Why farming is the way it is today

[KsHusker]

If I've ever had any vitriol in my posts it's not directed at producers - I can't stand Big Ag/ Big Pharma - IE - Monsanto, Dupont, Bayer etc etc.

I may need to make a tin foil hat but do not like it when very few control the food supply at the top which is what we've essentially switched to - I'd guess that's a lot of others issues as well - that or others that have vented don't know where or how to vent their displeasure at the way things are.


Here's an interesting youtuber I've found and have been enjoying his videos. I dont know if he tracks his audience (he's posted a video talking about what he thinks the makeup is) but supposedly farmers and non farmers a like enjoy him.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp0rRUsMDlJ1meYAQ6_37Dw

https://www.mnmillennialfarmer.com/

 

[s.davis]

I don’t take anybody in the ag industry too seriously when they start on about the evils of socialism.

 

[huntsem]

"Why "farming" is the way it is today"

If we're talking about the steady drive towards increased yields, maximum production of land, less regard for wildlife and healthy ecosystems, lower requirements needed for man hour and labor ... like so many things it's all about the money.


I'm from northeast Ohio and recently hunted the late season in Iowa with my young lab and we saw quite a few pheasants. I was very impressed with the comparatively high amount of set asides and crp grasses common in a lot of areas. Many years ago Ohio used to have a fairly good population of wild pheasants but it's gone to hell mainly due to the above mentioned drive of modern and industrial farming practices and land development. I saw and see it all happen first hand. It's very sad. Pheasants aren't the only species to suffer the consequences and decline. Depending on a small percentage of sparsely spaced parcels of public wildlife conservation areas just doesn't cut it in the long run. In a significant way wild pheasants are like the proverbial canary in the coal mine. Pay attention.

 

[esetter]

Ive heard guys here (Tennessee) gripe when farmers don't have their silage chopped by the dove opener on 09/01/. Its like some think those guys are farming for them to have a great place to hunt. Ive never felt this way but do understand some of the complaints about the quality of habitat that the states (not just Kansas) choose to lease. I certainly appreciate those who take wildlife into consideration. As a person who has bills to pay , I understand that max profits are priority.

 

[jphunter]

You want farmers to farm the way they use to then call your congressman and tell them to quit subsidizing grain production. This ought to livin up the discussion!

 

[Frangler]

Great post, and thank you for providing wildlife great habitat!

 

[hunter94]

Great post, and thank you for providing wildlife great habitat!

some of the hedge rows and shelter belts have existed for years....some were planted to reduce soil erosion during the dust bowl days...
so now, today's farmers will go broke if they don't tear out the fence rows and tree lines and farm that extra 40 acres?
or can't afford the extra 5 gallons of diesel to turn the harrow or planter to farm around habitat......ok, now i know what we are dealing with.

i know i sure don't buy E-85 at the pump either.

 

[hunter94]

Awesome post!! I always wondered if it wouldn’t be smart for a large organization like pheasants forever to buy the necessary equipment to put in buffer and filter strips themselves,rather than ask the landowner to do it himself. Kinda like a crew that did all the necessary paperwork for the farmer, and then did the disking/sowing. I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to partner with the local colleges and high schools. Kids wanting to get in either agriculture or conservation could use it as a coop.I’m sure lots of farmers don’t sign up for such programs because all extra work just isn’t worth their time.

exactly, i asked a farmer about a similar deal with PF.......he said he didn't have time for such foolishness.

 

[McFarmer]

i know i sure don't buy E-85 at the pump either.

So just for spite or you don’t like the product ?

 

[hunter94]

So just for spite or you don’t like the product ?

no, not in spite..........pure E-85 does not get near the same mpg as does even blended varieties.......it sells for only 4 cents pure gallon less where i live. but starting this season it will be mandated to use as a blend in all gasoline, it was regulated in some areas to not be used in the summer months due to pollution factors.

