Farm Show Follow-up

This last weekend Kelli and I got up early Saturday in the tail end of our snow storm (video here) and headed off to Syracuse and the NY State Fair Grounds for the farm show.  (Tickets provided by Rich @ DJM - Thanks!)  It was a great trip and we certainly learned several useful things.

• Kelli got to see a biomass boiler up close - in particular this corn stove - here.  This is something we are kinda seriously considering.  It would easily provide heat for the house, barn and "to be built" greenhouse.  It's a great carbon neutral solution and it's also one of the few alternative choices that actually has a realistic payback.


• A plethora of financial lending options.  Given the costs of so many of the elements farms use it's a scary thing to hear people demand safer food, less antibiotics and fewer hormones all for the same cost.  Farming in general isn't an inexpensive business to run - and the rewards are razor thin.  People keep pushing and you are going to find a lot more "Made in China" stickers on things in your refrigerator than I think a sovereign country should be comfortable with.  For farmers to keep farming our native soils - food is going to have to cost more...  and that means lots of people are going to have less cash to buy other things... and equation most don't like.


• Saw a lot of the concern about the GM "Round-Up Ready" alfalfa that is about to be re-released into the marketplace.  Today is the last day you can submit your comments on this to the USDA - here.  I personally go back and forth on this - while I certainly advocate sustainable, local, small and healthy...  it's not a model that has been demonstrated to be able to feed the nearly 7 billion hungry people on this planet (info here).  I dunno - what is clear is the current GM practices can disrupt the adjacent farms that strive to organic certifications...  and that's not fair to those small farms looking to raise their crops and livestock in a desired manner.


• It was decided that although the $280,000 combine was shiny red and had lots of cool buttons...  we don't need it :)


• Lots of cool and innovative implements out there for tractors now...  lots of ohhs and awwws at the device that lifts a round bale, spins it, wraps it in a tight cover and then sets it back down.  Personally - I prefer square bales (when we get livestock) as the hay is better quality because there isn't really any "middle".  But for bigger operations who don't have the wrapper on the baler - this thing was all the talk.


• Dairy, dairy, dairy - not ever gonna be my thing...  and lots of dairy in NY!


• Lot's of "If I had money" dreams with all the shinny implements


• Sat in on a vaccination clinic - very good.  For anyone who has that stereotype of a farmer being a hick in a pickup who can't think...  you better really reconsider.

Farmers now days know more than the average individual about a myriad of topics.  From the difference between a bacteria, a virus and a parasite - to how you treat those different afflictions across the herd.  The difference between a live and dead vaccine - the risks and benefits of each.  Genetics of seeds and their roles in crosses, hybridization and modification.  Soils, equipment, marketing, business plans and finance...

For all the healthy food advocacy I see on the web - all the people who "think" the food system should be a certain way because they saw Food, Inc. - all the "big ag is bad" comments that Twitter spews forth...  I just want to know - how many of those voices have been to a working farm or even a farm show, have actually spoken with farmers, heard what their challenges really are?  There's a saying about opinions in general...  Personally - I prefer informed dialog, but that's just me.

Comments

[Jeph]

I think you should've gotten the shiny red combine. You neeeeeed it!!!

[Andy]

Instead we went with the shinny red, used, 15 year old rototiller off Craigslist... not exactly apples to apples :)

[Consuela Gelbowitz]

I find your site to be very useful, lots of good information keep it up.