I refuse to buy a toaster, a skillet makes better toast! I don't have cable TV or get the newspaper.
Do you eat organic?
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An agrarian life was what Jefferson wished for for all Americans. A nice, slow paced pastoral lifestyle for everyone. The industrial age put the kibosh on that way of life. Cities grew, mines expanded, oil harnessed and the people needed to be fed. Suddenly there was money to be made for farmers, so sustenance farming and bartering became impossible to sustain. Then the railroads made it possible for city folk to get food stuffs from far away and the farmer and village dweller could get shoes, clothes, etc. from the big city. Ready made no less, not homespun and sewn.
The price that was paid was that farmers needed to supply a far away market in order to afford a Deere plow to improve yield and the latest European fashions for his wife and daughters. A higher paying job, sometimes easier on the body, was available in the big city for the farmer's sons. And, don't forget the exotic vices available for a strapping lad fresh from the farm. Successful farmers could live large and buy up neighboring, less successful farms, hiring hands as needed.
Life was good for the nimble minded farmer! The tractor, improved implements, higher demand for product, improved transportation, etc. and the co-op came along to keep expenses low. Machinery could be shared among members as well as everyone getting together to assist in the harvests. Then there was the occasional drought or storm but money was available from the banks.
Before long debt, weather, and tired land over-powered even the best and cheapest farming methods and equipment. After that shake-out only the most able farmers were left. Many tired of the work and soon conglomerates started to purchase and run larger and larger farms, increasing yield through method and chemical application. Now we have what we have, good, bad or indifferent, it is what it is and the boutique farm that can't or won't produce what the public will buy, will wither and die.
Most ranchers raise cattle the fastest and most economical method possible. A select few ranchers or farmers serve specialized markets and are able to market older, more expensive, grass fed beef or product to a certain clientele. The same with small farmers, they cater to a small number of vendors. To be successful you had better raise or grow a product significantly better than your competitors because your costs are going to be higher and you will have to charge a premium price to survive.
The bartering lifestyle survives in some parts of the country. That people surviving in that way live a simpler, enjoyable? life it is true. They live a life that suits them. But, most of us want cars, a varied selection of food stuffs from around the world, houses with lawns, vacations to unknown parts, and we are willing to put with a more complicated life in order to enjoy such things.
The price that was paid was that farmers needed to supply a far away market in order to afford a Deere plow to improve yield and the latest European fashions for his wife and daughters. A higher paying job, sometimes easier on the body, was available in the big city for the farmer's sons. And, don't forget the exotic vices available for a strapping lad fresh from the farm. Successful farmers could live large and buy up neighboring, less successful farms, hiring hands as needed.
Life was good for the nimble minded farmer! The tractor, improved implements, higher demand for product, improved transportation, etc. and the co-op came along to keep expenses low. Machinery could be shared among members as well as everyone getting together to assist in the harvests. Then there was the occasional drought or storm but money was available from the banks.
Before long debt, weather, and tired land over-powered even the best and cheapest farming methods and equipment. After that shake-out only the most able farmers were left. Many tired of the work and soon conglomerates started to purchase and run larger and larger farms, increasing yield through method and chemical application. Now we have what we have, good, bad or indifferent, it is what it is and the boutique farm that can't or won't produce what the public will buy, will wither and die.
Most ranchers raise cattle the fastest and most economical method possible. A select few ranchers or farmers serve specialized markets and are able to market older, more expensive, grass fed beef or product to a certain clientele. The same with small farmers, they cater to a small number of vendors. To be successful you had better raise or grow a product significantly better than your competitors because your costs are going to be higher and you will have to charge a premium price to survive.
The bartering lifestyle survives in some parts of the country. That people surviving in that way live a simpler, enjoyable? life it is true. They live a life that suits them. But, most of us want cars, a varied selection of food stuffs from around the world, houses with lawns, vacations to unknown parts, and we are willing to put with a more complicated life in order to enjoy such things.
I think you've made some good observations, aggra. I'm with you on the minimizing and simplifying in the kitchen and the living room. I don't have cable or a microwave oven. I like to use cast iron pans and I never 'eat out'.
I went down to the Senior Softball field this a.m. to watch my old buddies enjoy a reasonably cool Florida morning this a.m. and on the way back I went past a business that sells installed fencing and uses a sign board.
Today the sign read:
I said to myself, there are 3 words that have very little meaning. organic. gluten free. or even, free!
I went down to the Senior Softball field this a.m. to watch my old buddies enjoy a reasonably cool Florida morning this a.m. and on the way back I went past a business that sells installed fencing and uses a sign board.
Today the sign read:
Our fencing is organic and gluten free since 1953.
I said to myself, there are 3 words that have very little meaning. organic. gluten free. or even, free!
I work at a land-grant university in NC with a working school of agriculture. I know nothing about farming, myself, but I have learned a lot in the past 2 years I've been employed there. I don't necessarily eat "organic", as I find it costly and the USDA has so many hoops the small farmer has to jump through to be certified organic.
But I have started trying to buy from and support small farmers as much as I can. Many of them grow and raise organic crops and animals, they just can't afford to become "organically certified"by the USDA. I have started buying meat from a local meat market from a guy who was an inspector for years before opening his own market and selling meat produced from small and local farms. The meat I buy from him seems to taste much better and is much healthier for my family. Then, farmer's markets for fresh veggies when in season.
I still have a habit of running to the supermarket for convenience sake, but I am actively trying to think ahead and change this. I believe supporting the local farmers helps sustain them financially, while their products help sustain my family nutritionally. It's the only way to really know what you're getting, and I love snubbing the big corporations in the process.
Sometimes I think I would like to raise my own animals. But alas, I am not their yet. I don't have the heart to kill anything, even though I know that is where our food comes from. I will never become a vegetarian, but I still like to think meat comes from the store in a package instead of a cute pig or chicken. Call me what you will!
But I have started trying to buy from and support small farmers as much as I can. Many of them grow and raise organic crops and animals, they just can't afford to become "organically certified"by the USDA. I have started buying meat from a local meat market from a guy who was an inspector for years before opening his own market and selling meat produced from small and local farms. The meat I buy from him seems to taste much better and is much healthier for my family. Then, farmer's markets for fresh veggies when in season.
I still have a habit of running to the supermarket for convenience sake, but I am actively trying to think ahead and change this. I believe supporting the local farmers helps sustain them financially, while their products help sustain my family nutritionally. It's the only way to really know what you're getting, and I love snubbing the big corporations in the process.
Sometimes I think I would like to raise my own animals. But alas, I am not their yet. I don't have the heart to kill anything, even though I know that is where our food comes from. I will never become a vegetarian, but I still like to think meat comes from the store in a package instead of a cute pig or chicken. Call me what you will!
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