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Watching dust bowl and current drought
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puff33m
Posted 11/21/2012 09:37 (#2709095)
Subject: Watching dust bowl and current drought


N FLA
Just watched the first hour of Dust Bowl so far, but have been watching the drought map move, essentially south to north, and now rebuilding in the southern plains. I think back to one of JonSCK post a few months ago. They were dry last fall, but rolled the dice and had a good wheat crop. He said insurance was there, to encourage taking that risk. Basically what most of us believe the motive of crop insurance is. Keep farmers taking a risk, and ensure a plentiful cheap food supply.
WE are going to plant that next crop and harvest that residue for cow feed and graze a little harder because 1. Bills to pay, 2. It will be better next year, 3. Our system wants us to take that risk.
So my question, if we are in the same position weather wise, will this thing blow up on us and the next debate is why was the government putting programs in place that kept us tearing up land and planting these crops when we have this history?

In two years, it could be more palatable to the people to just give "farmer welfare" instead of paying hundreds of thousands for tractors and diesel fuel and etc, just to have land blowing away in hopes that the next spring it will change. I mean, its cheaper just to give a family 1800 a month than it is to buy their seed that fails and make their tractor payments fuel etc etc.

I don't say any of this as criticism, because I'm like JonSCK, that next year will be better, and we need to get these acres planted to keep our abundance cheap food coming. But learning about the 1890s and 1930s, sometimes it might be better to be proactive. I hope this is interpreted as a constructive discussion and not criticism.
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