National Farmers Union

[HDRider]

http://www.nfu.org/index.php

Can someone explain to me what the National Farmers Union is?

Are you a member?

 

[Bigfoot]

I read that, couldn't tell much about it. I remember a group in the 80's, and another in the 90's trying something similar. I can't remember the terminology the group in the 90's used, but they wanted commodity prices to be based on cost of production, not demand. In other words if it cost $400 to plant an acre of corn, they wanted corn to be valued some level to assure a profit. They had a name for it, but I can't remember what it was.

 

[HDRider]

It is very active with a $20 million dollar budget. I looked up the board member in my area and he is an insurance broker.

 

[Rafter S]

I read that, couldn't tell much about it. I remember a group in the 80's, and another in the 90's trying something similar. I can't remember the terminology the group in the 90's used, but they wanted commodity prices to be based on cost of production, not demand. In other words if it cost $400 to plant an acre of corn, they wanted corn to be valued some level to assure a profit. They had a name for it, but I can't remember what it was.

Socialism?

 

[Bigfoot]

I read that, couldn't tell much about it. I remember a group in the 80's, and another in the 90's trying something similar. I can't remember the terminology the group in the 90's used, but they wanted commodity prices to be based on cost of production, not demand. In other words if it cost $400 to plant an acre of corn, they wanted corn to be valued some level to assure a profit. They had a name for it, but I can't remember what it was.

Socialism?

They used another word, but yours sounds more precise.

 

[Aaron]

Any farmer's union member I ever knew was hard-core socialist, whether online or in-person. Basically works on the principle that the market, and especially inputs, should be price-manipulated to ensure a profit. I always found them to be the biggest whiners when it came to being a 'poor farmer'.

 

[HDRider]

Look here for a roster of their leadership. Do you know anything about any of these people?

http://www.nfu.org/about-nfu/leadership

 

[TexasBred]

I read that, couldn't tell much about it. I remember a group in the 80's, and another in the 90's trying something similar. I can't remember the terminology the group in the 90's used, but they wanted commodity prices to be based on cost of production, not demand. In other words if it cost $400 to plant an acre of corn, they wanted corn to be valued some level to assure a profit. They had a name for it, but I can't remember what it was.

Socialism?

They used another word, but yours sounds more precise.

Sounds like little more than "cost plus" marketing. Socialism on the other hand is based on setting quotes and paying incentives or bonus' for meeting quotes while at the same time having no idea what the markeet price for the products should be often resulting in under priced goods and shortages as well as a bankrupt gov't.

 

[Nesikep]

Well, I think if all the auto manufacturers and banks and insurance companies keep getting bailouts, I don't think some kind of price protection for farmers is a bad idea.

What I don't like is the double-standard in today's capitalism... For the little guy it's the usually rhetoric "It's supply and demand", and "survival of the fittest", and if you're a big guy it doesn't seem to apply, there's always a safety net.. AIG, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, GM, Chrysler. I think what I have a big issue with is with the way bailouts are not repaid (I certainly don't hear of it at least), and when the company makes a profit again it goes straight into the shareholder profits once again, and 20 years later the stocks are sky high, the big holders sell just before something happens and here comes another bailout... Meanwhile the public gets to pay off the debt.

 

[TexasBred]

Well, I think if all the auto manufacturers and banks and insurance companies keep getting bailouts, I don't think some kind of price protection for farmers is a bad idea.

What I don't like is the double-standard in today's capitalism... For the little guy it's the usually rhetoric "It's supply and demand", and "survival of the fittest", and if you're a big guy it doesn't seem to apply, there's always a safety net.. AIG, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, GM, Chrysler. I think what I have a big issue with is with the way bailouts are not repaid (I certainly don't hear of it at least), and when the company makes a profit again it goes straight into the shareholder profits once again, and 20 years later the stocks are sky high, the big holders sell just before something happens and here comes another bailout... Meanwhile the public gets to pay off the debt.

All those faithful GM stockholders who held on hoping for a miracle lost every penny when the gov't stepped in with the bailout. After running as Gov't Motors (but really owned by the union) for awhile it went public again and now has all new stockholders. GM claims to have paid back at least "some" of the bailout money. Finding that money might be a totally different task.


http://www.heritage.org/research/report ... mpensation

 

[HDRider]

I think the Farmers Union I am referring to is a US organization

 

[Nesikep]

Well the people who made millions off it probably didn't step back in unless they felt it was low enough.

Read up on Henry Ford and the battle he had with his shareholders when he wanted to improve something, they took him to court and won, because it wouldn't have been in the IMMEDIATE interest of the shareholders, though building a better product would have been good for the company in the long run... He ended up buying them out (I guess he had the means) and implementing the changes he wanted to before he went public again... I find that a big problem when CEO's can burn down the house for immediate profit (and get million upon million in bonuses for doing it) while it ultimately leads to the demise of the company... If the 'big 3' had paid a bit more attention to fuel economy and quality control in the 70's, Toyota and Honda would never have gotten the foot in the door. We had an '84 Toyota Tercel wagon for years, it never had as much as a hiccup in the electronics, every connector was VERY well sealed, as opposed to an equivalent car made here that had unsealed spade connectors on everything and thus gremlins everywhere.
I do agree than insane union demands has been really hard on all industry around here, but it's a shot in their own foot, now companies are scared to do anything here.. They'll just make it in China... Now they've killed the goose and they have NO work and they're probably lucky to have a job slinging fries..

 

[TexasBred]

CEO's seldom burn down the company. They're usually just high paid figureheads. Board members holding the proxies of most of the stockholders make the major decisions and seldom know dam little about the business to begin with and are seldom responsible "personally" anything...only in their capacity as a board member. Most can't pronounce, let alone define fiduciary responsibility.

 

[Nesikep]

Well, if you look at Apple, I know that in his tenure, things weren't always rosy with Steve Jobs, nevertheless, he was hands-on as much as he could be.. Everything about every product (as far as what the consumer is going to experience) he had input on.. whether it was the corners being too sharp or the wrong shade of white, he was going to have a say about it.. All in all look where it started and where it ended up, pretty much all by his hand.
Chrysler had a CEO like that (can't remember his name.. Asian sounding), who 'invented' the minivan and saved Chrysler from certain bankruptcy.. or at least granted a stay of execution.

 

[M5farm]

LEE IACOCCA

 

[Nesikep]

That's it! Thanks

 

[pa farmhand]

http://www.nfu.org/index.php

Can someone explain to me what the National Farmers Union is?

Are you a member?

The heck i would join any kind of group that would tell me how what or when to do anything. I get enough of that BS with the goverment

 

[sim.-ang.king]

http://www.nfu.org/index.php

Can someone explain to me what the National Farmers Union is?

Are you a member?

The heck i would join any kind of group that would tell me how what or when to do anything. I get enough of that BS with the goverment

I'll second that...