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Iowa | Here's the way I look at it -- I farm on the side just for fun. (160 ac - I do make some $'s off it) The last few years have been good for ag - but when I was in high school and wanted to take over the family farm there was no money to be made other than government payments. I don't like the government involvement but if Uncle Sam is going to use ag as a major bargining chip they must be willing to prop up their farmers because the government does then have an effect on prices (see grain embargos) It is true that the average farmer has a much greater net worth than the average person -- but a farm is not a person - its a business - we don't think anything of a business that has a net worth of $1 mill. It is a shame that ag is becoming an industry that takes a handout from the folks or an "in" to get started -- I know alot of rural kids that would love to have the oppertunities I have in front of me but will never have the chance, it does make our next generation rather spoiled. Whats even sadder is the kids who I went to school with whos mom and dad farm 2500 acres (big guys for the area) but make the kid do something else when they really want to farm. I work with farmers for a living - and as soon as someone walks in you can tell if daddy handed them everything or if they had to work for it - unfortunately most new farmers after the 70's got it handed to them. (once livestock started to dissapear) Honestly its a shame, because the guys who really want to farm but are short on resources, do a better job than those who were handed the farm. | |
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SUCKHOLES
