From: bourland@roentgen.radonc (Dan Bourland)
Subject: Re: Capital Suicide (was Real Farms)
Reply-To: bourland@roentgen.radonc
Organization: Mayo Clinic, Div. of Radiation Oncology
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 14:48:32 GMT

In article 6681@vtserf.cc.vt.edu, dabay@morse.cns.vt.edu (Marian Dabay) writes:
>
>    
>    As for me, and my family, we'd rather walk through land of our own than
>    push buttons for somebody else.
>    
>    /Bill
>  
>  I believe that it is very dangerous for our society to look at farming as
>  merely another business enterprise and food as merely another commodity.
>  If the computer software biz went belly up, I'd be out of a job but life
>  would go on.  Without a stable agricultural base, and good decisions made 
>  at the governmental and corporate level, our whole civilization would
>  be in danger of expiring.
>  
>  Sadly, it seems all too possible.
>  
>  Bob Wildfong                                       bobw@csg.uwaterloo.ca
>  Waterloo, Ontario                                  bobw@csg.waterloo.edu
>  #include <stddisclaimer.h  
>-------------
>
>I have to agree whole heartedly.  I have worked in several different
>fields and have never seen anyone who worked as hard as farmers or
>contributed as much to our society.  It is really a shame that they
>aren't better rewarded.  It's a lot like teachers.  What would our
>nation be like without food on our tables or an education?  But these
>two professions are probably the least paid skilled professions.  I'm
>afraid that says something about our values (or lack thereof).  And 
>what it says isn't good.  
>
>While I agree with Bill that a BIG part of a farmers reward is working
>his own land, think how nice it would be if he didn't have to worry
>about losing it??
>
>Marian Dabay
>Virginia Tech
>Blacksburg, VA
>
>



I`ve looked around a bit for small farm parcels in the
Rochester, MN area and I had a chance to talk to a local
farmer the other day.  He believes that in our area (city
population of ~70,000, country of another 20,000) in the
next 10 to 20 years that all agricultural land will be
owned by non-farmers.  I think he is correct - the trend is that
folks "move to the country."  The question is, where will all the
agriculture be done?  Some folks might retain the use of the
land for food and animal production, but, many folks (non-
farmers) do not appreciate the odors of livestock or other
operations required by farming.  I just returned from Alberta
and Saskatchewan, Canada, and they have humongous grain farms
everywhere (used to be that no town was more than 10 miles
from an active grain elevator and rail line).  Maybe the US
will turn totally "urban", or at least non-agricultural and
food production will be done elsewhere? I believe that the
agricultural base has to be sustained, without destroying the
land (land needs to rest every 7 years or so).  An extreme
challenge to agriculture is non-farmers who can afford to
buy agricultural land which is then not used, and the fact
that new farmers, because of land costs and non-existent
financing and the high cost of equipment, cannot possibly
get started.  Current farmers barely make ends meet, and
end up letting their buildings, etc., fall into disrepair.

It is an interesting and important situation that will be
developing over the next 10s of years. 

-------------------------------------------------------------
J. Daniel Bourland, PhD	      
Div. of Radiation Oncology
Mayo Clinic, Desk R 
Rochester, MN 55905            
(507) 284-3551                  Internet:   bourland@mayo.edu
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