"Loss of US Farms".....aka......The Sky is Falling

[mrj]

Government statistics may not be perfect, but are the best available and is far more valid than all you whiners who persist in claims that we are losing farmers so fast we soon will have none left but 'corporates', due to societal and governmental and business 'meanies' intentionally making it impossible for everyone who thinks they would like to be a farmer to make a living off 10 cows! Which I admit is a slight exaggeration to make a point......which you, of course, will fail to understand.

There still are people optimistic about farming and ranching, and some of them will succeed. Maybe more could if those of you who are so sure manipulation is the cause of all our problems would get out of the way and give young people with optimism and brains room to grow!

mrj

 

[RobertMac]

Government statistics may not be perfect, but are the best available and is far more valid than all you whiners who persist in claims that we are losing farmers so fast we soon will have none left but 'corporates', due to societal and governmental and business 'meanies' intentionally making it impossible for everyone who thinks they would like to be a farmer to make a living off 10 cows! Which I admit is a slight exaggeration to make a point......which you, of course, will fail to understand.

There still are people optimistic about farming and ranching, and some of them will succeed. Maybe more could if those of you who are so sure manipulation is the cause of all our problems would get out of the way and give young people with optimism and brains room to grow!

mrj

mrj, I think you have gotten lost in your own smoke and mirrors, but if you take off your rose colored glasses, you may see more clearly.

I think this was the quote that cause the one beginning this thread...

In 1985, the beef industry had over one million producers...today we have about 750,000. NCBA/CBB has lost one fourth of their constituents...shouldn't that be a concern? Over that same time, beef has lost market share in the protein market...shouldn't that be a concern? Isn't it time to, at least, discuss a change in tactics??????

I could have been more clear in that I was referring to COW/CALF producers, not farmers in general. The quoted source for these numbers was Cattle-Fax.

Cattle-Fax said the bottom line was that the current beef cow herd is the smallest since 1991 and the 2007 calf crop is the smallest since 1951.

Beef imports have increased over this time...one has to wonder how many of the 250,000 lost cow/calf producers were replaced by producers in another country. Why do you think the global packers are in countries that produce cattle at a lower cost??????? This is not a slap at Canadians because you are in the same boat as USA producers...we aren't the world's low cost producers(at least most of y'all aren't :wink: ).

Yes, there are producers succeeding...those above average in production efficiency and those of us working outside box going directly to consumers with a product they are asking for.

 

[mrj]

Ooops! So, I don't speed read as well as I wish. Sorry for any inconvenience you have experienced over my mistake.

However, I do think that info interesting from the viewpoint we hear those complaints about nearly all agriculture frequntly here and in other media, indicating many people do not know the facts of the situation.

Does my error change the fact that one decent cowboy can care for many more cattle today than in even the not too distant past?

Another good question well may be "how many of those 'displaced' cattle producers have actually gone to another country to produce cattle under less onerous government environmental, and other regulations"?

Are you saying none of the packers involved in other countries are there ONLY to undercut US producers..........that none of them are there to be in better physical position to serve the rapidly growing GLOBAL MARKET for beef????

Among the successful cattle producers including yourself, you omitted those who produce a superior product who are very likely not least cost or even above average in production efficiency, for a larger than local market. And probably at least several other scenarios. There still are many ways to succeed in the cattle business, as long as we remain at least as 'free' of government interference as we are today, and would be more if we could regain some of our former freedoms.

mrj