Hail farmers who feed us

It has been all too long since I posted a blog. It’s not that there isn’t anything going on…it has been extremely busy. We are getting ready for Relay for Life, Scouts is winding down for the season, and so are choir and AWANA at church. I will be ready for the summer break for sure this year.
Things are busy on the farm, too. Unlike the past couple of years they have been able to get on the fields early for planting. Here’s hoping we don’t get a late freeze or a sudden influx of rain to drown things. It is good to see life going on for another season on “Belly Acres”, as my husband calls the place. It amazes me how the place has been very productive for almost 120 years. My great grandparents bought the place in 1891. Even though it has been downsized fairly drastically the part we own is still very productive. I heartily disagree with those who criticize farmers from every direction. You’re ruining the earth with your farming practices whether you use chemical or “au naturel” (manure) type fertilizers. You are mistreating your animals if you have a beef,pork, or chicken operation. At times you wonder how much about farming some of these people actually know and understand who are making the rules. It is no wonder more and more farmers are selling out and the big what they want to call “factory farms” or CAFO’s (concentrated animal feeding operations) are becoming prevalent. With all the government regulations, poor prices for the crops or whatever is produced, and other factors family farms can no longer remain viable. Or they do with great difficulty. It is like the “mom and pop” type stores which can’t compete with the big chains. It is a shame what is happening and there are people who don’t want to admit the government interference as a factor. Here in Michigan we recently had the Governor declare a “Meat Free Day” through out the entire state. Don’t eat meat at all on this particular Saturday. It did not go over well with the population, particularly the farmers. They saw it as a slap in the face to the second or third largest industry in this badly hurting state. The howls of protest did reach the Governors ears and she changed the proclamation to “Agriculture Appreciation Day.” In California the irrigation water to one of the richest agricultural valleys in the state was shut off by the federal government because of a smelt type fish they said was endangered. Protests to Washington officials were ignored even when the Governor of California protested the move. The unemployment rate for the region quickly jumped to about 50 %! Pennsylvania had a very short lived law which stated no one under the age of eighteen could drive farm equipment on the road…not even the farmer’s children. Not even to cross the road if interpreted strictly. They couldn’t even drive a pick up truck to help with the work along with having to keep a log of the time they were driving in fields much like a truck driver keeps. Thank God this was quickly amended to not include farming.
There are times you wonder if people think the food at the grocery store just magically appears for them to buy. They don’t realize the work and expense behind how the food makes its journey from the field or barn to the store. Many farmers are carrying a lot of debt trying to stay in operation. The big buildings , equipment, and everything exist but how much of it is being paid for over many years? I know of a farming operation which had a manure spill. They reported themselves to the state which resulted in a $15,000 fine plus they had to build a new containment system which cost over $300,000. Not a small amount of money!! I know my opinion is biased with growing up on a farm and I will never be ashamed of being a farmer’s daughter. My family was never rich, but we had pride in what we did and what we produced. We were proud of the quality of milk we sent to the processor and the corn and wheat we sold at the elevator. Things have changed drastically since I was a kid with much more foreign competition in many markets. I pray each year as the growing season starts that our renters will have a good crop and no disease will go through their dairy herd. God bless our farmers!!!