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This Corn Was Not Roundup Ready !

colson04

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2016
Messages
2,057
Location
Delton, Michigan
I personally have never received government assistance or payments. I take it kind of personally when others accuse that we all do.

When the ag service company killed off our non roundup crops or miss apply our nitrogen, it had nothing to do with our directions. They have a computer system that tracks what is planted where for each client. They knew what we had, and where we had it planted because it was their recommendation. We hire them specifically to watch over the crops for pests, plan our fertilizer program, help select crop varieties to be planted, perform soil analysis on a regular basis and to apply various sprays as necessary to maximize production. It's not much different than hiring a shop to perform Preventative Maintenance and service on someone's fleet of trucks (or cranes). If the shop used the wrong lubricant to the detriment of an engine or failed to perform a proper allignment and prematurely wore out tires or some such thing, the owner of the equipment that is paying for the service would demand some sort of recompense for the shops inability to do what they were paid for.

There's a lot of money on the line no matter who's business it is or what the business is. When a service provider makes an internal communication error or fails to properly perform it can quickly take you from mild profit to sharp loss. We never went bankrupt because of it, but it was certainly an unexpected blow that limited our bottom line. Any company, no matter the industry, can relate and feel that pain. And no, crop insurance does not help in those situations. It basically only protects the farmer in event of catastrophic loss like hail.

As for CRP, I don't know of any farmer that owns land that participates. I know several non-farming land owners that do, and it's the land owner that gets that check. It equates to the cost of land rent, which is about $100/acre in our area. With all the dairy in my area competing for acreage, there aren't any local farmers giving up something they can put manure on. Same goes with the set aside program. It's just not happening here.
 

PJ The Kid

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
230
Location
KC
Occupation
Mechanic
I don't know--- seems like I pay for all my own screw ups, but farmers can get paid quite a bit for not doing their job. If we've got too many cranes around- think I could get uncle sam to send me a check for cranes that I park this year and don't use? (CRP- LDP payments anyone?)

Maybe instead of mandating we put corn alcohol in all our fuel, we should mandate that all construction jobsites have a crane on them, whether its cost effective or not, or what it does to crane rental prices..., heck lets put 3 cranes on every site, and a excavator, a backhoe, dozer, and a forklift, with a man to run each one. Four or five supervisors too. Safety first. It will be good for the planet.

Then again, if I had to put up with all the gov't paperwork for the hand outs, I'd probably do nothing but whine and complain about how bad I have it with low prices, no rain, and high input costs.....

All in good fun to you farmers, honestly, I don't think I'd trade places with any of you. I've actually got it pretty good myself. I don't have to worry about whether the govt is going to bail me out, because I know they're not going to, so I don't loose sleep worrying about it...
Sounds like the local iuoe around here.
 

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,274
Location
sw missouri
I personally have never received government assistance or payments. I take it kind of personally when others accuse that we all do.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but the agriculture in this country is subsidized, heavily, whether you want to admit it or not.

If you borrow money at the start of the year for input costs, the banker makes you have crop insurance. No insurance company will back the kind of losses we have yearly in the US somewhere due to flood/ drought, hail, or whatever- so uncle sam takes the hit.

I just spent a couple days in Illinois, they were terrible wet this spring, everything got planted twice, corn is barely tasseling out, will have poor yields this fall. They all replant, because the crop insurance payments are structured that they do.

In my case, crane insurance is pretty expensive, but uncle sam won't back that directly (they are in a roundabout way, through federal backed investments of the insurance industry in general). So you're not buying crop insurance? If you're not, whoever grows the feed for your livestock is.

If I'm sitting at a stop light with a 10' wide crane on my lowboy, I've just bought $160 worth of permits, for one round trip. If I'm sitting beside a farmer at that light, with a identical lowboy with a 10' wide combine, he hasn't bought a dime worth of permits, because he's "farming". So you've never traveled down a road with anything over 8' wide and you bought permits? Dual's, hay mower, nothing?

So it isn't a advantage to a farmer/ or the landowner, when ag ground with a value of $8,000 per acre isn't taxed at the same rate as house lots with a value of $8,000 / acre? Or my commercial/ industrial tax rate for my yard and building where I park my cranes? That is basically a machine shed that I park equipment in, but I'm not ag, I'm "commercial". That benefits all farming, whether they write you the check directly, or not.

I just spent $5,000 for plates/ tags etc, on my trucks, farm tags would be way cheaper.

Don't get me wrong, the gov't has a vested interest in cheap food in this country, and I could chose to farm, but I don't. That's my choice- America is a great place.

Farmers struggle too, to take the chance to plant each spring, pray it grows, that it rains, and take the same chance again next year. That's not everyone's cup of tea, and has risks all its own.

