Posted on Mar 9, 2020
Midwest farmers face a crisis. Hundreds are dying by suicide.
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https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/03/09/climate-tariffs-debt-and-isolation-drive-some-farmers-suicide/ [login to see] /
United States farmers and crushing debt:
“ Farmers are among the most likely to die by suicide, compared with other occupations, according to a January study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study also found that suicide rates overall had increased by 40% in less than two decades.”
Pray and petition Congress to relieve farmer’s debt. Probably the amount of US foreign aid to a country could serve to pay off many or all our Farmers’ debt in the USA.
United States farmers and crushing debt:
“ Farmers are among the most likely to die by suicide, compared with other occupations, according to a January study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study also found that suicide rates overall had increased by 40% in less than two decades.”
Pray and petition Congress to relieve farmer’s debt. Probably the amount of US foreign aid to a country could serve to pay off many or all our Farmers’ debt in the USA.
Midwest farmers face a crisis. Hundreds are dying by suicide.
Posted from usatoday.com
Congress
Agriculture
Suicide
Politics
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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You can place the current financial farming crisis at the feet of POTUS. Tariffs are crushing the small farmers.
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SN Donald Hoffman
Maj John Bell small farms like yours is the norm. I had 4 uncles that farmed. Pig farm, dairy farm and two grain farms. They have been under pressure from the corporate farms. So like you, equipment is paid for in cash. They are feeling the pressure of the tariffs, but holding on. Farms are folding around them.
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Maj John Bell
SN Donald Hoffman - That does not change my assessment. If farmers are folding up because of the tariffs, they were already swirling around the drain, before the tariffs went into effect. As a sideline I help good farmers that are less than good businessmen restructure their farms, diversify their cash streams, and improve their marketing, and increase their profit per acre.
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SN Donald Hoffman
Maj John Bell I want to continue this conversation. Unfortunately my ability to think critically is difficult, migraine. I will be happy to start again tomorrow. Have a good night.
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Sgt Jim Belanus
the market runs in cycles, sometimes good sometimes bad you have to ride out the bad and wait for the good. most of the ones in trouble are overextend. there were good program checks passed out because of the tariffs. and the tariffs were needed
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I ask the following questions and I do not want to sound crass. I understand the importance of farmers. I lived on a farm, my grandfather (mom's dad) owned a farm and my dad worked there when he was between jobs. My uncle refused to take it over and my grandfather had to sell it.
1. What do we hope to gain from providing aid to farmers to reduce or eliminate their debt? Are we hoping that by freeing capital, farmers will make wiser investments into sustaining their farms, or are we simply providing an avenue to relive them of their debt burdens?
2. Why are we only going to do this for farmers? Is this not a repackaged version of the student-loan debt debate?
If you listen to some people, this is a result of business and decision failures on the part of these farmers. Or, you can even place this on tariffs and other government policies.
1. What do we hope to gain from providing aid to farmers to reduce or eliminate their debt? Are we hoping that by freeing capital, farmers will make wiser investments into sustaining their farms, or are we simply providing an avenue to relive them of their debt burdens?
2. Why are we only going to do this for farmers? Is this not a repackaged version of the student-loan debt debate?
If you listen to some people, this is a result of business and decision failures on the part of these farmers. Or, you can even place this on tariffs and other government policies.
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MSG Stan Hutchison
PO1 (Join to see) - My son-in-law lost 250 head of cattle in a freak storm a couple of years back. Those cows had a market value of around $2000 per head. By my math, that is $500,000. The insurance check he got from the Federal government was for $85,000. Big difference. A hard hit. And not something you can take preemptive measures to protect.
Weather has always been THE major factor in farming and ranching. Insurance is the only "preemptive measure" one can take to mitigate financial damages, and this shows how that works.
Weather has always been THE major factor in farming and ranching. Insurance is the only "preemptive measure" one can take to mitigate financial damages, and this shows how that works.
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PO1 (Join to see)
MSG Stan Hutchison - That is terrible. I remember having to track cattle after weather events. (I didn't really track, I was too young and just along for the ride learning the ropes)
Why didn't insurance cover the whole cost?
Also, thanks for posting the farm subsidy database. I was looking for something similar.
Why didn't insurance cover the whole cost?
Also, thanks for posting the farm subsidy database. I was looking for something similar.
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MSG Stan Hutchison
PO1 (Join to see) - The only "crop" insurance most ranchers can get is through the federal government, and they only pay a small percentage (set by Congress). Insuring livestock here in South Dakotas is very cost prohibitive. Have to settle for the fed.
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Maj John Bell
Back to the core issue of your question. Farm subsidies were an answer to a national strategic reserves question. Between WWI and WWII the urbanization of America started to accelerate. People in Washington saw what happened in the rest of the world to countries that could not feed their own population. Farm subsidies were intended to keep American farmers on good arable land, and to keep that land out of the hands of developers.
But the yield per acre has grown phenomenally in the last 100 years. Since the 1920's With 1/4 as many acres under the plow, farmers feed roughly 7 times as many Americans, plus export enough to provide roughly 20% of the rest of the world 2800Kcals per day. It sucked in the 70's when the Arabs had us by the balls on oil. Imagine what it would be like if some other country had us by the balls when it comes to putting food on the table.
But the yield per acre has grown phenomenally in the last 100 years. Since the 1920's With 1/4 as many acres under the plow, farmers feed roughly 7 times as many Americans, plus export enough to provide roughly 20% of the rest of the world 2800Kcals per day. It sucked in the 70's when the Arabs had us by the balls on oil. Imagine what it would be like if some other country had us by the balls when it comes to putting food on the table.
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Here's another fine mess we've gotten ourselves into. Want to make it worse? Let's talk socialism and farm collectives...
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MSG Stan Hutchison
EWG's Farm Subsidy Database put the issue on the map and is driving reform. Just ten percent of America's largest and richest farms collect almost three-fourths of federal farm subsidies; cash payments that often harm the environment.
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