 

[CGD]

no, not in spite..........pure E-85 does not get near the same mpg as does even blended varieties.......it sells for only 4 cents pure gallon less where i live. but starting this season it will be mandated to use as a blend in all gasoline, it was regulated in some areas to not be used in the summer months due to pollution factors.

You are talking about E15 not E85

 

[fsentkilr]

some of the hedge rows and shelter belts have existed for years....some were planted to reduce soil erosion during the dust bowl days...
so now, today's farmers will go broke if they don't tear out the fence rows and tree lines and farm that extra 40 acres?
or can't afford the extra 5 gallons of diesel to turn the harrow or planter to farm around habitat......ok, now i know what we are dealing with.

i know i sure don't buy E-85 at the pump either.

It's attitudes like this I was referring to when I said I don't let people I don't know hunt anymore. It shows your disregard for farmers and how you feel about us that you would boycott a product we produce out of spite. I am not going to take the chance of ever letting someone like you on my property, so I don't let anyone I don't know hunt. I bet you have a different attitude when you approach a landowner for permission. As far as the hedge rows, its more than the little bit of fuel it takes to farm around them. It's the yield loss on both sides of the tree rows that will go out in the field 100 feet or farther. It's also the time and the wear on the machine turning that cost a lot more than a few dollars. When you are talking about a 600 k combine it cost about 200 dollars per hour to run them. What I have done on some of these is plant quail strips in crp along the rows at the edge of the fields. I push all of them out in the field out, I replace the habitat on the field edges or in draws by planting plums. They don't use as much water as big trees, and IMO provide better habitat.
Above I see a response to end subsidies. I agree with this I wish the government would get completely out, but they won't they want to control the food supply. I don't agree it would lead to more smaller farms, it would lead to larger more centralized farms, and corporate ownership. Farms with the access to large amounts of financing would be the main players in the business. It won't ever happen when we have a government that seeks more control not less, so it's a moot point.
I am pretty much done with this, I just wanted to use this an example of what I meant when I talk about the attitude of some guys on here towards us. Remember we as landowners see these type of comments and remember them. Think of these type of attitudes the next type you get turned down to hunt.
I am going out Tuesday to hunt through the end of the season, it looks like it should be nice weather to get the dogs out one last time.

 

[BrownDogsCan2]

fsentkillr, Tritical(sp) how is it going to affect pheasant production. My wife's family , Liberal area, switched most of their wheat acres over. Is it going to become more common. Good luck this week in your hunt. I will be out in Ness county tomorrow hunting walkin and back on Thursday to hunt a little private.

 

[fsentkilr]

fsentkillr, Tritical(sp) how is it going to affect pheasant production. My wife's family , Liberal area, switched most of their wheat acres over. Is it going to become more common. Good luck this week in your hunt. I will be out in Ness county tomorrow hunting walkin and back on Thursday to hunt a little private.

I don't know anything about tritacale, so I can't comment. I don't think it will have enough acres to matter one way or another. I will get to Ness County tomorrow around noon, hunt there tomorrow, Ford county Wednesday and Finney county Thursday, maybe a few combinations of all of them Wed and Thur. On the pheasant hatch, all of this moisture will bode well for the planted wheat and establishing spring crops as well as the grass and weeds, and the insect hatch. Hopefully we won't get any killing weather the rest of the winter.

 

[OKhunter88]

fsentkillr, Tritical(sp) how is it going to affect pheasant production. My wife's family , Liberal area, switched most of their wheat acres over. Is it going to become more common. Good luck this week in your hunt. I will be out in Ness county tomorrow hunting walkin and back on Thursday to hunt a little private.

The neighbor across from my Granddad's place always plants Tritical and from what I have seen it is taller and thicker than winter wheat. Only place I have seen it in person, so take my experience with a grain of salt.