Government drives the construction industry too, we build apartments for subsidized housing all the time. All the road, water, sewer work, has usually got a grant involved. After the Joplin tornado, all the schools around here got new gyms, thanks to fema, built as storm shelters. USDA just loaned out $7million here in town, to build ballfields for little kids- to help health in this country. I benefit from all of that.

It's a messed up world, and I don't want to get into the politics of it, that's not what this site is about. I try not to let it pass when someone thinks that they are a "independent" farmer, and cry about all the other "welfare" programs. I grew up in the middle of Iowa, grandpa and uncle were both farmers (late 80's ended my uncle), I spent till I was in my late 20's building grain structures on farms. Which we wouldn't have had any business at the time, without the government helping the crop farmers with ldp payments because prices were so low, for some of that time.

So indirectly, I spent a good portion of my life, feeding at that trough too.....
 

Hobbytime

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2016
Messages
709
Location
usa
crane, I think part of your frustration is between the mom and pop farm that takes a beating on losses and what not compared to the big corporate farms that do get all kinds of government assistance..in my state N.Y. the dairy farmers get hosed on a regular basis by the BIG dairies that milk thousands of head and rep the benefit of all kinds of grant money and assistance that the little guy doesnt get...but if you look at all industry,,the BIG corporations find all the loopholes and money coming back to them, where the little guy may get a few crumbs, but not usually...this year I know a few friends that had to replant sweet corn all at their own expense..no crop insurance no government assistance...why we ask..well it all comes down to who sends the politicians a big campaign check...unfortunately everything revolves around politics and $$$$..
 

Planedriver

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2017
Messages
131
Location
Central Michigan
Occupation
Farmer
I have no interest in fueling a battle here but...... Many of the posts in this thread are riddled with misinformation and half truths.

The one common flavor that I agree with is the fact there is too much government manipulation in agriculture. Politicians have known for a long time that if they control food they control the population.
 

check

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
800
Location
in the mail
I have no interest in fueling a battle here but...... Many of the posts in this thread are riddled with misinformation and half truths.

The one common flavor that I agree with is the fact there is too much government manipulation in agriculture. Politicians have known for a long time that if they control food they control the population.
Monsanto and government are inextricably intertwined. They're both control freaks and the government regulators are Monsanto people.
 

lantraxco

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
7,704
Location
Elsewhen
Monsanto and government are inextricably intertwined. They're both control freaks and the government regulators are Monsanto people.
Most government agencies that regulate business have revolving doors for industry management... you work your way up the corporate ladder, get shoved in the FDA, etc., and after a few years of rigging the game in your corporation's favor you move back into a junior VP spot until retirement.
 

check

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
800
Location
in the mail
Most government agencies that regulate business have revolving doors for industry management... you work your way up the corporate ladder, get shoved in the FDA, etc., and after a few years of rigging the game in your corporation's favor you move back into a junior VP spot until retirement.
Yes, regulations that appear to harm businesses are written by the large corporations for the purpose of putting the small ones out of business. In the case of Monsanto, it's much worse.
 

alskdjfhg

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2015
Messages
405
Location
Houston TX
Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but the agriculture in this country is subsidized, heavily, whether you want to admit it or not.

I'm not sure about other counties, but where I am, I can find the list of the top outfits and what they received in farm subsidies. Top one was getting well into the 6 figures.

Sure sucks about the corn though.
 

check

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
800
Location
in the mail
Glyphosate is the least toxic herbicide used in agriculture.

The stuff we spray on non gmo corn is closer to poison.

*sigh*
Yes, compared to stuff like 2-4D, the glyphosate is less sickening to the person applying it. It's my favorite weed killer. But none of these chemicals are good to ingest and now that herbicides are mainstream, it all comes down to dollars and cents. We're using so much glyphosate now that it can't be any good for our health. Cancer is about thirty times more prevalent today than it was 50 years ago.
Another big concern is eating GMO foods, which we weren't eating 30 years ago and we can thank Monsanto for that.
Remember that GMO is NOT the same thing as hybrid. GMO means genes spliced in a laboratory.
 

lantraxco

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
7,704
Location
Elsewhen
Glyphosate is the least toxic herbicide used in agriculture.

The stuff we spray on non gmo corn is closer to poison.

*sigh*
Respectfully disagree, it's just a different kind of poison.

The hybrid grains are bad enough, only the 'verse knows what the GMO crops are doing to the food chain. Thalidomide was a wonder drug until it wasn't. Asbestos was a lifesaver until it wasn't. The list goes on.
 

Hobbytime

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2016
Messages
709
Location
usa
Respectfully disagree, it's just a different kind of poison.

