bowhunternw
5 year old buck +
How do you feel about doing that?
Any fellow farmers out there??
- Thread starter BuckSutherland
- Start date
Boll Weevil
5 year old buck +
I rent out all my tillable ground for soybean, corn, shorghum, and wheat rotation but is the south we also raise another crop a lot like ag crops just a longer rotation...timber. Over time many marginal rowcropping acres were converted to pine plantations.
Regarding the rain, yeah, we're sick of it down here too. It's hard to get anything done and seems like it has been a struggle to get anything done for over a year. If you saw the thread I started about flooding and new seedbank, that's what we're fighting now. Letting fields dry enough to clean up all the trash that floated in to plant. We're way behind.
Regarding the rain, yeah, we're sick of it down here too. It's hard to get anything done and seems like it has been a struggle to get anything done for over a year. If you saw the thread I started about flooding and new seedbank, that's what we're fighting now. Letting fields dry enough to clean up all the trash that floated in to plant. We're way behind.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
One week ago, I retired after working with dairy and beef farmers for forty years. I pray for all of them. Times are tough.
I have known four generations on some of those farms and have actually worked for three generations on many.
Suicide hit one of my friends last summer.
All we can do is pray for them as they spend so many hours with so little return.
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I have known four generations on some of those farms and have actually worked for three generations on many.
Suicide hit one of my friends last summer.
All we can do is pray for them as they spend so many hours with so little return.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
Tariffs are only one part of the problem. The biggest part of the problem is over production. Ask any farmer, they all say "We're our own worst enemy" Price of milk goes up, everyone buys more cows. Price of corn goes up, the entire farm gets planted to corn. Etc...... If we weren't punished for making a profit the good years would be able to carry you through the bad. Now we rely on low interest rates to do that for us. The level of the swamp dropped a little bit but there is a long way to go. Make more cuts and lower WORKING Americans taxes.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
With the wet year, and lack of being able to get crops in this year, that may actually be a blessing in disguise! We have an over abundance of corn and beans stock piled this year, so if the farmers get flooded out, and cant get in the fields, ones who had a crop insurance, will benefit from that, those that dont will benefit from prices rising from the lack of crops this year. Although there will be some that wont be able to make it, but that is always the case.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
The crop insurance doesn't cover the cost. But I guess if they loose money putting it in the ground anyway then....
bwoods11
5 year old buck +
We had a trade deal worked out and they (China) backed out on the details. To say we cannot win a trade war is ridiculous. The new trade deal had provisions in it to purchase an additional 20-30 billion in ag products.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
Great video series called treating the farm as an eco system. All about no till farming, cover crops, grazing, specie diversity, direct marketing, and much more. Lengthy but worth while if your board or have multiple monitors in your office and can multi task.
FF to 28 min in this video. There IS a place for non gmo crops in the food plot world.
FF to 28 min in this video. There IS a place for non gmo crops in the food plot world.
BWoods, I'd love to hear how win a trade war against a communist country. You realize China is a communist state? Remember them?? before Trump/Russia the communists used to be the bad guys. Communists are not elected, the Chinese people have no voice. The Chinese government can hold on as long as needed to win this trade war. Unless there's a revolution. Communist are pretty good at winning those to. Thankfully for us we can get rid of politicians with bad ideas. That's why trump will cave just like he did on the Auto tariffs. He needs the votes from Farming states and automotive states. I thought I would never see the day when the Republican party would support tariffs/taxes on manufactures, farmers and their citizens. The Trump cult is alive and real. How else can it be explained.
Freeborn
5 year old buck +
Most farmers I have talk to don't like the situation one bit but they support what's good for America. It would be best for the U.S. To get away from trading with China, their unfair trade practices costs the country greatly. Unfortunately Farming is caught in a bad situation . Politics or not we should expect fair trade.
I grew up on a family farm, my dad should retire but he's 71 now and still going. About 150 acres with 4-row equipment. I'm not sure why other than it's all he has ever known.
I am very proud of my heritage and the way I grew up but knew it was a dead end, I went into science/business but planted my family in a small rural town close enough to commute to my job. I've got my tractor and my food plot on my 15 acres and recently acquired another 58 acre property with more food plot requirements.
Funny thing is I got permanently banned from a gun forum for casually referencing the FACTUALLY documented decline of rural small town populations....apparently I poked some mod in a sore spot. My own home town peaked in population at ~4500 when my dad was in high school, it was still ~4000 when I graduated. It's ~3500 now, same number of houses, just 2-3 people in each instead on 5-6. School system is gutted and consolidated from 4 buildings when I was in school to 2 now. Population is simply aging.
Indiana is tough this year, last I heard 3% of corn planted and typically it's all in now. My new property was waterlogged last I was there. Going to attempt planting next weekend, we shall see. Home place would likely go now though damp.
When my dad was growing up there was diversity in what was grown. The town had a pickle plant and a pea plant. California shut down the Midwest in basically everything except core commodity crops through irrigation and this is the penalty we are paying now. Farmers who dare to, or who can, diversify, can survive. Everyone else is left racing for economies of scale (size). Indiana is 95% corn/soybeans, a little wheat here and there. I grew up in Michigan it was a bit more diverse with navy and black beans, and sugar beets, but this had decreased lately. This is part of the problem.
