That Quiet Backbone
February 25th, 2007 by Northern FarmerThis weekend we had our first official snow of the winter, over a foot of heavy wet stuff and it makes me happier than a pig in mud. Not the fact that I have to spend the next few days getting wet up to my knees, moving snow all over the farm, no it’s the fact that we received moister from the sky. A rare commodity nowadays in this neck of the woods let me tell you! Maybe this will be the start of something good, ah I can just imagine…. A green summer in July and August instead of a burned down land, fried brown, dust flying, crops withering away, feeding cattle since July….. you get the picture. Yup, the most important mineral…water! Sometimes it don’t matter what the thinkers in D.C. do, just give us an inch of rain a week and we’ll take care of ourselves. Don’t need no “help†from an industrial complex that looks at a family farmer as just a quaint thing. Never taking us folks seriously.
Oh, before I write further, I have a question from a reader and I figure it’s a pretty good question. Now as everyone knows or should know, I hate computers and don’t spend hardly any time on them so I don’t go surfing the net, or searching much of anything. Just give me a shack in some mountain holler and…. OK I’m dreaming again. But I tell you, I sure could go for some living like that. But them mountains had better be green most of the year and not to high cause I’m not a fan of seeing snow twelve months of the year. Ok, to thee question!
“I know your busy, but hoping you can offer some advice to a “beginner
farmer”. Would you happen to know if there is a website that covers the
laws for all US States, for the federal and state laws, for direct farm
marketing?â€
If anyone has an answer to this question let us know around here. It would be a good resource to have and we could probably link it here permanently if it was what we were looking for.
Now where was I? Oh yeh! The thinkers never taking us country folks seriously, that’s where I was heading. The family farmers are just a dying breed according to them thinkers. But you know, them big thinkers aren’t the greatest thinkers in the world by any means. But then again, come to think about it there’s gonna be a lot of family farmers going poof in years to come. The ones that are following the “rulesâ€, so to speak. I know, been there, done that! I know I’m laughed off by so many folks but I don’t give a hoot what anyone thinks about me. Which is a good way to live cause your not chasing your tail trying to keep up with a society bent on destroying itself. No, there comes a time in life when a person got to take the bull by the horns and do what’s right.
Now I’m a sinner, a big one cause I don’t go and get loans to farm and live the way we’re “supposed†too. Don’t have any toys to speak of, unless you figure our tiller which still gives me a lot of joy. One of them Troy Builts, I call it my mule. Plus it don’t kick at me like a mule so we get along just fine and dandy. And we ain’t sucked in to all the stuff the farm magazines show every month or even every week. I see them corn planters that could plant forty acres in ten minutes and all I can see is trouble. Nope, we’ll make do and do just fine.
For the life of me, with my farming backround, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to live their life in hock trying to keep up with the modern industrial agriculture trends. In the back of everyone’s mind they have to realize that in the end they will loose. But it must be the continual bombardment of ag media hitting the farmers that makes them do what they do. That never ending get bigger, get more efficient attitude. Borrow, borrow, borrow! Kids grow up and fly the coop faster than a ruff grouse barreling off into the woods. Can’t blame em, work yourself to death and just like the old song, “Another Day Older and Deeper in Debt!â€
I figure that not following these trends is the way to go for us. And all of a sudden the farm takes on a new meaning. All of a sudden it’s worth a whole lot more. A person can sit back a bit and have a good laugh, enjoy life a whole lot more. No sleepless nights wondering how to pay the banker for a production loan. Now the only sleepless nights are where I forget myself and overload on some good coffee. And take what happens when times do get rough in the future, you know, fuel shortages or lack of commercial “imported†fertilizer. By the way, talk at the co-op is that there will be a shortage of fertilizer this year. What happens when a farm only grows a couple crops that depend totally on boughten inputs? The farm putting absolutely zero back into the land. That’s the state of the corn belt right now, nothing put back into the breadbasket of the nation.
Nope, for the life of me I can’t see how it’ll continue. It just doesn’t add up anymore. The only hope in my humble opinion is the independent small farmers, businesses, and craftsmen. The ones that society doesn’t even give a second glance to at the moment. Those sinning folks that don’t fit into the corporate structure that funnels wealth to the very few. These folks are thee answer and they’re out there everywhere. It don’t matter if they are currently employed in office jobs or corporate jobs at the present time. They’re out there. And they know what’s going on. And I believe there’s a lot more out there than given credit for. These are the folks that will survive any upcoming crashes. These are the folks that will put back the pieces and put them back together so that they fit better than the totally broken down system of today. These are the folks that wouldn’t think nothing of butchering their own hog, milking their own cow or goats. Raising their own food. Doing without the garbage that society says we deserve. They don’t need that vacation totally put on a credit card. They ain’t waiting at the store doors for a new computer game to come out that morning. Nope, there’s a backbone still in this country that are laughed off by the “wiseâ€. A God fearing backbone that’s strong, self-reliant, and willing to do what it takes when the promises of this culture of death finally come to a head.
February 26th, 2007 at 7:29 am
Tom for me its not the money thing as much as having the brains to run some of that new stuff. Last year, I was passing through Louisville around the time of the farm machinery show so I stopped in. Went up to one of those fancy tall tractors with a cab, just to see what it was like….. WOW!! buttons and joysticks and switches and the one TALL ladder that if I ever could afford one, would have to come with an escalator or elevator option.