The hybrid grains are bad enough, only the 'verse knows what the GMO crops are doing to the food chain. Thalidomide was a wonder drug until it wasn't. Asbestos was a lifesaver until it wasn't. The list goes on.
the way things are going..the human race is going to be till it isnt....and thats looking closer each day...:(
 

Diesel Dan 92

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2014
Messages
60
Location
West of Lansing, MI
Respectfully disagree, it's just a different kind of poison.

The hybrid grains are bad enough, only the 'verse knows what the GMO crops are doing to the food chain. Thalidomide was a wonder drug until it wasn't. Asbestos was a lifesaver until it wasn't. The list goes on.

There are elements in your blood right now that are both considered poisons and nessesary for life...

If we want to list all the things "unnatural" in the world we need to avoid let's start with living in houses and crapping in toilets. Let's add automobiles, electricity, the Internet and medicine to that.

It's a free world and anyone who chooses to find there food in the woods and sleep in a tree is ok in my book, I'll take civilization.
 

Diesel Dan 92

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2014
Messages
60
Location
West of Lansing, MI
Yes, compared to stuff like 2-4D, the glyphosate is less sickening to the person applying it. It's my favorite weed killer. But none of these chemicals are good to ingest and now that herbicides are mainstream, it all comes down to dollars and cents. We're using so much glyphosate now that it can't be any good for our health. Cancer is about thirty times more prevalent today than it was 50 years ago.
Another big concern is eating GMO foods, which we weren't eating 30 years ago and we can thank Monsanto for that.
Remember that GMO is NOT the same thing as hybrid. GMO means genes spliced in a laboratory.

Im aware of what a hybrid is, We farm 3,000 acres and distribute corn seed. And before you ask, no I don't work for Monsanto.
 

lantraxco

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
7,704
Location
Elsewhen
Plenty of "natural" and "organic" things will kill you just fine, so that argument is irrelevant. It's what we don't know that worries me, even though it's all supposedly been tested and approved. There's mounting evidence that glyphosate *MAY* be linked to autism, parkinsons, celiac, cancer, disruption of brain function, genetic alterations. It's all well and good to say "We have no evidence that it harms anybody." but we don't know and can't prove that exposure doesn't cause some of these long term illnesses or that it won't make your grandchildren something, well, different than they should be. The autism rate of growth is astronomical and correlates roughly with the introduction of GMO grains and the explosion of glyphosate use for GMO and non-GMO crops. Proof? No, or at least not yet, but if I find a strange pair of boots under my bed I'm gonna be pretty damn suspicious even though our single neighbor sez he ain't seen anybody coming or going from my house. Hmmm?
 

Diesel Dan 92

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2014
Messages
60
Location
West of Lansing, MI
Plenty of "natural" and "organic" things will kill you just fine, so that argument is irrelevant. It's what we don't know that worries me, even though it's all supposedly been tested and approved. There's mounting evidence that glyphosate *MAY* be linked to autism, parkinsons, celiac, cancer, disruption of brain function, genetic alterations. It's all well and good to say "We have no evidence that it harms anybody." but we don't know and can't prove that exposure doesn't cause some of these long term illnesses or that it won't make your grandchildren something, well, different than they should be. The autism rate of growth is astronomical and correlates roughly with the introduction of GMO grains and the explosion of glyphosate use for GMO and non-GMO crops. Proof? No, or at least not yet, but if I find a strange pair of boots under my bed I'm gonna be pretty damn suspicious even though our single neighbor sez he ain't seen anybody coming or going from my house. Hmmm?

Coralation is not causation. Also the definition of Autism has been expanded greatly in the last just couple of years.

Just like more people die from cancer at 78 now instead of starving to death at 12 or dying from disease at 30.

For what it's worth, there are quite a few substances in synthetic rubber and its manufacturing process that are proven poisons and carcinogens...
 

lantraxco

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
7,704
Location
Elsewhen
Yup, and girls are maturing faster due to chemicals released from plastic that mimic Estrogen and other hormones in the body, boys are growing boobs, fish are full of hormones that end up in the water from birth control pills... we can go on all day, but in the end it comes down to faith in something, and I have no faith in Monsanto, Bayer, Dow, the government, the medical community, and agribusiness. I don't wear tin foil hats or live in a shack in the woods, but something(s) are making people sicker, what are they? We now know for a fact that the sugar industry paid to suppress the effect of sugar on health and blame it on fat and red meat. Wrong. Corn sugar (formerly high fructose corn syrup) is just sugar, it doesn't have any ill effects on humans, you can believe it, we've paid tons of scientists and doctors to say so! Wrong. Yeah, there are toxins in just about everything today, but we gotta start somewhere. Oh, and 90% of all frozen hamburger products have been treated with liquid and gaseous ammonia to reduce E-coli in the product. Is that safe? They say so, but it sounds icky to me.
 
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