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Here is a recent article about a neighbor of mine.
She and I used to be vendors in the same Farmer's Market.
Single, 3 children, farmer, supporting her family with no town job.
Obviously, the article has no information on mortgages, debt, how much she was left with in the bank, does she have health insurance for the 3 kids and if so, how she can afford it etc. All we know is that she "suddenly" lost the husband (left, died?) and that she has 3 kids and a farm. For all I know Sarah is well to do and brought lots of money from the city to start the farm...
Interesting concept - a "grow pair"! Makes sense, though, for a single mom of 3. Seems Maine produces a lot of very creative and determined people. Now there is a woman who had every excuse to pack up and move kids and baggage to the city, for a paying job. But no; she is finding a way to stay on the farm she loves, as well as raise her 3 kids in a much more wholesome atmosphere. Kudos to her!
Do you know this woman? Do you know her financial situation? Her bank account? Funny how you jumped to the conclusions
Here is a recent article about a neighbor of mine.
She and I used to be vendors in the same Farmer's Market.
Single, 3 children, farmer, supporting her family with no town job.
According to the article, it appears she has a computer business:
It was a lot to take on, and she became what she described as a “computer farmer.†Days were spent running the business and overseeing employees and interns but not actually doing production work — not exactly what she had in mind when she began farming professionally.
Does that reference working the farm as a business or another business she has?
I know a lot of folks that own farms and ranches, but for many, payday comes once a year so the rest of the year they either run off of operating loans, or either Dad or Mom has a town job on the side.
In some cases, it isn't due to necessity, but because the wife usually, doesn't like the isolation and wants to have a job so they can jabber with other women all day while still getting a paycheck for some pocket money or for buying new outfits and shoes.
Some places, yeah, it is a necessity that one work in town, but these days I see more professional farmers and ranchers that are skilled businessmen that work all the angles and do make a pretty good living at it.
On the other side of the equation, we have what we call "government farmers" because they work the system to basically farm the government for money. As an example, there was a government program for several years called the CRP where farmers were paid to let some of their land lie fallow, and the government would pay them what their crops would have brought in. There were farmers that bought some of the most useless, dry, rocky land you ever saw, and put it into CRP while they continued to farm their good ground. They got a lot more money that way, and even if they did put productive land into the CRP, they still made more money because they didn't have to buy fuel or equipment, no seeds or fertilizers, no weed killer, no hours in the field, so it was pure profit.
I don't know if that program still exists, but there was a big push for it by the eco-nut groups because it "returned the land to a more natural state", so if the eco-nazis are for it, then there is a lot of political backing for that kind of thing, and a farmer would be a fool to turn down such a cash cow.
According to the article, it appears she has a computer business:
It was a lot to take on, and she became what she described as a “computer farmer.†Days were spent running the business and overseeing employees and interns but not actually doing production work — not exactly what she had in mind when she began farming professionally.
Does that reference working the farm as a business or another business she has?
She blogs, their CSA is online, and she has been active on forums.
Quote:
... I know a lot of folks that own farms and ranches, but for many, payday comes once a year so the rest of the year they either run off of operating loans, or either Dad or Mom has a town job on the side.
In some cases, it isn't due to necessity, but because the wife usually, doesn't like the isolation and wants to have a job so they can jabber with other women all day while still getting a paycheck for some pocket money or for buying new outfits and shoes.
Some places, yeah, it is a necessity that one work in town, but these days I see more professional farmers and ranchers that are skilled businessmen that work all the angles and do make a pretty good living at it.
On the other side of the equation, we have what we call "government farmers" because they work the system to basically farm the government for money. As an example, there was a government program for several years called the CRP where farmers were paid to let some of their land lie fallow, and the government would pay them what their crops would have brought in. There were farmers that bought some of the most useless, dry, rocky land you ever saw, and put it into CRP while they continued to farm their good ground. They got a lot more money that way, and even if they did put productive land into the CRP, they still made more money because they didn't have to buy fuel or equipment, no seeds or fertilizers, no weed killer, no hours in the field, so it was pure profit.
I don't know if that program still exists, but there was a big push for it by the eco-nut groups because it "returned the land to a more natural state", so if the eco-nazis are for it, then there is a lot of political backing for that kind of thing, and a farmer would be a fool to turn down such a cash cow.
The article says 'interns'. Technically they mean 'Apprentices'. There are 150+ farms here that have apprentices.
Thank you for the clarification. The article was pretty vague except the part about trying to get a "grow pair" to watch the kids.
A ''grow pair'' is a new one for me. I have heard of an au pair. I don't trust people who claim to be smart and successful but can't use language correctly.
Five thousand dollars is a mighty small bank balance for a successful entrepreneur or anyone else. I doubt that anyone here has less than five thousand cash.
Last edited by Happy in Wyoming; 04-29-2015 at 11:35 PM..
A ''grow pair'' is a new one for me. I have heard of an au pair. I don't trust people who claim to be smart and successful but can't use language correctly.
Five thousand dollars is a mighty small bank balance for a successful entrepreneur or anyone else. I doubt that anyone here has less than five thousand cash.
At first I thought the article stated "grow a pair" which has an entirely different meaning...but it's actually an au pair but on a farm setting, hence the "grow pair" term.
Unfortunately, news articles seldom discuss anyone's personal finances. So, we don't know their income or cash flow numbers, nor their mortgage or debt levels either, let alone their bank balances or whether their kids have health insurance. Mind you, some "enquiring minds" would like to know such details before begrudging the subject their due status as a successful entrepreneur.
I, too, am certain that the lady in the article has much more than $5K in the bank. It seems impossible to run an enterprise on that scale, without multiples of that. She does need to meet payroll, after all.
Some places, yeah, it is a necessity that one work in town, but these days I see more professional farmers and ranchers that are skilled businessmen that work all the angles and do make a pretty good living at it...we have what we call "government farmers" because they work the system to basically farm the government for money.
I don't know if that program still exists, but there was a big push for it by the eco-nuts because it "returned the land to a more natural state", so if the eco-nazis are for it, then there is a lot of political backing for that kind of thing, and a farmer would be a fool to turn down such a cash cow.
A fool, indeed, to turn down such a cash cow! I should look into that program. You know...after just having a new house installed on my new land, I'm a little short on cash and my "discretionary income" has taken a big hit, so a program like that may be just what the doctor ordered....
And hey, if it keeps the eco-nazis happy, then I'm 100% for it as well! After all, the earth is in such dire shape with all this "global warming" and "climate change" that it certainly needs to be "returned to a more natural state". Heaven forbid, that anyone actually use the land for productive purposes...they might harm it, y'know? So yeah, a program like that, sounds like something I should look into!
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I don't trust people who claim to be smart and successful but can't use language correctly.
and my "discretionary income" has taken a big hit, so a program like that may be just what the doctor ordered....
So yeah, a program like that, sounds like something I should look into! 
