The struggling farmer...2013 farm bill

onpoint

onpoint

Active member
Those voting/pushing to cut help for the struggling and poor. Have their hands deepest in the government free money. A program first designed for the struggling farmer. Now being gobbled up by those who need no financial assistance what so ever. A feeding frenzy on what's become a license to steal for the rich.

and folks wonder why habitat has taken a back seat in the Ag world.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/11/farm-bill-billionaires_n_4256365.html
 
The Huffpost turning this into a Republican-bashing article is way off base. This is not a partisan issue as wealthy Democrats are also dipping their hands into the jar.
 
onpoint said:
Those voting/pushing to cut help for the struggling and poor. Have their hands deepest in the government free money. A program first designed for the struggling farmer. Now being gobbled up by those who need no financial assistance what so ever. A feeding frenzy on what's become a license to steal for the rich.

and folks wonder why habitat has taken a back seat in the Ag world.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/11/farm-bill-billionaires_n_4256365.html
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great time to get the government out of farming in addition to health care. It is not just the real rich taking advantage of the farm program, crop isurance is being scammed all the time. That is why I raise cattle. Typical central planning failures.
 
Last edited:
Articles like this are designed to pit the rich against poor, Yes these guys are mega-wealthy, either got fortunate, took risks to get there. The U.S. Government's policy, is the culprit, encourages this kind of investing, also encourages wall street raiders, and tax cheats on welfare. if we deduct on our income, we avail ourselves to the advantages that are designed, is it less righteous to take an IRA deduction, a family deduction, or file separately from your wife to get a benefit, or the millionaires to get $1,000,000.00 subsidy? I guess success is not a crime. Now the idea of too much power or wealth is a matter which can be debated, and usually is at the pulpit, but not during fund raisers! We do not need the bait of rich vs. poor, white vs. minority, or farmers against the environmentalist, to do the right thing. We should all be against the idiot politico's, we put in office, the criminals who despoil for gain, or take advantage of those less fortunate. Now that's American!
 
UGUIDE said:
Looks like a long list of smart people taking advantage of an opportunity.

To change the behavior simply change the incentive.
Click to expand...

Well said Uguide.

Besides, there are not too many struggling farmers out there today. At least in my area. I was in banking in a rural area for over 30 years. The past 15-20 years have been very good for farmers. Especially the past 10. Good yields, some of the best prices in history and a federal farm program that nearly guaranteed them a nice profit. Lots of new pickups, new houses and new, huge heated shops on a lot of farms today.
 
Dakotazeb said:
Well said Uguide.

Besides, there are not too many struggling farmers out there today. At least in my area. I was in banking in a rural area for over 30 years. The past 15-20 years have been very good for farmers. Especially the past 10. Good yields, some of the best prices in history and a federal farm program that nearly guaranteed them a nice profit. Lots of new pickups, new houses and new, huge heated shops on a lot of farms today.
Click to expand...

Look out Zeb! I spent years in banking in the sticks. I found out no farmer ever makes a profit, annually, but by some voodoo economics, their net worth goes up dramatically! :cheers:
 
oldandnew said:
Look out Zeb! I spent years in banking in the sticks. I found out no farmer ever makes a profit, annually, but by some voodoo economics, their net worth goes up dramatically! :cheers:
Click to expand...

You must have really been in the sticks, because I know first hand that farmers in the Mid-West have had some huge profits in the past years. It's no voodoo economics. It's pure, hard cash. And I'm not talking about increased Net Worth due to revaluing of land and other assets. I'm talking net profit from operations. They would have had excellent profits without the government's help so any monies received from Uncle was just gravy.

For you to say that no farmer ever makes a profit is pure BS. Either that or you had some piss poor farmers in your area. Or maybe you were looking at the farmers tax returns. Farmers, due to a multitude of deductions, generally are able to manipulate their taxes returns (legally) to show small profits and pay very little, if any, taxes.

I spent over 30 years in ag banks in Minnesota and South Dakota and I respectfully disagree with your statement about farmers making no profit.
 
Dakotazeb said:
You must have really been in the sticks, because I know first hand that farmers in the Mid-West have had some huge profits in the past years. It's no voodoo economics. It's pure, hard cash. And I'm not talking about increased Net Worth due to revaluing of land and other assets. I'm talking net profit from operations. They would have had excellent profits without the government's help so any monies received from Uncle was just gravy.

For you to say that no farmer ever makes a profit is pure BS. Either that or you had some piss poor farmers in your area. Or maybe you were looking at the farmers tax returns. Farmers, due to a multitude of deductions, generally are able to manipulate their taxes returns (legally) to show small profits and pay very little, if any, taxes.

