Friday, August 30, 2013

I'm Such a Prophet





I been saying it for years now, preaching it here and everywhere and I am still convinced small scale farming is the future.

It's pretty easy to see it coming.  The large mono-crop and heavily transportation dependent way we have been doing things for the last century is coming to a close. The infra-structure alone needed for this type of production cannot be maintained without cheap energy and armies of contractors. When we have another serious oil interruption and the mandatory "agricultural industry first" methods of rationing comes back, like it did in the 70's, all the new urban and especially suburban dwellers will scream bloody murder.

Oh I know it's a very slow, gradual process and not easy to see from a day to day standpoint but as I have noted already local produce can now compete closely enough with the transported stuff. Cost is the first obstacle to fall. There will be others.

Many people are seeing the business opportunity as well it seems.

BBC News - Professionals quitting the rat race to become farmers

"This has become a viable career," adds Mr Connors. "There's lots of people in New England and California who run successful small businesses on their farms. As it's become a more viable profession, I think more people are considering it." 

The above article speaks mostly of financial reasons for the trend but I believe it has many other appealing qualities. Social engineering and biased Affirmative Action laws are causing thousands of Men especially, to look to a future of their own making. They can't compete in the un-level playing field of today's employment. Organic farming is an area that the government tends to stay out of, at least in some states and in as many ways as it does other industries. It also lends itself better to adjusting to an underground economy if it ever comes to that.

There are a few other aspects to small farming I believe is being over looked in the article. Small farming is going to need to be anything but a mono-crop or even a mono-variety affair. Not only is the small farmer going to need to grow a variety of vegetables but his or her small farm will need livestock, fruit and hay or fodder to stay viable. Moving from one form of making money to another especially in the more Northern areas.

It's going to take skills and years of experience to rediscover the ways of small farming.

But most of all it is going to take an entirely different attitude towards debt and money management. The days of subsidizing and agricultural loans are also coming to an end. The Small farmer will need to count on many different crops and items bringing in operating capital on almost a year round basis. No more big payoffs for one harvest like we see today and then riding out the rest of the year.

No Small farmers will need to become jacks of all trades. Selling vegetables in the Summer months, hay over the Winter and livestock in the Spring (or other times depending on type). Perhaps having a constant fresh egg supply to sell or firewood. You get the idea.

It's a fledgling industry once again and yes there are outside events that could change the direction I see us going but unless we find a brand new energy source I don't see the outcome changing.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!

 




9 comments:

  1. The farmers around here are a disgrace to agriculture, they do what the government tells them to do. They have abandoned plowing, cultivating and rotating crops, it is a sad thing to see. Compacted soil and sorry looking crops. The tax payers are funding this foolishness so really food isn't as cheap as people think.

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    1. The last sentence in your post applies to many circumstances. I had this dumb neighbor crooning about she hired Mexiturds to do a cheap job. Well great, seems cheap, but in the end, the idiot's taxes are paying for Medicaid for these turds, WIC, food stamps.

      Cheap is expensive in the long haul

      White Mom in VA

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    2. Ya nothing is free, these days it's just passing the buck. No till especially means more herbicides but no one ever seems to mention that.

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  2. If we go to small scale farming won't that make food cost more?? Farmers will be planting less so less into the market place?? I can see more folks planting more gardens for themselves and not selling. Am I missing something??

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    1. Rob - Well the price of oil will mean higher produce prices regardless. Once the big ag subsidies are gone then real food prices would appear. There are many reasons why Americans pay much less for food than the rest of the world.

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  3. Small scale farming is a great way to take care of your family and use the extra to sell or barter along the way. I believe those who have been prepping will know how to get things moving to help themselves. As for the every day person who relies on the grocery store or restaurants to provide everything to feed their families they won't have a clue on how to plant or provide.

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    1. Sandy - No they won't. And also the big modern day farmers are going to be lost as well. Without their big machines and liquid helpers they will be doomed. I guess they do have an advantage of knowing what it would take without those and how nature is suppose to work but it will be a shock to their system.

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  4. The CEO of the company I worked for had a brother who is a big agro-business guy. His primary concern is harvesting government subsidies, and he's become very rich doing it. Producing crops is a long way second with him.

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    1. HF - Ya I have daily contact with a few of those around here. I have noticed some things though. The last few years the high dollar purchases have decreased for them. Why this year their children are running around on last years four wheelers that is a change and no new truck this year or tractor either.

      Things are balancing out it's just taking a while.

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