised horses and goats, but the city changed the tax status and backdated it by 5 years. I was not able to pay it and had to sell half of my land. It was not enough to keep the animals, so I had to sell them too. It broke my heart, and I miss them.
That's so upsetting. It doesn't seem like it should be legal, but there you have it. Sorry that happened to you Maria.
Thank you Walter. It was heartbreaking, When I took my favorite goat to the animal shelter, he put his front feet on the fence and cried as I left. I cried too. But I still have dogs and cats and they are wonderful! :) I am grateful to have them.
My heart broke for you reading this. I'm sorry that happened to you and Ralph, and all his fellows. 💔
Thanks Linda!
His name was Ralph!
We do the best that we can. I wish we had more power, but we are mere mortals.
So true, and when you do not even have a family that loves you, (my Mother told me as a child that I ruined her life by being born) it is MUCH more difficult, but we must survive somehow, right? I am 75 years old now and I have survived things that some people would never believe, but I have dogs and cats, and a kind neighbor, and I am at peace. Most of my hopes and dreams from earlier days are long gone, but that is okay. Peace is what I have now, and I treasure it!
Thank you for caring! I will never recover from my life- the mother who told me that i ruined her life by being born, the employer who took me to the basement to abuse me, the husband who did not even bother to make the wedding arrangements and did not care about my wishes- the other employers who told me they did not care if I was treated badly as long as I made money= feel so guilty for not being there for my children, but I did the best that I could and hope they will understand some day how hard it was for me and forgive me. I am not perfect and not superwoman. I did the best that I was able to do.
The farmers way of life teaches them to be dogged and persistent. When trouble comes, they put their head down and push through. Unfortunately, that strategy is not adequate to prevent them from eventually losing it all. It’s like dinosaurs who saw the meteor pass overhead, but had no idea what was coming.
And when the farmers can no longer pay their bills, and the bankers and tax collectors come demanding “their due”, who happens to be waiting to buy up the farms ….billionaires like Bill Gates and Chinese nationals. These rich men are then deciding that genetically modified foods grown with pesticides should feed us. All kinds of personal….
Great read. Thank you!
A very good read.
I would be interested to know why the small family farm is so untenable. The fact is we need farmers, so why can't they make a living. I don't know much about the industry, but I suspect it is the same reason all mom and pop operations are no longer profitable. The big guys have the scale and market share. Personally I try to give my business to some local family farms.