RE: formally educated farmers...

Wiediger, Alison (awiediger@Hart.k12.ky.us)
Thu, 11 Feb 1999 08:25:28 -0600

Here Here ! yes, we use a lot more hand labor. We view it as healthy
for ourselves. It also limits us - but perhaps learning to live within
those limits is also healthy. We are getting a tax refund this year. We
looked at the money and figured we could use it plus a trade-in to get a
used loader tractor OR we could buy another cow and do some more
fencing. We decided that the cow and fencing could generate income to
buy machinery, but the tractor would not generate income to buy
livestock - only be saving of our labor. We'll do the extra labor and
buy a cow. WE also live on a lot less income than most folks in this
country. We don't own a computer (use the one at work), VCR, LArge
screen TV, Cellphone, Etc,etc - and our total farm machinery investment
is under $15,000 - all bought with cash - mostly at farm auctions and
over several years. All expenditures are examined carefully using the
formula - will it make us money. It won't work for everybody - thank
goodness - if it would, there wouldn't be enough farmland to go around -
but we are very rich where it matters.

Alison Wiediger
AU Naturel Farm
South Central KY

> ----------
> From: Bob MacGregor[SMTP:rdmacgregor@gov.pe.ca]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 1999 8:04 AM
> To: sgroff@epix.net; ACLARK@plant.uoguelph.ca
> Cc: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu
> Subject: Re: formally educated farmers...
>
> Steve,
> you said: "It takes more labor to run an
> average organic farm and that is a REAL issue to most farmers."
>
> I agree, but have been wondering why none of the farm-philosophers on
> the list have raised the issue of why we still view labour
> substitution so favourably. After all, a strong case can be made
> that substituting machinery and chemicals for labour has contributed
> to global warming, accelerated rural depopulation (and the
> concommitent disintegration of rural communities), increased
> unemployment, exacerbated soil erosion/deterioration, promoted farm
> consolidation and otherwise engendered many of the problems we discuss
> on this list.
>
> There have also been positive effects, at least in the near-term, of
> course, but I am intrigued that no one voiced the view that more farm
> labour might be a good thing. I wonder how high the price of gasoline
> or diesel would have to be to make labour competitive again...?
>
> BOB
>
>
>
>

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