I spent over 30 years in ag banks in Minnesota and South Dakota and I respectfully disagree with your statement about farmers making no profit.
Click to expand...

I think your second paragraph hits on exactly what OaN meant. Ask any farmer any year (and I'm friends and family with a lot of them) and they'll grumble about not making money but a new truck every year and vacations to exotic places tell a different story.
 
Dakotazeb said:
You must have really been in the sticks, because I know first hand that farmers in the Mid-West have had some huge profits in the past years. It's no voodoo economics. It's pure, hard cash. And I'm not talking about increased Net Worth due to revaluing of land and other assets. I'm talking net profit from operations. They would have had excellent profits without the government's help so any monies received from Uncle was just gravy.

For you to say that no farmer ever makes a profit is pure BS. Either that or you had some piss poor farmers in your area. Or maybe you were looking at the farmers tax returns. Farmers, due to a multitude of deductions, generally are able to manipulate their taxes returns (legally) to show small profits and pay very little, if any, taxes.

I spent over 30 years in ag banks in Minnesota and South Dakota and I respectfully disagree with your statement about farmers making no profit.
Click to expand...

I believe that was my point. No profit by income tax approach. I am aware of the profits being made.:rolleyes:
 
I've been in farming and construction all my adult life.
Farmers like businessmen expand when profits are good. And get tax breaks accordingly.
You buy a new pickup for your farm or a new pickup for your small business, tax breaks work the same.
Farmers get a break on non highway use fuel. So would anybody that wants to own a skid steer or tractor for example.
 
Last edited:
There was a bunch of farmers in the 80's said the were making money like crazy to. Two years later allsorts of auctions:eek: Govt should at least get rid of CRP. Privates do it alot better:thumbsup: people want to hunt make them pay:thumbsup:
 
coot, get ready to be blasted! :eek:

The mid to late 80's were some very dry years and that had a lot to do with farmers having a tough go of it. The other factor (and this is coming from a banker and former FDIC examiner) was lending practices. Back then it was all "Collateral Lending". As long as the collateral was there so was the money. No one was looking at "cash flow" and repayment ability. Once the bankers and examiners started doing cash flows and found out these guys were so far in debt they could ever repay it that forced a lot of bankruptcies. The farmer still had amble collateral due to rising land values but couldn't cash flow the debt.
 
Its been 7 or 8 years since I have heard: I'm a poor farmer, and need the poor farmer discount.. They know better than to play that card nowadays..

Im thankful that I make a living in an ag based region. Its not just farmers that are making money, its grain bin builders, trailer builders, construction companies, fertilizer providers. Very little of my income is directly ag/producer based, but I can directly trace it to agriculture in general in a trickle down effect.

You have to also remember, not every aspect of agriculture is doing well... Most of us live in the midwest corn/bean belt and only see how well that is doing..
 
UGUIDE said:
Looks like a long list of smart people taking advantage of an opportunity.

To change the behavior simply change the incentive.
Click to expand...

I guess folks collecting food stamps or wel-fair would fall in that same category.
 
Dakotazeb said:
coot, get ready to be blasted! :eek:

The mid to late 80's were some very dry years and that had a lot to do with farmers having a tough go of it. The other factor (and this is coming from a banker and former FDIC examiner) was lending practices. Back then it was all "Collateral Lending". As long as the collateral was there so was the money. No one was looking at "cash flow" and repayment ability. Once the bankers and examiners started doing cash flows and found out these guys were so far in debt they could ever repay it that forced a lot of bankruptcies. The farmer still had amble collateral due to rising land values but couldn't cash flow the debt.
Click to expand...

Time will tell:thumbsup: Cash flows I can go to any equip,seed fert, real estate office bank barrow millions no questions asked:eek: Been asked:)
 
Going to get good:D Has a farmer ever said hes make money.:) I'll never admit to it. Com'on guys better get on me about no CRP:D If there was no crp programs all the iffy ground would of been in the hands of outdoorsmens by now, because farmers would have either sold it or tiled the s$$t out of it to make it awesome ground:thumbsup:
 
onpoint said:
Those voting/pushing to cut help for the struggling and poor. Have their hands deepest in the government free money. A program first designed for the struggling farmer. Now being gobbled up by those who need no financial assistance what so ever. A feeding frenzy on what's become a license to steal for the rich.

and folks wonder why habitat has taken a back seat in the Ag world.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/11/farm-bill-billionaires_n_4256365.html
Click to expand...

Why should government give money to even struggling farmers? Do they give money to struggling insurance agents, struggling restaurants, struggling truckers?

The problem of habitat is because the government props up farmers who can't make it and whose land isn't suitable to be a productive farm.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top