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SE MN | I think you are asking the right kind of question. It has become increasingly clear to me that farming is a luxury lifestyle and there is a surplus of people willing to pay for the privilege to farm including bringing in off farm income and sending their wives to the email mines to get the benefits that keep the family afloat. It seems that there is something special about farming that you don't see in other lines of work. People buying rental housing talk about how much cash flow their investment generates after fully paying the debt maintenance. Farmers talk about owning 5x the acres free and clear so they can make the payment on a new farm. I am really interested in understanding exactly what causes this difference. We all know that farming is hard physical dangerous work, long hours, high stress and high risk, so why do so many people desperately want to do it? Anybody capable of farming is capable of making an honest living doing any number of other things with fewer hours, less stress and no financial risk but it is still common to hear about suicide if the banker says no more. I've had the same experience. Education and experience to earn a middle class living with no investment needed, bankers hours, and no financial exposure but I would rather farm full time for a modest living. Even being willing to accept a modest living isn't enough to get an opportunity with land prices where they are. I am confused why there seems to be so much emotional attachment to the objectively terrible business of farming. Maybe other businesses have the same phenomenon of sacrificing and attachment to the identity, but you would be hard pressed to find another business that requires such an enormous investment to make such a meager and unreliable living. | |
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What do you really want out of ag?
