Real farms
Real cows
All gone
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- Embracing agricultural diversity, one species at a time. All rights reserved
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5 comments:
When I bought my camp in the Adirondacks back in the late '80s there were two working dairy farms on the short drive off Rt. 8 to my place. Both are just outside the Blue Line and both closed up thier milk production around the turn of the century. One has converted to soy and grain production and appears to be doing well. The other is strictly hay on a lease basis and is being broken up into building parcels.
It's always sad to see a farm that's been in the family for years fold up it's tent, but so few of today's youngsters really want to venture into the uncertain world of agriculture...and who can blame them when everything seems to work against you 8 days out of 10.
Here in PA most of our dairy farmers also are raising beef steers in a small way (10-20 head) or they board horses. They also have the benefit of gas leases on their acreage to help pay the bills.
It drives me crazy. The big guys get to stay but the real people gotta go.
I read that 40% of the nations dairy is produced by 2% of the nations producers.
I never thought I'd see the day when dairy farmers were not necessary. It's simply a sad time in America.
The powers that be call these changes progress. I call it putting the american people right out of business. Shamefull.
The preservation of open spaces ends as well. Then we get spaghetti lots with dilapidated buildings.
Joated, it is happening everywhere. Farms will all be gone and then folks will wonder where they went. It isn't just the milk and bread and hamburger that they produce. It is the open space, the independent hard working kids and most of all the huge contribution to local economies that suffer. Sadly, so many farm kids do want to farm, but truly, how can they in the situation today. All three of our kids might have and probably would have but....
Michelle, alas, even the largest dairy farms are skating on ice as thin as a well-flattened tortilla. Everybody, large or small, is losing thousands a month. I don't blame folks for taking the CWT money and bailing out, but they are killing thousands and thousands of healthy, productive cows, while imports of milk components continue unchecked, unregulated and uninspected. It is a terrible shame to me
Deb, It is a terrible thing. The rules are made by folks who can afford a twenty dollar cup of coffee....
WR, they quit making new land, but I guess nobody in the city quite gets that.
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