What the farmer gets

[Marnie]

I knew it wasn't much but I find these facts interesting, to say the least -

Bread: Consumer pays $2.99 a loaf, farmer gets 12 cents

Milk: Consumer pays $3.75 a gallon, farmer gets $1.42

Potatoes: Consumer pays $3.99 for 10 pounds, farmer gets 96 cents

Potato Chips: Consumer pays $3.99 for a 1.35 ounce bag, farmer gets 7 cents

Ham: Consumer pays $4.29 a pound for boneless, farmer gets 51 cents

Steak: Consumer pays $7.99 a pound for top sirloin, farmer gets 89 cents

Carrots: Consumers pay $2.99 a pound, farmer gts 71 cents

Eggs: Consumers pay $3.79 a dozen for grade AA large, farmers receive $1.02

I guess, the farmers aren't the ones getting rich! I wonder why anyone farms? Good thing we do farm because I really do like to eat.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

I wonder why anyone farms?

Because they've done it for years, their father, their grand-father, their great-grand-father and so on has farmed for years in many cases, and yes people still have to eat!

My grandfather just turned 82 years old last weekend and yep, still grain farms, and I help him as much as I can when I'm not working... We grew up on a dairy farm and yes, milk prices suck, it's too the point now where you have to have hundreds of head in order to "make it worth it" in the pocket book... I truly miss the dairy and if I had the time/money to get back into it I would, but the reality is I'd be tied down milking hundreds of cows all day to make it worth actually getting into, then to top it off you'd still have to find time to do the crop farming in order to feed all those cows, can't forget hauling all the manure, calving out all the cows, vet care and the list goes on.. But I do miss it

Farmers are some of the hardest working but underpaid people out there.. Ticks me off when I hear a 9-5'er griping about working those hours and the "little" pay he/she gets, farmers work 24-7 for MUCH less and don't complain..

 

[Marnie]

And some people think farmers are stupid. They're not. They have to beable to do it all. Electrical work, welding, repair all kinds of machines, plan for the crops, build buildings, put tin back on roofs that blew off, cut trees or wood, fencing is hard work or at least to me, be their own vet quite often, run the big machines, I don't know how they keep up. then sure as heck, when they get ready to sell the crops, the price falls, that happens every yr. Right now Nate doesn't even want to sell his calves, they're worth nothing. So he can feed them all winter and come spring, they'll probably still be worth nothing. Plus he works 7 days a wk and works and works. and works. and works!

 

[h2t99]

And some people think farmers are stupid. They're not. They have to beable to do it all. Electrical work, welding, repair all kinds of machines, plan for the crops, build buildings, put tin back on roofs that blew off, cut trees or wood, fencing is hard work or at least to me, be their own vet quite often, run the big machines, I don't know how they keep up. then sure as heck, when they get ready to sell the crops, the price falls, that happens every yr.

On top of all that they have Common Sense!!

, No offense to the 9-5ers but it amazes me how lacking of common sense some people are!! It is rare to find a farmer that has no common sense because they do have to take care of everything!!

 

[nootka]

I suppose this is why I'm happiest to buy from Farmer's Markets or some of the co-ops.

I'd rather see more of my money going to the men and women that live to put food on my table than to the fat cat sitting behind the desk that never gets dirt under his nails.

Our family profession is lumped in with farming for tax purposes: Commercial Fishing.

If you knew what the cannery pays for some of the species of fish you would be scandalized. Sometimes the Salmon fishermen are lucky to get .50 per lb. and that is recent years!

Right now, we are struggling to get more than $1.50 for live Dungeness Crab in California and there aren't that many out there. Don't know what they charge where you are, for live or whole cooked crab, but I am seeing it in the stores for $7.99+ and this is an item that requires very little processing to be marketable. I imagine the price is even higher inland.

The costs for fuel, bait and gear don't stack up (haha joke, stack of crab pots) when you weigh out what the processors pay.

So when we DO buy seafood, we try to buy right from the source or from a locally-owned market that also buys from the fishermen and stay out of the "Pacific" family of seafood processors, who traditionally ream everyone and have enough of a monopoly to force people to play by their rules and set the prices.

I hope we can all realize that with times looming as they are, we should support those that produce food and items we truly need, and buy as close to home as possible. It's more important than ever. BE AWARE of where your food comes from, and make an effort to put the money into the hands of the people that work so hard.

Liz

 

[Bess Kelly]

So true, so true!! Now, factor in the weather

Rain, no rain, wind, etc. Maybe you can plow, plant, harvest -- maybe it will grow, or not.

I live in an area that is strong in cotton, peanuts, soybeans, wheat, corn -- and home of Smithfield Foods -- your pork people -- and lots of Tyson & Perdue chickens. Weather can be critical.

Most of the farmers diversify out of necessity. The family I bought my hay from this year is such a farmer. Nice, honest family. Like you say, father & gr father farmed....now his own two sons want to and are with him. He MADE them get a college education (it is ag based

) but, he felt they had to have something to "fall back on" if the farming got any worse for them! He keeps a small herd of Angus to sell calves, etc.....and uses much of the "leftovers" from other crops to help feed them -- bale peanut vines, graze over harvested cornfields, etc., rolls of hay.

Since I am going to have a small produce stand next year, I have arranged to get some of his melons and sweet corn for that. He puts in a few acres of these for a group who have markets about 75 miles out into NC. These are crops that sell but take a great deal of acreage, etc. to be enough for more than your home table.

