Myths and Opinions
Heather
Poore
Heather Poore is a Farm
Bureau member in Kansas from
Osborne County currently
serving as 6th
District YF&R State
Committee representative
with her husband, Craig.
Farming is never dull, at
least in my opinion. Anyone
who tells you it is has
never been to our farm at
least. The fact is there is
always something to do or
fix and then it is tracking
down the latest "good deal"
that will save time or
money, maybe both if you are
lucky, down the road.
It looks like to me that the
manuals to run the equipment
keep getting thicker, and
the ability to keep them
running takes a highly paid
or at least a highly
creative person. It also
takes a lot of public
relations work since more
and more of the public does
not understand where their
food comes from.
I definitely believe the
theories on farming held by
some of my less informed
friends are a little off
base and try to explain this
to them every chance I get.
Now keep in mind, I am a
person that has an opinion
and while giving that
opinion I sprinkle in some
facts. These particular
facts come from
http://www.farmpolicyfacts.org/.
Now that I have that out of
the way, here are a few of
my favorite myths:
Myth #1: Farmers are lucky
they can set their own hours
and leave whenever they
want.
Opinion/Fact #1: Rain
happens, and even then their
trip to town includes parts
runs, yard materials or a
stop at the lumber yard to
catch up on the
honey-do's-as most weekends
are out of the question for
these time-honored chores.
If it is a day where things
are a little slower than
normal, you can bet they are
in the shop fixing or
preparing equipment for the
next phase of their
operation.
I dare you to try to get a
farmer to take a vacation
during the months of June or
October in our area. If you
can, you must be offering a
free trip or at least
offering to run the combine
for 10-hours each day,
7-days a week while they are
gone. I also have a hard
time believing anyone
enjoys working 10-hour plus
days without guaranteed pay
and benefits except a
farmer, it is a pride thing.
Myth #2: Why should I care
if grain prices are cheaper
if my groceries could
potentially be cheaper?
Opinion/Fact #2: If $2.99 is
the retail price of a 16oz
loaf of bread, farmers
receive about 12¢. Just
because prices drop does not
mean that it will be
realized at the store. From
the millers who make the
flour to the truck drivers
who bring the product, over
21 million people are
involved some way or somehow
getting agriculture products
to shelves. As you can see
there are a lot of hands in
the cookie jar before that
bread arrives at the store
and each phase adds their
charge to the bill to get to
the $2.99.
Myth #3: Farmers are paid
really well with subsidies
through the Farm Bill,
that's why my groceries are
so high.
Opinion/Fact #3: Only 10% of
the Farm Bill goes to
farming programs which
covers funding for biofuels,
conservation, and other
programs including
subsidies. Majority of the
Farm Bill is to provide for
nutrition programs such as
the reduced/free school
lunches and breakfasts at
schools. It is a fact that
Americans spend less than
10% of their total income
for food. Another
interesting tidbit, for
every dollar an American
spends, a farmer collects
about 20 cents. Plus, you
have seen what happens when
you rely on too much
government help, look at the
banking industry-not every
farmer takes government
payments.
"In no other country do so
few people produce so much
food, to feed so many, at
such reasonable prices." -
President Dwight D.
Eisenhower. I am proud of
the fact that my family
chooses to work in
agriculture. For all the
struggles and the worry, I
have space to raise my kids
and I have the privilege to
advocate for my way of
life.
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