There has been much talk in the beery world about the escalation of the price of hops and barley but the upside is that if you want to farm all of a sudden you may be able to make a living:
Experts with no stake in the argument say ethanol has indeed contributed to rising food costs, but that is only one among several factors. Higher fuel costs are driving up the expense of growing and transporting food. And strong economic growth abroad is increasing demand for agricultural commodities, allowing once-destitute people to augment their diets with meat and dairy. It is also a tough time, politically, to make a case against ethanol. With continuing turmoil in the Middle East, sky-high gas prices and presidential candidates stumping in Iowa, the heart of the Corn Belt, a new renewable fuel standard has plenty of supporters on Capitol Hill.Hmmm...new products to grow and new markets to sell to. Where's my overalls?
Comments
Sean Liddle - December 19, 2007 9:03 AM
Its funny. Living for years in the Belleville area I was around a lot of kids and adults who grew up on farms. I found that those that treated it like a business rather than a callouses and hard work ethic lifestyle were wealthy and content. Hence, all of my friends of dutch heritage being better off than those of nose-to-the-grindstone anglo-heritage. Someone who planned well could very easily I think make a good living as a ethanol crop farmer or any one of a number of "new" to North America crops methinks.
Paul of Suffolk - December 19, 2007 11:58 AM
Even treating it as a business I suspect it's still bloody hard work. There's no money to be made wearing overalls, unless you are a plumber.
Sean Liddle - December 19, 2007 12:44 PM
Paul I beg to disagree at least from my own vantage point. Small family farmers, such as my father in law, typically keep it small and manageable, and usually not exceedingly profitable. I walk around and look about and see so many ways that the family farm could expand, diversify or change methods to be more efficient, but to someone who has done the same thing for decades (if not generations) it is more than daunting to consider any risk or change.
Also, to small family farmers, again in my experience, the big operational farms are looked down upon, perhaps in disdain, jealousy or envy, but still, not truly respected, yet the big farms are very profitable. Methinks if someone were to start out with a business-minded attitude, one would do well and could possibly do well without having to don said coveralls all that often because one would likely hire persons to do that for them.