[Orchardsmith]

yu like food with yor meals?

Remember, this is a homesteaders site.

 

[po boy]

not everybody can grow cane

But a lot raise cane.

 

[kinderfeld]

yu like food with yor meals?

I don't eat corn or soy. Nor do I eat anything that does.

 

[kinderfeld]

Remember, this is a homesteaders site.

Yep. I raise as much of my own food as I can.

 

[Orchardsmith]

Look at the volume of purchases in previous years compared to 2025. However you phrase it, those sales are increasingly unlikely to return to the U.S.

Why do you say so?

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Why do you say so?

China/Xi doesn't want to be dependent on the U.S. for food imports. Places like Argentina and Brazil are less likely to use food as a weapon. Chinese entities have also been buying large tracts of agricultural land in Africa. Under the circumstances, why do you think they will resume buying from the U.S.?

 

[Danaus29]

I wish more people would try to understand the risks and complexities of the farmer.

I guess my view on modern farming is a bit skewed. I grew up in an area where most farmers raised multiple crops in small fields divided by hedgerows, wire fences, and stone piles. I watched the fencerows get torn out to make way for huge fields that were planted in corn one year, soybeans the next, corn, beans, etc, etc, etc. I watched farmers go from growing food for their livestock and letting said livestock clean up after harvest to seeing confined feeding operations surrounded by corn/soybean fields. In my mind the old ways were simpler and nicer to look at. They didn't depend on one crop because there were several crops and livestock to spread the risks. Of course that way of farming was a lot more work. It's a lot easier to have huge fields with minimal input instead of working this field, then that one, then another, and caring for critters all the time.
I don't know all the financial aspects of those ways vs now but I know all the old timers had old, and much smaller, equipment that they repaired and maintained. Grandpa was the first one in the area to buy a round hay baler. I remember him going to other farms to help bale their hay with that baler. I remember neighbors working together to help bring crops in. I remember those farmers setting around the table chatting during meal breaks. It just seemed like things were better then. It might be because everthing seems better when you're a kid and you aren't jaded by the whole overwhelming concerns of life.

 

[Orchardsmith]

China/Xi doesn't want to be dependent on the U.S. for food imports. Places like Argentina and Brazil are less likely to use food as a weapon. Chinese entities have also been buying large tracts of agricultural land in Africa. Under the circumstances, why do you think they will resume buying from the U.S.?

I didn’t say they would. I asked you why you said what you did because I wanted to understand the issue better. I value other people’s opinions, unlike some people.

 

[Orchardsmith]

I guess my view on modern farming is a bit skewed. I grew up in an area where most farmers raised multiple crops in small fields divided by hedgerows, wire fences, and stone piles. I watched the fencerows get torn out to make way for huge fields that were planted in corn one year, soybeans the next, corn, beans, etc, etc, etc. I watched farmers go from growing food for their livestock and letting said livestock clean up after harvest to seeing confined feeding operations surrounded by corn/soybean fields. In my mind the old ways were simpler and nicer to look at. They didn't depend on one crop because there were several crops and livestock to spread the risks. Of course that way of farming was a lot more work. It's a lot easier to have huge fields with minimal input instead of working this field, then that one, then another, and caring for critters all the time.
I don't know all the financial aspects of those ways vs now but I know all the old timers had old, and much smaller, equipment that they repaired and maintained. Grandpa was the first one in the area to buy a round hay baler. I remember him going to other farms to help bale their hay with that baler. I remember neighbors working together to help bring crops in. I remember those farmers setting around the table chatting during meal breaks. It just seemed like things were better then. It might be because everthing seems better when you're a kid and you aren't jaded by the whole overwhelming concerns of life.

These are excellent points. Watch out for attacks now. Common sense isn’t always appreciated.

