Think you’re a farmer? Not according to this you ain’t!

[JMJ Farms]

I'm all for advocating for what you believe in. But some of this BS is so far fetched that I can't even begin to understand even a small portion of the rationale. I think that's bc there is no rationale!

Excerpt:
In addition to attacking the budding generation of agriculturalists, activists also targeted farmers. Velez-Mitchell referred to farmers as "warehouse workers" trapped in indentured servitude to animal agriculture.

Article:
https://www.drovers.com/article/ag-alliance-reports-farmed-animal-conference-e-summit?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTldGaE9EazFOMkUyTTJObSIsInQiOiI2YUlGVVQ4VkplM2ZONTlMOGhzTXVEZFo2S1Z3UnA5RDIxa0VJZTVoMzZYc2c2RmRPZEFvUGVWS0N6N2RhZTR0RlZ1czVEZ1A3RmpWTElxdE5lTTVidHBid21jVGlcL1YxSm90RVhvdEtYb1NcL2FBXC9EOWc2K2NrY0cyOWRGSDJiOCJ9

 

[TCRanch]

Idiots.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Idiots.

That sums it up.

 

[Dave]

I never have thought of myself as a farmer. In this part of the world farmers are those who till the ground and raise crops. I have never done that. I am a rancher (small potatoes one) and when I was younger I was a cowboy.

 

[shaz]

The vegetarian diet is a by product of the last 70yrs. There is nothing sustainable about it.

How do they think top soil is created?

 

[Rafter S]

I never have thought of myself as a farmer. In this part of the world farmers are those who till the ground and raise crops. I have never done that. I am a rancher (small potatoes one) and when I was younger I was a cowboy.

I never did either until someone (probably here) pointed out that we're all grass farmers. We're just using the cattle to harvest it.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I never have thought of myself as a farmer. In this part of the world farmers are those who till the ground and raise crops. I have never done that. I am a rancher (small potatoes one) and when I was younger I was a cowboy.

I never did either until someone (probably here) pointed out that we're all grass farmers. We're just using the cattle to harvest it.

That's Caustic's favorite saying and one of the first things I remember reading when I first joined here. There's a lot of truth to it.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Grass in front and bull in back is another timeless gem.

 

[sstterry]

That's Caustic's favorite saying and one of the first things I remember reading when I first joined here. There's a lot of truth to it.

What was that, like 50 years ago?

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

User avatarTennesseeTuxedo
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According to my profile I've been here since 2011. Not sure how long he's been saying it.

 

[jltrent]

Kick a cattle farmer while they are down, looks like to me.

 

[Dave]

User avatarTennesseeTuxedo
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According to my profile I've been here since 2011. Not sure how long he's been saying it.

I have been here since July of 04. CB has been here since Sept 04. I think he has been saying it ever since he showed up. But I did read it in the SGF before I heard it from him.

 

[MO-Ruminants]

The article is twisted and unnatural, but there is some truth to the part about indentured servants.

I'm thinking of the large-scale concentration camp chicken houses.

Farmer loans $$Millions to build 2 houses
Fills them with 40,000 birds each
Receives however many pennies profit per bird that "Big Chicken Company" deems appropriate
Says "Thank you, Daddy...may I please have some more?"

With enormous debt loads, they are at the mercy of of "Big Chicken Company". Feudal serfs, if you will.

 

[Hardnosecattleco]

I've just considered myself as a slave to my animals and my land.

 

[farmerjan]

The big chicken houses are not all terrible. Have a son of a dairy farmer that put up 2 that supply eggs for the hatcheries for the broiler chicks. Yes he has huge payments, but the first year he pocketed a bigger paycheck after expenses than his dad did from the dairy... and the dairy's land is paid for (several generations on this land). Plus he got over a 4,000 bonus for his hatchability of the eggs... so is managing the hens/roosters/ etc right. And he works part-time at a fence building company because they are desperate for help and his brother conned him into putting in an app and he has a flexible schedule and works it around the houses.
I don't necessarily like the houses, but know too many dairy farmers that added them to their operations in order to be able to stay on the land.

 

[Dave]

The article is twisted and unnatural, but there is some truth to the part about indentured servants.

I'm thinking of the large-scale concentration camp chicken houses.

Farmer loans $$Millions to build 2 houses
Fills them with 40,000 birds each
Receives however many pennies profit per bird that "Big Chicken Company" deems appropriate
Says "Thank you, Daddy...may I please have some more?"

With enormous debt loads, they are at the mercy of of "Big Chicken Company". Feudal serfs, if you will.

I had a friend who had several big houses. He got to be to vocal at the state fryer commission meeting. There is two big chicken companies in Washington. The one he was raising for dropped him. The other wouldn't give him a contract. He went belly up. Funny that the person who bought his farm out of bankruptcy got a contract with the company who dropped my friend.

 

[farmerjan]

Yes, they will control things, and yes they have you by the ba//s.... if you are too vocal about some things they can and will cut you off at the knees.... but there are alot of good farmers that have them to help with the cash flow, and can get them paid off fairly well. The problem is that they will often "require you" to do upgrades or make changes right about the time they are paid off, so in essence you are at their mercy. But I know that several dairy farms would have gone out and probably lost their farm and land if they hadn't gone to the poultry houses.
And one thing, you do get a break inbetween flocks.... broilers it was about 7-10 days, but now is up to 14-21 days... they layers are out for about a month. It's not perfect by any means.... but it has it's pluses too.