Bold "neighbours"

DaleK · #1 07/27/11, 12:47 PM

Had an interesting conversation with my brother in law this weekend. He works with a fellow who lives beside one of my fields. This is a couple in their late 50s or early 60s who came here from Slovakia about 20 years ago.

Guy was telling my BIL that he hopes my corn is better this year. Huh? Turns out last summer they had a big family reunion ( I remember all the cars in the yard). They thought they'd turn it into a corn roast so they took several dozen out of the field and boiled them up for the occasion, then found out they didn't taste very good and it kinda ruined the reunion.

OK first thing is I don't grow sweet corn. Second, how bold do you have to be to complain about something you stole?

chickenslayer · #2 07/27/11, 01:01 PM

Pretty darn bold

LisaInN.Idaho · #3 07/27/11, 01:12 PM

Whoa. Pretty bold.

Judy in IN · #4 07/27/11, 01:13 PM

Tell your brother just what you told us...that it's not sweet corn, and that it's got extra starch to make cows and pigs fat.

That might slow them down.

Yep, farmers have ALL THAT ground, and ALL THAT corn. They don't consider the land cost, seed, fertilizer, machinery cost. Ignorance HAS to be bliss.

I had two neighbors who would dump their lawn clippings and beer bottles over the fence into my fields. When their daughter started dumping cat litter over the fence, that was the last straw. I shoveled it back across the fence onto their manicured yard. They got the hint--same with the beer bottles and grass. Just because I have more ground, doesn't make me a dump.

Also grew sweet corn for a few years. One year we got to the last 2 acres, just to find none to harvest. Someone had beat us to it.

Gotta love farming....people not so much.

JuliaAnn · #5 07/27/11, 01:14 PM

I don't know how you retroactively warn someone. But I would get the message out to this 'neighbor' that if he does it again he needs to beware of what or who might be lurking in the corn field. Explain that maybe in Slovakia such things are tolerated, but not in the U.S. Been there, done that, got the shirt and could make the reality show. Not with corn, but with apples. No one bothers my apples anymore. I got the message out to the neighbors that I had sprayed all my fruit with poison so theives who stole and ate the fruit would be poisoned. I did spray the fruit, with a harmless, non-toxic kaolin clay compound to help repel insects. Looked horrible. Worked well.

Don't let such 'neighbors' have an inch (nor an ear) because they will take a mile.

Txsteader · #6 07/27/11, 01:18 PM

Bold.....and dumb!

ETA: You might send word back asking if he'd be upset if you came and stole some of his ____fill in the blank_____.

#7 07/27/11, 01:24 PM

I can't believe you weren't a good neighbor & planted a row or 2 of sweet corn for them . What's the world coming to ?

Sanza · #8 07/27/11, 01:42 PM

Just tell your bil to pass on the message that the corn is not for human consumption, or go talk to them yourself and explain that it's not done like that in Canada.
Try to remember where they came from and try to imagine what they had to do to have enough to eat there.

but I'll bet you didn't even miss those few ears did you?

Callieslamb · #9 07/27/11, 01:45 PM

I think we share a neighbor....

kirkmcquest · #10 07/27/11, 01:51 PM

In my old town there was a large Greek community. The farmer up the road finally had to put 6 ft high fencing all around his place. I asked if he was having a problem with the deer...he said no, the greeks!
Apparently they thought nothing of walking into his fields whenever they pleased, and helping themselves. When confronted red-handed, they became indignant and terribly insulted!

Different mentality, I guess.

pheasantplucker · #11 07/27/11, 01:52 PM

"we are two wild an crazy guys..."

travis91 · #12 07/27/11, 01:53 PM

this is when i would sit with a paintball gun.. or put up no trespassing signs.

Jan Doling · #13 07/27/11, 02:31 PM

"but I'll bet you didn't even miss those few ears did you? "

His livestock will miss it and he will have to start buying suplimentary grain much sooner than budgeted for next winter. All of us don't have the luxery to be on hobby farms.

Rose · #14 07/27/11, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WV Hillbilly

I can't believe you weren't a good neighbor & planted a row or 2 of sweet corn for them . What's the world coming to ?

Freya · #15 07/27/11, 02:56 PM

What are you planning on doing?

Do you have a fence there that they went over?

fatrat · #16 07/27/11, 03:11 PM

While it is wrong here and it should be, I wouldn't be surprised if that is acceptable and even expected in Slovakia. Given their age they may not have or may never assimilate to our customs. I was visiting friends in a foreign country where the concept of trespassing on farm land is non existent. Anyone and everyone can cross onto your farm land there without any explanation or permission and the farmer wouldn't ever question it. That's just the way it's done. If one is short on cash and food one day then taking what you need to eat that day from a field which doesn't belong to oneself has been common practice and legal in some cultures for thousands of years. However don't dare try to sell it as then it becomes stealing. What you experienced may be just a cultural misunderstanding. I'd just politely explain that it is not considered polite in this culture and they should always ask and offer to pay for anything picked in a neighbors field or garden. I'd bet almost anything that what they did is considered acceptable where they came from. Cut them some slack and explain the local customs.

Alice In TX/MO · #17 07/27/11, 03:21 PM

It's expected in every farm community I've lived in HERE. The outside couple of rows are 'sacrifice.' Some farmers who grow feed corn plant sweet corn on the outside rows for that purpose.

||Downhome|| · #18 07/27/11, 03:23 PM

in France its legal to glean a field but that means the Farmer has already harvested what he wanted. other wise its stealing.

HDRider · #19 07/27/11, 03:28 PM

I agree with fatrat, sort of. I would say something to them. Explain the fact this is private property, your property and that is stealing. Be nice, be firm. Explain you are being nice this time, but not so nice the next time.

I always like those signs that said "This property is protected by armed guard three nights a week – Do you feel lucky?"

FarmboyBill · #20 07/27/11, 03:29 PM

Yeah rat. I spose. But it sure would make me mad. I got a neighbor. Couple years ago, he ate the wrong meat, and it messed him up bad. But couple years for that, his cows would get into my corn. Where the usta be neighbors all had grass only, and nobody farmed anymore, nobody thought much of a neighbors cows getting out onto their pasture. Heck, The neighbors good bull might even take care of a couple cows while he was there. As long as, when notified, the neighbors came and collected them, not much was said, cause the offended neighbor always new, that it could be his cows over on the neighbors next week or so. Well, They were miffed cause I wanted the cows off my corn that evening. The neighbor said, I helped my dad in law put that fence in there when I was 18. Hes in his early 70s now, and the fence row has some trees in it that are around 3ft dia.