When I had to ask the salesman where the “on” switch was, I knew then and there I was going to stay a small farmer
. Those planters are the same way!! Although, I am looking to upgrade this year to a two row planter…. driving down the road with only half the cultivator on the “B” is getting a little embarrasing….
We got the southern edge of the storm y’all got this weekend. For us, it came through at night. Cleared up by the next morning. good winds and thunder, no damage though.
Plumbed up our new gas powered pond pump and finally got the old well plumbed and working at the farmhouse.
Those cows have quit bellering, but I’m not going to give into their wiley ways just yet. Grass is starting to grow and I’ve got enough hay for another week. Looks like I’ll turn em out after that.
Have a GREAT day,
Brad
February 26th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Tom,
I hope we with have transitioned into a wetter, but not too wet weather pattern. On the latest forecast reasoning from the NWS they say “HOPEFULLY…WE ARE NOT EVOLVING TOWARDS THE SAME UPPER LEVEL FLOW PATTERN THAT WAS IN PLACE DURING THE SPRING OF 1965!”. Now we definitely won’t evolve toward a 1965 pattern since the weather is totally under the Lord’s control, but talk of 1965 does bring back a lot of memories.
You are completely right when you say:
“These folks are thee answer and they’re out there everywhere. It don’t matter if they are currently employed in office jobs or corporate jobs at the present time. They’re out there. And they know what’s going on. And I believe there’s a lot more out there than given credit for.”
These folks are not showing up on Monsanto’s list of farmers to visit, but these folks are building the knowledge needed to be godly stewards of the land.
Jim V
February 26th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
You said it friend, I like the way ya all think.
Guy
February 26th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Hey Brad!
After moving snow all day I’m kinda wishing I was down there in your area. And I ain’t done yet! But I shouldn’t complain, it ain’t like I’m doing bigtime physical work as I sit in the heated Bobcat doing my thing
I gave up going to farm shows a long ways back, they just don’t interest me at all and really they never did. I just see it as a gauntlet a farmer is walking through with every kind of parasite imaginable wanting to take away my money and my freedom. And those modern tractors and combines and choppers, whew! Talk about spendy! Plus how do you fix them? All computer gadgets and if they’re anythiong like the computers I’ve had here in the house they won’t last long! And the computer in the house ain’t getting bounced around in the cold and heat and dust and mud. It’s a scary thought just thinking about some of this stuff. Why can’t they reintroduce something like the old 4020 JD. Durn near indistructable and a farmer can fix them themselves. Plus they could outlast the farmer in many cases! But what do I know compared to all the thinkers?
Good luck on them cattle, good to hear they’re still hanging around there
Jim,
Now you went and did it!! You got me scared and gunshy! In fact you changed my work pattern quite a bit today with the rumor of a ‘65′ type late winter and spring. I remember it well! Could walk right onto the roofs of farm buildings the snow was so deep. Gee, good thing I don’t commute cause if we get that back again there ain’t gonna be anyone commuting for a bit. Might even make some of these five acre wonders, suburbanite type folks, around here realize a Honda fourwheeler and a blade don’t fit the bill living out here as far as moving snow! We never had a snow since most have moved out here, it’ll be interesting to say the least! In fact it could be downright entertaining to a farmer like me. Plus I don’t know how these folks will survive if they can’t get to the convenience store for some stale sandwiches or pizza!
But a March like that wouldn’t faze folks like I wrote about whether they’re farmers or small landowners out here. There’s a breed of folks that just naturally have common sense and they can make do! I can honestly say if we got socked in for a week or two we’d make it without the slightest problem, might be a lot of work feeding cattle but as far as everything goes, we’d make it without outside help.
Guy,
Ah! Thank you, sometimes I do wonder after I post some of these things if anyone even cares but I know there are good folks out there that do!
February 27th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Tom,
I hope I didn’t scare you too much, but as soon as I saw 1965 invoked, it made my mind churn. At first I thought we would get one storm and then it would get warm and have no snow to deal with. But now I will try to plan a little more. And now this week is looking like a repeat of last weekend. The weather forecast discussions say that this one looks like it may have even more moisture. Maybe we need a good dose of winter for a few more weeks to separate the men from the boys, plus this sort of entertainment I can handle - it makes memories. I am sure my kids will always remember yesterday’s adventures on our driveway. My oldest daughter was sitting in the first car that went into the woods when my wife slid into it with my son’s truck. As the truck was sliding toward the first car she said she couldn’t decide if she should stay or jump out of the car.
Jim V
February 27th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Jim,
I spent the day cleaning up, catching up and all that from this past weekend’s storm but was also preparing for number two. Widening out where I plowed snow, gathering some more firewood closer to the outdoor furnaces. bedding down critters a bit more. Was gonna butcher tomorrow but will hold off until next week cause when there’s a storm I don’t have time to be indoors cutting up meat.
So we’ll see starting tomorrow what it all brings. Haven’t seen this for a long, long time. Back to back winter storms. At least I can’t see any below zero weather following it. Good luck down there!