I am very proud of my heritage and the way I grew up but knew it was a dead end, I went into science/business but planted my family in a small rural town close enough to commute to my job. I've got my tractor and my food plot on my 15 acres and recently acquired another 58 acre property with more food plot requirements.
Funny thing is I got permanently banned from a gun forum for casually referencing the FACTUALLY documented decline of rural small town populations....apparently I poked some mod in a sore spot. My own home town peaked in population at ~4500 when my dad was in high school, it was still ~4000 when I graduated. It's ~3500 now, same number of houses, just 2-3 people in each instead on 5-6. School system is gutted and consolidated from 4 buildings when I was in school to 2 now. Population is simply aging.
Indiana is tough this year, last I heard 3% of corn planted and typically it's all in now. My new property was waterlogged last I was there. Going to attempt planting next weekend, we shall see. Home place would likely go now though damp.
When my dad was growing up there was diversity in what was grown. The town had a pickle plant and a pea plant. California shut down the Midwest in basically everything except core commodity crops through irrigation and this is the penalty we are paying now. Farmers who dare to, or who can, diversify, can survive. Everyone else is left racing for economies of scale (size). Indiana is 95% corn/soybeans, a little wheat here and there. I grew up in Michigan it was a bit more diverse with navy and black beans, and sugar beets, but this had decreased lately. This is part of the problem.
bwoods11
5 year old buck +
What does Communism have to do with it? Why would the Chinese want to lose their top customer (USA)? China stock market is down 20% since the trade war, and the US is up BIGLY, near record highs...with the best economy ever, the lowest unemployment since 1968, the best wage growth since the 1960s...?
Your Democratic candidates will never beat that, sorry to say. Mayor Pete and his first man have a strategy to ban weapons, but hey vote for him if you want!
We buy more from them than they buy from us, so they will be hurt more than the US - there is no question about that. Eventually they will cave in since they cannot replace a customer like the US consumer, but if not then the supply chain will adjust and parts being made in China will be made elsewhere (which will likely mean more good paying manufacturing jobs in the US and in other countries). We will pay more for goods that were previously made in China, but they will no longer be able to steal design secrets from US firms that they could not come up with on their own.
The same will happen with the food produced in the US. There are still as many people in the world as there were before the trade war started. And they still have to eat something. Supply and demand will likely cause a shift in the types of crops and livestock grown, so there will be some short term issues that will eventually balance out.
Off subject from the latest few pots, but quick question. Secured our farm land last year August, so this is the first year we have been able to do anything with the fields. Fields were essentially all weeds as they hadn't been cut or hayed in about 5 years or better. We brushed hogged it down last year. Plan was early spring to plow it under, disc it, and then replant with alfalfa/timothy along with some things around the edges for deer and bird cover. Obviously, the constant rain has ruined that for us, so we had to spray with roundup yesterday. Question is, from experience, how quick will things die off so that we can then plow under and start to get it ready to plant? And if we can get planted in the next couple weeks, I assume I should still be able to get a cut off of them late summer early fall.. would that be right?
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
There is going to be a TON of weed seed in the ground on a field like that. I would no till or if it is a must till as little as possible. Plant it with a nurse crop of early maturing oats. Combine the oats off when mature and you should have time to get a cutting off of it yet this fall.
I watched all 3 parts and they were very enlightening. Good to see it's possible in North Carolina as well. I'm not a farmer, I just play one on the weekends, so I would never presume to tell others how to farm, but it sure makes sense to me.
While I have no dog in this tussle, ssesox makes an extremely insightful point.
Quotiing him …"Communists are not elected, the Chinese people have no voice. The Chinese government can hold on as long as needed to win this trade war."
In spite of the importance of promoting free trade, protecting America - and our farmers - the Chinese people have little if any say (like a trip to the polls to vote); consequently, even though their export losses are greater than ours, I will be surprised if the Chinese blink first. There is no argument that we must have fairer trade practices with regard to China, the issue is what is the best way to accomplish that end. For the sake of our farmers - and folks whose lively hood results from assisting those farmers - I hope the Trump strategy (however well intentioned/founded or unfounded it may be) is successful. Even though it is likely we're all going to pay additional costs as a result of the tariffs, that cost is probably worthwhile -to most people - in the short run if fair trading practices result.
Quotiing him …"Communists are not elected, the Chinese people have no voice. The Chinese government can hold on as long as needed to win this trade war."
In spite of the importance of promoting free trade, protecting America - and our farmers - the Chinese people have little if any say (like a trip to the polls to vote); consequently, even though their export losses are greater than ours, I will be surprised if the Chinese blink first. There is no argument that we must have fairer trade practices with regard to China, the issue is what is the best way to accomplish that end. For the sake of our farmers - and folks whose lively hood results from assisting those farmers - I hope the Trump strategy (however well intentioned/founded or unfounded it may be) is successful. Even though it is likely we're all going to pay additional costs as a result of the tariffs, that cost is probably worthwhile -to most people - in the short run if fair trading practices result.
