How to send your farmer to jail Update on Tester Amendment Post 239

[Organics North]

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We farmers pay taxes just like everyone else. Those taxes (yours and ours) are what fund all the different government programs.

And then on top of you paying regular taxes you guys have to ALSO pay into those food assistence programs you mentioned?

??
I suspect the thinking is if more dollars are spent on food stamps and so forth less will be available for other subsidies?
ON

 

[Katy]

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We farmers pay taxes just like everyone else. Those taxes (yours and ours) are what fund all the different government programs.

And then on top of you paying regular taxes you guys have to ALSO pay into those food assistence programs you mentioned?

No, we don't pay any extra into those programs......those food assistance programs are all part of what is labeled the farm bill. Most of the money budgeted by the government for the "farm bill" really has nothing to do with farming.

 

[Organics North]

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ON

 

[Katy]

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And then on top of you paying regular taxes you guys have to ALSO pay into those food assistence programs you mentioned?

??
I suspect the thinking is if more dollars are spent on food stamps and so forth less will be available for other subsidies?
ON

Not quite sure where you got that train of thought.

 

[Katy]

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This type of thread whether it's conventional farming vs. organic or vegetarian vs meat eating always seem to have the same theme. The organic/vegetarian camp seem to think they are right and theirs is the only way to do things while we meat eater/conventional farmers say there's a place for both. I don't care how anyone else chooses to grow their crops whether it's for themselves or for sale to someone else. If it were possible to feed the world the way you advocate, farming would still be done the same way as it was 100 years ago. It didn't work then and it wouldn't work now....there's a reason it changed.

 

[mame1616]

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The reason is money.

 

[Katy]

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The reason is money.

The reason it changed was they couldn't supply food for everyone the way they were doing it.

 

[Organics North]

I think you need to study up on the diverse amount of crops we farmer's grow....it's a far cry from only corn and soybeans.....

Well then please enlighten us with some of your vast knowledge....

What are the top 10 crops and what percentage of acres are used for those crops today?

How does that compare to the same crops 30 years ago?

Do we have more genetic diversity in our seedstock today than 30 years ago?

and I don't know why you think we only think of quantity and not the quality of the food we grow.

Think salmonella..

This type of thread whether it's conventional farming vs. organic or vegetarian vs meat eating always seem to have the same theme. The organic/vegetarian camp seem to think they are right and theirs is the only way to do things while we meat eater/conventional farmers say there's a place for both.

I have no idea what vegetarian has to do with this...

To me it is simply if one sees nothing wrong with the status que of agricultural practices and trends in this country, they are offended by anyone proposing alternatives.
I guess I am sorry if my enthusiasm for a growing grass roots movement to improve the quality of our food offends you..

Ultimately the consumers taste buds will decide what they want.. I just do not appreciate being called an elitist.. I work hard to produce the things I do without the billion dollar marketing power and legions of Lawyers of the status quo of large scale corporate agriculture players such as Kraft, Tyson, AMD, Monsanto, Mc donalds and so forth... I personally feel I can offer a better product to the consumer without them.
I am fine with the fact that opinions may differ!!!!!!!

ON​

 

[Organics North]

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I agree
Money makes "our" world go around for better or worse..
ON

 

[seedcorn]

Katy, great responses. Too bad they didn't read or respond or even understand what you plainly said.

What we have here is a failure to communicate (I'm sorry, love that line from Cool Hand Luke).

1) Ag is NOT allowed a "free" market. It's controlled (on the up side by the government). It's impossible to pay bills when they cut your income by 1/2 and allow the imputs to double, while interest goes to double figures.
2) IF the government would have allowed the land prices to plummet, think 1930's. Who bought up everything? The rich (the movie IT's A WONDERFUL LIFE is actually a documentary of how America pulled out of the depression)
3) Money does control what we can do. Do you think any of you could be organic IF there wasn't money in it? No suppliers, no middle men, no sellers of your products & if the buyers had no $$......
4) You have no idea what "organic industry" does. We have the largest producer of organic eggs by us, I can tell you for a certainty that they do use the same grain that any other egg producer does. Same goes for "organic" ducks, hogs, cattle, etc.... The joke is "organic certification". They use the adage of don't ask, don't tell.
5) If we're talking the crop of corn--very few acres actually have glysophate used on them. Now soybeans, different subject.
6) Ground health is better than it's ever been. We're using soil tests on a regular basis to keep it healthy. From some of the pictures of "organic" I've seen, their ground is totally dead. Ever look at a "organic" feed lot? nothing grows there, go look at your chicken pens, better yet, take a soil sample. Look at the nitrates/phosphates filtering into the water supply. We "bad" farmers take our manure and spread it over many acres--based on soil tests, whereas organic, just saturate the few acres they have.
7) Sustainable? I love it when someone types "you can't continue on this path" as we have for over a 70 years and what is happening???? Hunger has been wiped out, yields are higher every year, we continue to adapt.
8) genetic diversity is at an all time high because of plant breeding and for that matter animal breeding. The breeders now protect their genetics, no longer giving it away for free. Just on corn, there is a book on field corn that is about 1" thick of all the different crosses available from different families of genetics. Just because we don't see it, it's there. They even keep lines that are of no value currently because as the conditions change, the use of those genetics may as well.
9) Since people get to eat, they then reproduce with no limits, & that's on the "farmer"??? Whereas, since organic couldn't feed the world, thus stopping human reproduction (except for the elite who can afford the food), this is a good thing... wow. Farmers are now responsible for wars. Are people not responsible for their own decisions?

Again, promote your products based on their value. Seems the only way, organic can sell is by putting down farming to people that have no idea where their food comes from. Scare 'em, seems to be "organic montra".