AARP?
March 16th, 2007 by Jim VThere has been plenty to do here lately. At my off-farm job, computer changes for the daylight savings consumed me for a number of days, resulting in me working through the night for a couple of nights. I had one 16 hour day that started at noon and went to 4am the next morning. With the daylight savings time change past I feel that I can turn my attention to things at home and on the farm. The off-farm job can result in a lot of things falling between the cracks on the farm. My guess is that my farm enterprise would run smoother if I did not have the off-farm job.
We have been given a short reprieve from the mud since the ground is frozen again. We even had enough snow to cover the ground last night, so we are back to hauling hay with a sled (Much easier than a wheel barrow). This morning I worked on getting some of the broken small hay bales in the hay loft fed to the cows. I would rather clear out the broken bales a little at a time than make it into a big one-time job later this spring. Today, we should get a load of crushed rock to alleviate the 100 foot long section of our driveway that has 9 inch deep ruts in the mud.
From what I hear, things have geared up at Polyface Farm. According to my son they are working until 9pm, with the work day starting at 5am on buying club delivery days, of which there are two or three each week. Yesterday my son said that he had not logged into his computer for a week. They already have chickens on pasture, are training in a new apprentice who has no farm background, have been building new egg mobiles, are putting in a larger garden than they have had in the past, and are setting up a new rental farm. At the new rental farm they are laying water lines, building ponds and building fence. They know how to work.
Beyond the day-to-day work, I feel the burden of launching my children in the right direction, helping them gain the training and expertise that they need for the future. My mind often gets churning, working through how we can setup my oldest son with his own farm. Our land base is currently only 10 acres, and with Big Ag around me, he will need to contend with land rental rates up around $200 per acre. I think the high corn price will make competition for rental land even more fierce. I guess we will just take one step at a time. In the midst of this I have started to get mail from AARP, offering me to join AARP. This is the last thing that I want to do. All of the AARP mail has been immediately thrown into the trash. I don’t agree with AARPs political views and I don’t even want to think about retirement - there are many more important things to burn brain power on. I don’t need this distraction. As far as I can see, there are plenty of things that the Lord wants me working on and I’ll just keep going until the Lord decides it is time to stop. He could call me home today or the next day, but I plan to just keep working until his call home comes. I think our obsession with retirement has taken way too many people out of the race before their time. In a lot of ways I feel that I am in the prime of life. Why would I even start thinking about retirement. I understand the need to plan for the future, but at this point I would much rather see the resources for the future be invested in my children. I think in the long run the return will be much higher than putting my money into some investment fund to support some company that has absolutely no commitment to Biblical principles.
Jim V
March 16th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Jim,
Totally agree with you. We’ve told our boys that ever since they were in the cradle we would go in at night and whisper to them, “You will take care of your parents when they are old and decrepit.” Although they know we are kidding, they do know that we and the Lord expect them to take care of their parents when they are no longer able to take care of themselves. What a wonderful transition that can be if we are all following a multi-generational agrarian model. The Amish have been doing this for years, and I hope to be able to instill this in our next generation.
By the way, do you have more posts about your son’s apprenticeship? Although I don’t relish having my son away for a year, I can see that as being a very good experience. My wife and I have attended Joel’s two-day seminar down at Polyface (in fact their new website uses some of the pictures I took), and I can see that a year with Joel would teach my son an awful lot that I don’t have the experience or knowledge to do. We’re still a couple of years away, but it’s good to be prepared!
Thanks again for your posts.
March 16th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Terry,
We also tell our children that they need to take care of us when we get old. I tell them “Don’t stick me in a nursing home!”. Sometimes we make a joke of what it will be like for them to take care of us when we get old.
My son has done a few posts, but neither he nor I have done a post on the exact details of his apprenticeship. In the next few days I will put together a post about Nathan’s apprencticeship at Polyface. Typically, Polyface has apprentices scheduled two years in advance. My son did his “apprentice checkout” when he was 16 and then due to some unexpected changes at Polyface, started his apprenticeship when he was 17. This year they also started a summer “apprenticeship”, that seems to be attracting men in their 30s and 40s who have families. I don’t see any downside to my son’s apprenticeship, except that we would like to have him around more.
Jim V
March 16th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Hey Jim,
Just got the computer working! Gotta finish chores and then catch up around here, be back in a bit.
Tom
March 16th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Tom,
Congratulations. Looks like it took some time. Aren’t computers fun?
I just discovered how to get the email address of people who comment.
Jim V
March 16th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
AARP I don’t like them much, either. Rich seniors run it, to pick the pockets of their grandchildren. they won’t let anybody change the Social Security system to be fair to the young. Yea, you better get your boy a farm to run. Real security for him.Sorry for the opinion, but like all organazations, they start out with good ideas, but get to like the power, and money it brings, and then work forever to keep it that way. The Amish were smart not to buy into that system. They now have the flexibility to do what each generation needs, have little overhead, and don’t support any beraucracy that can take on a life of it’s own. It’s worked well for hundreds of years.
March 16th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Good Blog Jim, We can’t retire. We all got too much to do and so little time to do it. I know people that have their computors set up so it counts down to their retirement date. Sad way to live, wishin your life away.
March 17th, 2007 at 5:39 am
Another fine example of “what I want society to do for me, I deserve it” attitude that is the norm today. Could anyone even imagine if an organization such as AARP would mobilize to spread the gospel, to comfort seniors in this fallen society. To give the hope of etenal life. But no, I believe they are responsible, (along with many others), to promote this society’s true god, the love for money and self. Notice how they do not promote family, they promote an endless “we deserve it”, me, me, me! In my humble opinion this is another example of a society in a tailspin. I’ve written before on farms with up to four generations living and operating on them. That’s what I want too! Don’t want to be in some trailer down in Bullhead City playing shuffle board and cribbage. When aged and still able to get around just give me a garden, kinda like an entryway to heaven, and I’ll be happy! The younger generations can farm the brunt of the work when I’m not able, but I ain’t leaving the farm! Don’t need no handouts, just leave me alone, I’m talking society here, and let me live out the days God has left for me on this world!
March 17th, 2007 at 8:10 am
Mark,
Your opinion is right on. I do want to get my boy a farm. And AARP is out to pick the pocket of their grandchildren and unfortunately ours as well.
Guy,
I didn’t realize that some people had their computers set to countdown to their retirement date. Talk about warped and selfish.
Tom,
You are right. AARP does not promote selfless love toward the coming generations. The generations before us sacrificed a lot to lay a good foundation for this nation and worked hard that we might have a better life. But seems that the last 70 years or so the attitide is that people should grab as much as they can and not be concerned about providing for their children. I too will be happy with a garden and a few animals to take care of when I can longer bear the brunt of the work. By the grace of God I want to do something productive, rather than as someone said, “run out the clock sitting on a porch in Florida”.
Jim V