 

[HDRider]

I guess my view on modern farming is a bit skewed. I grew up in an area where most farmers raised multiple crops in small fields divided by hedgerows, wire fences, and stone piles. I watched the fencerows get torn out to make way for huge fields that were planted in corn one year, soybeans the next, corn, beans, etc, etc, etc. I watched farmers go from growing food for their livestock and letting said livestock clean up after harvest to seeing confined feeding operations surrounded by corn/soybean fields. In my mind the old ways were simpler and nicer to look at. They didn't depend on one crop because there were several crops and livestock to spread the risks. Of course that way of farming was a lot more work. It's a lot easier to have huge fields with minimal input instead of working this field, then that one, then another, and caring for critters all the time.
I don't know all the financial aspects of those ways vs now but I know all the old timers had old, and much smaller, equipment that they repaired and maintained. Grandpa was the first one in the area to buy a round hay baler. I remember him going to other farms to help bale their hay with that baler. I remember neighbors working together to help bring crops in. I remember those farmers setting around the table chatting during meal breaks. It just seemed like things were better then. It might be because everthing seems better when you're a kid and you aren't jaded by the whole overwhelming concerns of life.

That is how I grew up too. Long gone but never forgotten as long as I live. I remember like it was yesterday when we left the farm. I stood in the yard and bawled my eyes out until all my tears were gone. I was 14.

 

[HDRider]

We grew watermelons, cantaloupes, wheat, cotton, soybeans and rye.

I had the best childhood a kid could have.

 

[Danaus29]

That is how I grew up too. Long gone but never forgotten as long as I live. I remember like it was yesterday when we left the farm. I stood in the yard and bawled my eyes out until all my tears were gone. I was 14.

It was years before I could partly forgive my mother for taking us kids and moving out of her parent's house. I still hold a bit of a grudge about it.

 

[HDRider]

It was years before I could partly forgive my mother for taking us kids and moving out of her parent's house. I still hold a bit of a grudge about it.

I never blamed my parents. I saw how hard they worked. Both of them had off farm jobs and still farmed full time. We were on the edge of "get big or get out".

Coming back here after being away for almost 40 years, and off the farm for 51 years, farming is unrecognizable to me. The expense, the size of the equipment, the use and overreliance of chemicals, the scale, the amount of land of a single farm, the volatility of the markets. That list could fill pages.

I would not trade places with a modern farmer for love or money. I would get out as soon as I could if I was in it now.

 

[Danaus29]

I never blamed my parents.

I would not have been so mad if Mom had stayed in the same area. The city where she moved was H***! I understand why she did it but never really got over it.
Yes, the farm was a LOT of work. But I loved it, even cleaning out the chicken coop and getting up before sunrise to feed the cows.
My grandparents both died on their farm, years later. They loved it and really didn't want to live anywhere else. Even after they retired from farming they both still puttered and grew a garden until they each passed.

 

[Supervisor42]

We grew watermelons, cantaloupes, wheat, cotton, soybeans and rye.

I had the best childhood a kid could have.

We raised Santa Gertrude cattle for years from when I was a pre-teen.
When they went to market, the buyers all knew they would dress out as USDA Prime, and bid accordingly.
I have seen the prices of on-the-hoof cattle lately, and am baffled that a lot of soybean fields aren't being plowed under and planted with grass for cattle to graze on. 😟
Grow money, not bushels of beans to be sold for pennies.

 

[Danaus29]

It's too much work to keep up with the fencing. Easier to dump grain in a trough than to let cattle out to graze.

 

[Supervisor42]

Raising cattle is too much work?
You want to harvest soybeans instead?
You will need more than one of these:

How much does the John Deere X9 cost? When it comes to high-end combines like the John Deere X9, pricing can vary depending on several factors. The X9 is available in several different models, and can range from $600,000 to $1 million or more, depending on the specifications and features.

Buy 2 today, and get 10% off!! 🤪
... Of course, you already have several large tractors, several people to run them, and unlimited diesel, to plow and plant 1,000 acres of soybeans. You will be just fine!

 

[Danaus29]

Raising cattle is too much work?
You want to harvest soybeans instead?
You will need more than one of these:

LOL, you misunderstood. I said "keep up with the fencing". Soybeans don't break down fences because the corn in the next field is in heat. Soybeans don't rub hair off on the fence, occasionally pushing over posts in the process. Soybeans don't decide to wander off when the electric fence stops working for whatever reason.

And yes, it is a lot more work to raise cattle than plant soybeans. When you raise soybeans you get winters off. You work like crazy planting, spraying, and harvesting but it's not a daily job.

You need equipment to raise cattle too. It's just not as obvious as the harvester, or the planting equipment which you didn't include.

 

[bacgly]

this is what the maga "folk" want

 

[HDRider]

this is what the maga "folk" want




View attachment 140000

Did your mommy not buy you a pony?