Better start your Victory Garden now!

[pcrowder]

Farmers slash planting due to drought

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28808767/

[countryjo]

Thanks for the warning.......
I wonder if we could get by on less, there seems to be so much waste, do we really need to pile the food on the grocery shelves and so much go to waste. Same way to out to eat and food put on platters instead of a dinner plate. So much waste. I would rather have smaller portions and a smaller bill. At least we can get the senior meal, most time its still to much food. My dog is always happy for the dog bag when we get home.

[LeatherneckPA]

Timely.

I couldn't help but wonder, as I was reading the link, when did the world get turned so upside down that a farmer can't even plant a crop without a crop loan?

I could understand a loan for new machinery, provided the old stuff was worn out and not just being replaced for newer and shinier.

Cindy and I are joining the Seed Savers Exchange this year and planning a more ambitious garden. My goal is to put up at least 52 quarts of spaghetti sauce and probably another 52 pints of tomato paste for starters.

[walls0stone]

crops are more then just seeds. you have the right kind of seed, normaly a product that will also kill weeds, you have upkeep and more. most of the trouble with Agg today is that 1% of the population actualy farms. The rest have 2 cents to put in. All the Corn and beans planted round your area would cost as much at that tractor you spoke of at planting time. Much of this would not have happend had uncle same kept his nose out of agg, however we must keep the cost of food as low as we can to the masses don't go crazy. It's a catch 22

[snake]

Yup.. I gotta quit being so lazy. Time to get the tiller out and the soil started! 8)

[pcrowder]

I would, Snake, but it was 4 degrees this morning, and has been snowing all day! * :(
I know it's only January, but I'm sooooooo sick of winter! * :P *Even reading the seed catalogs dont' help....I think they just depress me more! :'(

[LeatherneckPA]

... The rest have 2 cents to put in. ...

No argument here; on gov't interference, or on the terribly low percentage of active farmers, nor on my lack of expertise in this area. My statement was more one of incredulity than criticism. After all, I don't know enough to criticize.

Heck, I don't have ANY idea how much it would cost to plant even a 20 acre field, much less some of the monster farms I see down here.

[LeatherneckPA]

:o Whoa!! :o

Talk about not having a clue! I spoke to one of the other teachers this morning who happens to farm also. He told me it costs $600 PER ACRE to plant for corn last year. that makes a 20 acre field cost about $12,000 per acre. He said the majority of that expense was in fertilizer, herbicides, and insecticides.

What an eye opener!

[walls0stone]

see this is something that ticked Draw and I off last year. The seeds that have been altered to resist weeds ect save us 2 extra trips to the fields. Now, folks cuss about a fill up of $30 how about $300 PER DAY!

Oh wait now.. did we all see the radical lack of love for Ethonol....hhhmmmmm wonder why? The seasons changed and people finnaly got in gear as to what this stuff costs.

only 12 acres? I know men in our areas with 3,000 acers! They have dryers and storage bins.. big equpment and more.

But the 1% of us who still live and die as farmers don't have much of a voice sine the 99% have more time to rant.

[Cuznguido]

So help me understand this please. is ag better off with zero .gov interference, or with more, or the same as now? Serious question.

[LeatherneckPA]

Disclaimer: *This response is based entirely upon my personal, uneducated opinion; with no actual basis on experience.

I think my distaste for governmental influence stems from my incredulity that there are programs in place that actually pay farmers not to farm to their full potential. *I think it's called CRP or CREP. *It amazes me (and I might be misinformed here) that a farmer can make more money from the government for not farming than he can by planting the same. *As I currently think, that just doesn't make any sense to me.

And another thing (that I may admittedly have wrong and will be happy to be corrected about) is the government having a hand in setting the prices these hard-working individuals can charge for things like milk. *At least, I think that's the way I understood it when I was up in NY.

And you don't even want to get me started on NAIS, GMO's, Monsanto's monopoly, or the dismal record of the USDA in "protecting" the people. In my opinion, the biggest lie ever told was, "We're from the government, and we're here to help."

