How do you see yourself?

[rkaiser]

Hope you don't go out into those feilds to soon after spraying cowman. That tranquil experience might turn into an even more tranquil experience in a hospital bed on some drugs to ease the pain of your cancer.

[PureCountry]

As I was reading along here gentlemen I noticed a glint of something....just a bit of it, almost like an aura of....oh yeah, that's it - hope. Or for those of you who may be emotionally challenged, I mean optimism.

[PureCountry]

good advice Randy, but as we know cowman is 'outstanding in his field '..

I know that was horrible !!

[PureCountry]

Good greif.............

I am not a pessimist (sp), but I have worked in the Ag service business, and bank role my own little addiction with out any help from dad, and started up in the last 12 years but, here is my take .......

Without a doubt I've seen alot of producers keep going every year because there was still some money left to spend. Efficient was open for interpretation...

But hey, thats what they want to do, free country, But then the big chats start up about efficient cows, etc, etc, so where is the line drawn?

I am guilty of raising cows and crops. If its money I want, wrong place to be without a doubt right now, and it scares me shitless to think how things may end up in 15 years because quite frankly I don't want to have to drive another log truck or what ever to make some money to pay for my addiction when I am that age. I pay for things now and do know what they cost. And the intangebles like staring at a new calf are priceless now, but its all money and business and the end of the day for me. Its what keeps the lights on ...

[cowman]

Well I'm not overly worried? Spraying chemicals is my bread and butter...and has been for a long time?
You have the training and wear the safety equipment and it is doubtful that you will have a problem? There is a little bit more to it than opening up a crackerjack box and pulling out a license these days? You actually need to continually get re-educated these days if you intend to keep an industrial license...its the law(and also costly)!
The chemicals used in industrial spraying are pretty safe...as compared to the killers most people buy for the old lawn!
And what the heck...I could step in front of a bus tommorrow and wouldn't have to worry about it, right?

[PureCountry]

So you're gonna die one day, so what the hell if you kill your soil and all that of your customers with a crapload of chemical before you go? A little extreme, but that's what you're making yourself sound like. What are saying here, cowman?

[WoolyBear]

The Lawn and Garden chemicals are the SAME ones that we spray on our fields. Its just that we can't afford to put them on as heavy as they do in the city. They seem to think that if this much works, this much more will be better. Can't have those dandelions can they?

[PureCountry]

Which is silly because dandelions are an indicator that your soils are very healthy. They're one of the most nutritious plants there are.

[cowman]

Pure country: You aren't killing yourself or anyone else? Hopefully you are eliminating the undesirable plants you don't want?
The "stuff" the urbanite puts on his lawn isn't exactly what the ag producer puts on his land? "Sevin" might be a classic example? ...A truly horrible and dangerous chemical?
Now I'm not going to debate the merits of dandelions or thistles? I know what the "purists" think...but the fact is most farmers think they are nothing more than a damned weed that needs to be eliminated! They don't see them as some sort of good thing in the great world of bio-diversity?

[WoolyBear]

Dandelions.......

Noxious weed, YES
Nutritional, YES, in fact its the plant of choice it seems for young lambs. However I can't use lambs on the lawn for out there the plant of choice is daylilies and anything else that my wife seems to plant. Then my name is mud, whether that makes me noxious or the lambs such.