One field will make it!

[vvalk]

Pars
I had 7 really good buddies that I went to university with. Of the seven 3 are engineers( some with MBA's), 2 are computer scientists, one runs a seismic crew and one is an architect. If you added all their salaies combined they wouldn't make what I make let alone when you add in asset accumilation. So maybe your not making money but lets not sell farming or all farmers short.

[checking]

This is the second time in my life that I've heard this. "One weed in a field represents failure." Wrong Pars. Chemicals represent control of weeds. They never represents 100% control. Read the label. I was to a meeting many, many years ago where a chemist explained that in any given field there was an fraction of a weed population that would be resistant to the chemical you were applying. You had basically eight bullets for each group of chemicals that you could fire. You could fire all eight in a row, and your field would be taken over by the resistant weed population, rendering that chemical useless forever more on that field. Or you could rotate your groups and stave off selecting for resistance. After completing a 20 minute detailed explanation of chemical use and weed resistance, one clown stood up and said, "When I go out to the field to spray, I go to kill 100% of the weeds." From the back of the room could be heard the comment, "talk about missing the point."

[Jay-mo]

Most of the organic farmers I've seen look like the ones not making any money.

[cottonpicken]

Different strokes for different folks.

[sumdumguy]

I have seen Parsley's operation and I can tell you, there aren't any more weeds than on the farm where we grew Lentils for 25 years. we were restricted to Sencor, so you know the rest of the story.

I think Parsley was making more money than we were and having a lot more fun than we were, with a lot fewer inputs and a lot less stress.

Not all organic farms are the same. I know some that have been taken over by thistle, but Parsley and her husband have designed various inmplements and row cropping seeders where they can manage the weeds.

Parsley's op looks pretty sustainable to me, probably been at it for 30 years, heh Pars?

[parsley]

Farming isn't a competition, is it?

At least most farmers who are comfortatable in their own skin don't see a need to add up their assets and toys and compare them.

That being said, in Saskatchewan, a lot of farmers were undergoing "debt counsellling", or were experiencing major debt problems, where professionals were going in and giving them a 'try this' piece of advice.

A provincial government counselling program.

I saw the stats, the ones from a few years ago, and can only reflect upon what I read.

The farmers who were having pronounced financial problems were indeed the larger operations; up to their indebted asset sheets to the banks; demanding government programs to bail them out.

Large operations, a lot of them, with fancy half tons sitting out front, elicited the comment, "fancy houses and fancier mouths" from those appraising them.

The farmers needed a crop to survive. And they EXPECTED to survive. Demanded it. At taxpayers' expense, if nothing else. Which is where I balk, btw.

So there was definitely a financial cure being sought. By farmers themselves. And that comes from, not lazy farm asses, not from poor yields, BUT from poor prices, IMHO. But each AVer will have a different spin.

I have to admit, though, I admire anyone farming who not only is wealthier than than all the incomes and assets of every one of his/her friends' combined, but also has has the ability to tell friends so in such a non-hesitant manner, without alienating them; without risking making any of them feel a bit lessened.

Now, there's a rare diplomatic skill.

I'd bet it would be hard to find someone with $4B to run that kind of risk. pars

[parsley]

Don't know how the ad got in there Joe. Pars

[darren442]

Actually i've talked to a few organic farmers that do not take a back seat to any conventional farmer in there area. You can still use products to help yield in organic farming it just can't be on the do not use list.

but what ever floats your boat. I support both farming methods and don't knock either one. Although i do think theses inputs are getting a bit out of control to bad yield and prices wouldn't go higher as your bill goes higher.

[Jay-mo]

As much as I am critical of "organic" products and production. I think there are things that "conventional" farming can take from "organic" methods. If there are ways to lower your need for manufactured fertilizers and herbicides thereby lowering risk and increasing ones profit why would anyone not at least consider it.
What I see in my area of "organic" farming is alot if intensive tillage with black dirt drifts in ditches and increasingly bare hilltops, and fields so infested by weeds you can't tell what is supposed to be there. Intensive tillage IMO is the single most damaging practice done to prairie farmland.

heh, can this thread get any more off-topic?

[fjlip]

That is what we see here also, MAXIMUM TILLAGE, soil mining, lots of fallow including plowing and still weeds that blow to others fields. I feel all farmers should be liable for spreading weed seeds. That would put a big wrinkle into organic. Unless these fellows are all wrong, it's a mess and getting worse every year. I hear of 50% dockage. A super B with 500 net bu, because its so bulky.