[walls0stone]

So help me understand this please. *is ag better off with zero .gov interference, or with more, or the same as now? *Serious question.

we the farmers are better off with out! you all are NOT. subsity keeps us under the Gov thumb. That subsity keeps costs at the store low for you all. But as 1% of the population feeds the 99% then the 99% speak louder and the 1% goes unheard and out voted.

If we the 1% could overcome the BS of Organic, earth freaks we'd over take the markeet like any other big industry and get paid However the masses are to busy talking to listen.

BTW, organic is a rackeet. WE handle more money, but in the end...make LESS

[walls0stone]

Crep is actualy an insurance plan. As farmers we can make more with less all the time. NOW if we do that, less land is needed..however as the masses sprawl out, So if we went to war and needed that land for farming again, we could pull it from Crep and farm it. Actual, it was origonaly Call CREAP However this is the thing..the masses of rich men who own a "farm" are getting most of the real money. Why? they are crafty enough to read up on and get it wile the real farmes are out working in the fields. Most men I know in farming hate computers and have not yet dissocered the power of the net to spread the Gosple...however unless you understand these men, it is not fair to judge.

Now here is the new situation. NAtural GAS!
Natural Gas will take your land OUT of those programs. IF we can Keep Ed Rendell from taxing OUR roayalty money at 50% we can keep farming as we want to do in our heart or hearts..and thus...make food for the masses (that would be you all)

In kind, we will provide an outlet for working me to do honest work in rural, poor PA...AND keep the land open and undevelpoed.

trouble is that our state sees some rural folks making money and they want to take half and give it to the welfair bumms in Philly

(I'll take a second here )

Fast Eddy, piss with my gas royalty money and you will kill the only reasonable industry to hit your state since Iron! And to the Dirt ball scum sucker who can't work wile we work our necks off to keep the family farm going.....DROP DeaD

God Bless America ;D

[snake]

I would, Snake, but it was 4 degrees this morning, and has been snowing all day! * :(
I know it's only January, but I'm sooooooo sick of winter! * :P *Even reading the seed catalogs dont' help....I think they just depress me more! :'(
That's where I'm blessed. Never gets quite that cold here in NW Fla. The soil never actually freezes.

[silvergramma]

about victory gardens,,, i didnt learn about gardening till i was on welfare... and had to find a way to feed my two kids better than what food stamps was doing for us..
and yes i got off welfare eventually through learning to garden and go on to bigger and better things related to food and greenhouses..
here on the farm where we still have some of our horses there is crp land... and yes the farmers do get paid some to leave it fallow..
this way there is some acreage left for wildlife to forage on such as deer,, moose,, pheasant,, grouse.. etc.. what would happen to all that good meat if the farmers tilled up every single acre and planted... i wonder just a thought if someone could give us an glimpse of the results.. all that food planted if it would make our economy better? by what percentage..?
ask a farmer what he gets per bushel for his crop then go to the elevator and by a bushel of what they just bought from him.. then go to the processing plant and see what they sell the product for to the wholesalers or to the retailers.. or distributor.. how much more monies have been tacked on to what that farmer barely got enough for just a thought i'm no expert.. but i'm sitting here in farming country... wheat down the driveway one year then sunflowers the next...a beautiful sight i must say..

[walls0stone]

nothing would happen to that good meat, they eat your crops and the lawns of people in town.
That program is called Creep Silver. they tell you what you can/can't do. Other than timber regrowth, it's pathetic and a waste and further more, many people who own the land in that program would NOT farm it to start with. the greatest percent of people who own land in that program are developers, not farmers.

farming it would make food cheeper..supply demand 101

That is why we should cut out this organic BS and Cut out the middle men, and Cut out the inspecters and all the other sill programs that have a hand in the till... Sell to the consumer for whatever the markeet will bare and then if it's to high for some...cry me a river if they can't pay. I'm tired of farmers getting nothing for what they do.

[dkemple1]

Thinking about giving raised beds a try this year. Several years ago I done the square foot gardening system, it worked out pretty good. Moved and haven't had a garden in several years. Wanting to do it again this year. Especially with the price of everything nowadays.