 

[krissy3]

Just out of curiosity ...how much are the farmers subsidized (sp) by the government? Here in Switzerland the farmers get about 100,000. CHF per year from the government plus what they make from their cows , goats sheep etc., these are the Dairy Farmers..They live quite well actually. One round, wheel of Alp Cheese cost me about 97.00 CHF . Its a hard life, and farmers deserve every cent they make. Thank god they get help, or it wouldnt be worth all that work.

 

[Marnie]

The small farmer, which we are, get nothing from the government, all those subsidies you hear about go to the big farmers. The government has been trying to drive the small farmer out of business for about 15-20 yrs now and have done a good job, theirs so many barns sitting empty, more then are in operation for sure and so many farm auctions still going on, farmers going out of business. I think they figure once the farmers are all huge, they can have more control over them. But I love the farm anyway, wouldn't have it any other way, Nates 68 but I know he'll farm until he physically can't any longer.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

The small farmer, which we are, get nothing from the government, all those subsidies you hear about go to the big farmers. The government has been trying to drive the small farmer out of business for about 15-20 yrs now and have done a good job, theirs so many barns sitting empty, more then are in operation for sure and so many farm auctions still going on, farmers going out of business. I think they figure once the farmers are all huge, they can have more control over them. But I love the farm anyway, wouldn't have it any other way, Nates 68 but I know he'll farm until he physically can't any longer.

What's sad is the small farmers are being forced out because they can't afford to keep going, most can't even break even.. While the big farms are being pushed in, at the same time they are being hit with great resistance as those that live around where the big farms are going in don't want the smell of hundreds of head of cattle, sheep, hogs etc..

And then throw PETA into the mix too

:RollEyes

:RollEyes

My grandfather just turned 82 a week ago and is still crop farming.. He grew up on a dairy farm with his father, I grew up on his dairy farm up until I was 14 when he had to sell out because the land was sold out from under him after farming it for over 50+ years

Everyone keeps telling him he needs to quit, too dangerous for his age and he has arthritis bad in his ankles, but in reality he has nothing else he'd rather be doing, take him from farming and he'd be lost.. So I'm going to help him as much as I can until HE'S ready to quit

He MADE them get a college education (it is ag based laugh.gif ) but, he felt they had to have something to "fall back on" if the farming got any worse for them! He keeps a small herd of Angus to sell calves, etc.....and uses much of the "leftovers" from other crops to help feed them -- bale peanut vines, graze over harvested cornfields, etc., rolls of hay.

I went after a college degree as well, family wouldn't have it any other way, and I knew I couldn't solely rely on farming.. I have a BS degree in Agriculture: Animal Science and have a great job in a HOT HOT HOT field, and hopefully with this job and the money I make I can keep doing what I love

 

[joylee123]

And some people think farmers are stupid. They're not. They have to beable to do it all. Electrical work, welding, repair all kinds of machines, plan for the crops, build buildings, put tin back on roofs that blew off, cut trees or wood, fencing is hard work or at least to me, be their own vet quite often, run the big machines, I don't know how they keep up. then sure as heck, when they get ready to sell the crops, the price falls, that happens every yr. Right now Nate doesn't even want to sell his calves, they're worth nothing. So he can feed them all winter and come spring, they'll probably still be worth nothing. Plus he works 7 days a wk and works and works. and works. and works!

[SIZE=12pt]Not to mention the math they have to figure for spraying and planting and figuring out how many bushels to the acre

ect ect ect...........Stupid...I think NOT

[/SIZE]

Plus you have to have the drive and personal intergrity to get out there and do it

God Bless farmers and their families

Joy

 

[Marnie]

Several times this summer, Nate would kinda chuckle and say he'll be rich when he sells his corn. But the price fell so much and the corn never dried. Other years he'd always chop it for silage for the cattle and he wishes he'd done it again but no, he waited thinking it'd dry and price would stay up. Theirs corn still in the fields all over around here, to wet to pick because of the summer weather (and combined with the very long, cold, wet spring), the mills have so much corn to dry, they don't want it either. Corn is down to $3.47 a bushel here. He asked a big farmer neigher if he'd want to buy it (he has a dryer) and was told, no, nobody wants it now. But this is just another little problem to over come, on the bright side, the deer should eat good this winter with all the corn still standing. And Nates not complaining, just a little disappointed, he's probably used to these things, I'm not, I've only been here on the farm for 13 yrs and still am shocked at the way things go. But we'll just look forward to next year. I am thankful that some people do respect farmers, when I worked out, I found so many people looked down on them.

 

[Reble]

While my husband's cousin has been a farmers most of his life.

He was a dairy farmer, and never complained about anything, always said he was doing what he wanted and loved every minute of it, now just retired had a great milk quota to sell etc.

Had his own beef cattle, pigs, and chickens.

Still has ponies, and still will not let go of the farm... but has money now to do what he wants.

When we would say oh the rain must of hit you bad, nope did OK.

Oh weather was to hot for your crops nope I did fine...

Never ever heard him complain, he said he loved his job, more than most of us can say...

Always had a new veichle, new machinery, and never was in need of anything...

I do not know his finances, but has always been a positive man....

Still is today.....

He always said his cup was half full. not half empty...

 

[disneyhorse]

Hmmm I don't mind paying a lot... you also have to figure in transportation, and the fact that these are perishable items. I bet the grocery stores throw away a LOT of product that goes unsold... so they have to make up for that, too.

I try to buy local produce when able, but I live in a city.

Andrea

 

[Teedee]

We live smack dab in the middle of tater country. I look out my front door at a potato field and the Rocky mountains doesn't get any better than that. My favorite saying is....

[SIZE=12pt]Don't cuss a farmer with your mouth full![/SIZE]
Tam