 

[1nceaneagle]

Attitudes

It's attitudes like this I was referring to when I said I don't let people I don't know hunt anymore. It shows your disregard for farmers and how you feel about us that you would boycott a product we produce out of spite. I am not going to take the chance of ever letting someone like you on my property, so I don't let anyone I don't know hunt. I bet you have a different attitude when you approach a landowner for permission. As far as the hedge rows, its more than the little bit of fuel it takes to farm around them. It's the yield loss on both sides of the tree rows that will go out in the field 100 feet or farther. It's also the time and the wear on the machine turning that cost a lot more than a few dollars. When you are talking about a 600 k combine it cost about 200 dollars per hour to run them. What I have done on some of these is plant quail strips in crp along the rows at the edge of the fields. I push all of them out in the field out, I replace the habitat on the field edges or in draws by planting plums. They don't use as much water as big trees, and IMO provide better habitat.
Above I see a response to end subsidies. I agree with this I wish the government would get completely out, but they won't they want to control the food supply. I don't agree it would lead to more smaller farms, it would lead to larger more centralized farms, and corporate ownership. Farms with the access to large amounts of financing would be the main players in the business. It won't ever happen when we have a government that seeks more control not less, so it's a moot point.
I am pretty much done with this, I just wanted to use this an example of what I meant when I talk about the attitude of some guys on here towards us. Remember we as landowners see these type of comments and remember them. Think of these type of attitudes the next type you get turned down to hunt.
I am going out Tuesday to hunt through the end of the season, it looks like it should be nice weather to get the dogs out one last time.

Lots of attitudes in this thread. I have a lot of respect for farmers, especially small farmers. Grew up in Kansas on a small farm and my Dad is still raising cattle in his early 80s on the family farm. Farms and farming have changed tremendously since I grew up on one in the 60s & 70s, many of the changes have been talked about in this thread and in others. Small farms are rapidly disappearing as farming, and even family farms, now days are often times substantial corporations.

The days of easy access to quality hunting land is long gone and will never be seen again. Farmers own the land and can obviously decide how they farm their land and who they let hunt on their property.

Talk of Socialism and Communism on a hunting-oriented board is kind of humorous. Especially when many large farmers received substantial subsidies for Conservation, Disaster and Commodities. Just one example of many: https://farm.ewg.org/persondetail.php?custnumber=A08052061

 

[fsentkilr]

Lots of attitudes in this thread. I have a lot of respect for farmers, especially small farmers. Grew up in Kansas on a small farm and my Dad is still raising cattle in his early 80s on the family farm. Farms and farming have changed tremendously since I grew up on one in the 60s & 70s, many of the changes have been talked about in this thread and in others. Small farms are rapidly disappearing as farming, and even family farms, now days are often times substantial corporations.

The days of easy access to quality hunting land is long gone and will never be seen again. Farmers own the land and can obviously decide how they farm their land and who they let hunt on their property.

Talk of Socialism and Communism on a hunting-oriented board is kind of humorous. Especially when many large farmers received substantial subsidies for Conservation, Disaster and Commodities. Just one example of many: https://farm.ewg.org/persondetail.php?custnumber=A08052061

The conservation subsidies are all crp payments on upland bird buffers and filter strips. Like I said above, I wish the government would get completely out of farming but they won't. If you are going to compete when the subsidies are part of the formula you have to take them. If you want to have less habitat then do away with CRP it will all be farmed or bare overgrazed pasture.

 

[s.davis]

Of all the silliness on this thread, the idea that the government should “get out of farming” takes the cake as the most ludicrous.

 

[fsentkilr]

Of all the silliness on this thread, the idea that the government should “get out of farming” takes the cake as the most ludicrous.

I guess I don't understand why. I really see no reason for them to be in it at all. You would be surprised how many farmers feel the same way I do, I would bet around half. Crop insurance subsidies and other subsidies just make us more inefficient IMO. There is a lot of land farmed in the country that wouldn't be w/o subsidized insurance for a back stop. It would have a different impact then a lot of people think, the small inefficient producers would be the first to go. The government wants to control the food supply so the government will never be out of farming, I'm pretty sure I would be better off in the long run. I'm going out to leave for my hunt now, no more internet for me this week.