[CarolAnn]

About 35 years ago, I knew a young guy who wanted to be a farmer. He was shocked at how much the bank had to say about what he grew and how he grew it. They loaned him money to buy the farm and equipment, and then they told him what to plant, that he had to use certain types of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. He wanted to try some organic methods, of leaving some of the land unplanted & put into green manure crops to increase the humus of the soil, things like that. They absolutely would not allow it. He didn't last as a farmer long - he hated what they were making him do.

I remember him saying that the cracks in his fields were so deep you could drop a log chain down there and not hear it hit bottom for a minute! A funny exageration, of course - but here was a guy really interested in developing healthy soil and trying to be a good steward of the land - but they weren't allowing it.

I've believed for a long time that we should not truck so much produce so far - and learn to live with what we can produce closer to home. This would mean fresher produce and less trucking costs - and less dependance on food from desert areas like California that have been forced to produce huge quantities. (It's great while it lasts, but sooner or later the natural climate will win.)

My own seed orders have been trickling in - lots backordered, as I suspected there would be this year. If you haven't ordered yet . . . better get it done! ;)

[LeatherneckPA]

My entire seed order this year will be out of either Baker Creek or Seed Savers Exchange. Everything will be open pollinated, with the intent of saving my own seed for future use.

I plan to rotate varieties each year for three years. At the end I'll start over with the seeds saved from the first year. In this way I hope to accomplish two things. One, I will do my small part to maintain the genetic diversity of available food seeds. Two, I hope that by rotating varieties and by following a crop rotation as well to drastically reduce the possibility of disease.

The seeds will be ordered today.

[pcrowder]

The Ace Hardware store in a nearby city had 2009 vegetable seeds for 10 cents and 25 cents per packet Friday! I bought seeds! BOY, did I buy seeds!
I don't know if all Ace Hardwares have the same sale going on, but I lucked out and wanted to pass along the news.

Also, as a side note, the local "China"Mart also had their seeds out yesterday - for $1.00/pack.... Needless to say, I didn't buy any there!

[Jimmy7114]

Any suggestions on "getting started"???? How early I can start in a fairly cold region (Eastern Washington - highs have been in the mid 30s.......)????

[silvergramma]

ok i'll try and help you ,, have you ever gardened before... if you have great,,, if you havent start loggin on to garden chat in aol.. thats where i learned a lot even tho i've gardened before.. good people there and also hang out in chat room here on website at night we'll help ya ll we can...first of all contact your local county agent and get as much info as you can... then if you want to start seeds in doors go back at least six weeks from your last frost date... and start them...the smaller seeds start in flats and trays the larger ones can be directly sewn into the soil...you can send me messages directly if you want to.. good luck,,

[Terri]

You get started by choosing a garden spot and getting it ready. Remove and sod, and turn the soil enough so that it is softer.

Then, buy plants OR plant seeds! If you have a dollar store, the selection of seeds is limited but the packets are 25 cents each. One package of corn seeds will give you several good servings of corn! Or a row of beans. Or both!

So, find a place that gets some hours of sun, and start removing the sod. It is ALMOST time to plant, so you have time enough to prepare the soil.

If your area is cool, the cabbage family might be a great place to start. And, you can take just half of the lettuce leaves and harvest one plant several times.

Heat loving plants like corn and tomatos are planted when it is warmer.

[mom]

Any suggestions on "getting started"???? *How early I can start in a fairly cold region (Eastern Washington - highs have been in the mid 30s.......)????


check this out

http://growingtaste.com/calendar.shtml

[yotetrapper23]

Not all farmers are governed by subsidies. Subsidies are optional. IF you accept the money, then you must plant how Uncle Sam tells you to. My husband's former boss farms thousands of acres here in western Illinois and doesnt accept a penny of gov't money. Therefore, he can plant whatever he wants. I understand that he is in the minority as most can't pass up those hefty government checks, but it CAN be done.

[CarolAnn]

If you buy really cheap seeds (or if you've saved seeds for a few years) you might want to do a germination test by putting a few seeds on a damp paper towel, & roll it up & put it in a zipper baggie. Check by the third day & daily thereafter.

If the seeds aren't sprouting, or if only half sprout, you can plant them closer together to make up for the ones that aren't going to sprout.

http://www.yougrowgirl.com/grow/seed_test.php

Here's a link with full directions.