Life on the farm … Is it worth it?

[tweety]

......

It's nice to live in a bubble and think 1928 prices for grain is great in 2020. Is anything worth what it was 100 years ago? Oil, gold, silver, copper, Nope but grain yet its free.

Then why do farmers spend like its 2020 and not 1928 to grow a bulk wholesale raw commodity that literally hasn't changed since 1928?

[SASKFARMER]

I guess tweety because I had to shoot my last horse and set it free.

The steam tractor died a long time ago.

The AR and R are having a rough go.

The wife doesn't want to pull the plow.

[Bowerpower]

Point is ???

Cost control

[SASKFARMER]

Reality tweety, Why should we farmers work with 1928 horses to grow grain. You want farmers like the poor peasants in China or Mexico or any other shit hole country.

The Parasites got out of hand in Canada and once they got a taste of all the money they could take its like drugs you just have to get more.

[chuckChuck]

Farmers need really good safety nets to offset the additional risk of weather and markets.

Supply management farmers get tremendous support in this country and the system works very well.

We could have much better safety nets. But those safety nets should be targeted to small and medium sized farms that need the net to survive and not end up bailing out out really big farms who shouldn't get taxpayers help to build a bigger ego driven empire that puts all the small and medium sized farmers at a big disadvantage.

Rural communities are much better and more sustainable when there a lot of successful small and medium sized farms rather than a handful of giant corporate operations that suck up all the land and resources.

Taxpayers will not support subsidies to giant corporate farms.

[SASKFARMER]

Ah NDP CHUCK OR CWB CHUCK.

the big do nothing and the little need help.

We all pay our bills and work hard.

A good insurance in Canada would be the best I agree with you on that. What we have now is a totally useless piece of shit. Everything from Private to gov run.

[Sheepwheat]

Everyone is going to have a differing viewpoint, we are not all in the same boat. I have heard that statement this year so many times, but it is NOT TRUE! Farmer A could leave half his crop out, and not skip a beat, still prepay inputs for next year and feel like his world is ending. Farmer B could leave half his crop out and be under the very real threat of bankruptcy, let alone have any possible way to pay last years input bill, let alone pre pay for next years. How one feels about grain farming is directly related in my view in how over time it has treated you. With some odd exceptions.

It depends on if your wife is pulling income in, it depends on if a bad year is a 30 % income cut or the real threat of going broke. It depends if your spouse is still supportive of it. It depends if you see a future in it. It depends if you have kids who truly want to farm.

It depends on so much, mostly how well it has treated you. I know many farmers who have done well and love farming and think a bad year means cancelling Hawaii, or not trading in the half ton. I also know many who have been living on the edge of disaster, and it is wearing them down. I know of wives who are fed up, who are sick of the lack of control, the lack of financial stability.

So no, we are not in the same boat, not even close.

Why then would we all feel the same about farming?

In answer to the why do we keep doing it? It is not that simple. It is just not that simple.

I imagine some will construe this as some kind of jealousy if your wife works or doesn’t, if you inherited land or caught some lucky breaks here and there. Not my point, please look past these specific comments and see that they are truth.

So yes, while we’re all in this together, sort of, we all have different, far different farm histories, far different personal experiences, and far different expectations.

As for me personally, I have been making changes, because grain farming has NOT treated me kindly. And that is fine. I am not sugar coating it. It has been a brutal and tough go these last ten years. Very thankful there are different ways to utilize land to make it happen. Because while grain farming has been disastrous for us, I love my land, where I live, and strive to make it work in some way.

[chuckChuck]

Ah NDP CHUCK OR CWB CHUCK.

the big do nothing and the little need help.

We all pay our bills and work hard.

A good insurance in Canada would be the best I agree with you on that. What we have now is a totally useless piece of shit. Everything from Private to gov run.

From the guy who brags about his second home in Florida. Why should taxpayers support your second home in Florida?

[jazz]

I like how people equate the quit and get out option like its quitting the take out window job.

I grew up on a mixed farm literally in the middle of nowhere and thats saying something for Sask. My dad went through the 80s he could see I had interest but encouraged relocation closer to a major center so that involved selling most of our original place and buying new somewhere much more expensive.

So we live in the city, land is just outside, drive out everyday. Kids go to city school, lots of activies, University down the way when they need it. Wife is home with the kids now but can get a job when she is ready. I could get a job too but I am too ornery to work for another man.

We really tried to give ourselves the largest choice of options we could. Sure we could have gotten bigger where we were but my dad really thought options were better being in closer to a larger urban area. I think he was right.

[Guest]

Interesting to hear all the opinions on this, kids rolled in for a week off of university last night and it sure helps the mood for a little while, there bright eyes and enthusiasm are a nice break from reality.
Reality.....harvest is not going to be completed.
What was harvested is not in condition to sell and requires all my attention to keep from spoiling.
Past experience with our disaster programs gives NO comfort, inputs will be coming due and projections didn’t include any crop left out over winter and weren’t based on sample canola.
Trying to hit every hurtle with enthusiasm is getting more difficult. Trying to keep the next generation inspired that grain farming is a worthy career choice, looking at agriculture through my glasses I feel I should steer them into the lucrative parasite areas and away from being a primary producer.
It’s gonna be a long stressful winter.

It’s strange how easily we get hoodwinked though, Look at that bullshit that the world was gonna run outta food . I even believed it for a while , every generation does