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Take it one step further, spend your weekends hunting, fishing, gardening and raising livestock(a few chickens can be raised in even the most modest of yards.) Way better for the environment, way tastier, possibly cheaper(hunting trips can be expensive.)
there is something many of you are forgetting, many people do not live in Aggie states and do not have farms near by. This plan seems simple, but would be very complexed. For those who want to buy from local producers, do so..
JerseyG, glad you can get your corn from the truck for .50 an ear, here it is from .75 to $1.00. That is a hell of a lot for people on fixed incomes or those who have families.
I laugh when I see people writing about going back to the land! I grew up on a 160 acre farm in the 60's. Even then Dad had a job in town ( after milking 30 head) and grandps worked the rest if the farm all day untill dad got home to help milk again. If you have a 160 today both you and the wife better have good paying jobs in town......I only have a 20 and it's frigging hard work just taking care of a few calves, chickens and horses after a long day at a regular job....... The majority of city people I know would be crying if they had to work that hard...
boy do you have that right; on occassion we will visit some of the local farms around here. Because I can all my own food or most of it, I buy from the farmers when they have want I need. It saves money and supports them. I am always amazed how hard they work, especially in the hot summer months. When I do buy from them I always thank them for the effort they put into what they produce..
People see so many things thru rose colored glasses.
Yup, I go once a week when the kids are in school, in NJ it is against the law to sell raw milk so I go to PA. I get raw milk, eggs, butter, meat, yogurt and produce. All of it fresh, no crap in it and tastes great. I pay more for the stuff but to me it is worth it. I keep a farmer working and I get healthier stuff. The milk alone is worth it. Raw milk is AMAZING. Once you drink it you will never want the crap they sell in the store again.
Where do you go in PA to find the raw milk, dcadca? Are you near Philly? I'm an hour+ from Philly; I'd make the drive to find the raw milk. Thanks.
The fact is, you do not understand farming. A small farm cannot survive today. It is far to expensive to run - and cannot produce enough to be profitable.
The above are facts PL.
That is the reality today. But in large part it's because of the feds, who favor the large farms (with regulations, subsidies, etc.) and free trade with the third world, resulting in increased imports.
If you look back, you'll see that I wasn't the one saying that buying an ear of corn would be $5.
I simply said I wouldn't mind paying that if it kept my fellow Americans employed.
Anyone with COMMON SENSE can see I wasn't the one who said it will cost $5.
Take your misdirected rant somewhere else.
I replied to your post where you said you wouldn't mind. No misdirection.
Would you mind spending $10 for a gallon of gas if it kept fellow Americans employed?
How about we create smaller local farms and pay the workers a living wage?
The cows will be fed on grass instead of corn and we'll see less E. Coli outbreaks.
We need to have a safer food supply and we also need smaller farms.
We need to stop subsidizing corn and start subsidizing fruits and vegetables. It's a shame that you can buy a hamburger for less money than a pound of brocolli. So many people want to talk about "personal responsibility" when it comes to health care but no one talks about how heavily subsidized corn is. Corn is in our sodas, our burgers, diapers, and some of our medicines (Motrin).
If you've seen the movie Food Inc. , you'll know what I'm talking about.
Sounds like the cultural revolutions of Mao and Pol Pot. Those both worked out very well.
Here are some sad facts-
1. Food poisoning was much greater prior to the advent of refrigeration, pesticides, and preservatives.
2. There is ZERO nutritional or health benefits from "organic" food, according to NEJM.
3. Corn is in our food, medicine, and burgers. Of course it is. Would you prefer soy? If so, production could be switched to soy (as many farmers already rotate) for some unknown reason to placate those who fear corn. Soda could be sweetened with sugar (many do now- ever have a Jones soda?) if that would make you feel better as well.
4. Broccoli and many vegetables do not have the same consumer market as corn. We could grow alot of it, yet we would have to burn it for fuel, as there is no market for mass produced broccoli (and other vegetables), nor can it be stored as easily as corn and soybeans. Take a field trip to the midwest US or Brazil.
5. Smaller farms can no longer operate due to the very high cost of machinery. Combines cost $300K and midwestern farmers with acerage of less than a thousand acres simply cannot afford to farm any longer. Just how then, would you propose, making farms smaller? The federal subsidies required for such inefficiency would be enormous and dwarf any healthcare spending.
6. Most of the E-coli outbreaks in the US have come from imported Mexican food. Could you remind me who started NAFTA?
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