Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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through another agency, Quality Assurance International, which has a joint
agreement with Bio-Swiss, a certification favored in Europe. This helps them
market their grain in that region.
The certification process can be onerous, particularly to farmers who
tend to be rather private people anyway. Allen says, “All of the neighbors ask
me about organics, but then when they see the stack of paper you gotta do,
boy, that quits right there. And then, dealing with brokers. Other farmers
are used to taking their grain to an elevator and if they want a check right
away they can get it. Well, you don't do that when you deal with a broker.
He's gonna play with your money for ninety days. If you're lucky.” Cliff
agrees. “Knock on wood, we've never lost a load or anything to a broker.
They always come through, but sometimes you have to be a little cranky
with them. 'The check needs to be here.' Of course we never let them get
in arrears very far. About two loads, and that's as much as they'll get before
we get a check.” Allen explains, “Some are from overseas, the rest are back
east, so you have to wait for them to send it to you. You got to take into
consideration I put it into containers, then it goes to Denver to be put on
the rails, and then the rail might take two weeks to get there, then it might
have to sit in the ship yard three or four days, then it's put on a ship. So
that's five weeks to two months.” The Bensons' grain is geographically well
distributed. But getting their payments sometimes takes longer than the
slow barge of grain. Allen tells of one situation: “Well, luckily I called the
shipping company, and they knew when that ship was supposed to be there.
So I called the broker and he said, 'I don't know anything about it.' Then
he called me back the next day and said, 'You were right. It's in here.' So I
said, 'Are you going to cut me a check this week?' Well, he wouldn't call me
back.” It took several more months before Allen got the payment.
In addition to specific farming concerns, the Bensons are aware of the
influence that agriculture has on their community. Rural change is obvious
in the community of Sterling, an agricultural town of four thousand that's
about twenty minutes away. As the ag economy is in a shambles, towns
have had to seek other economic options. Allen explains, “The prison went
up about three years ago.” Naioma shakes her head. “Sterling thought it
would bring an influx of money. It didn't. Well, our hospital lost a lot of its
nurses. They went to the prison because they are state employees and they
have every benefit on the planet and tremendous job security. A lot of the
prison guards were transferred in. They are a really cliquey group of people.
They don't participate in town. They don't do volunteer work. They aren't a
churchgoing group.” Cliff says, “I was a little concerned when they brought
that in. Not that the prisoners would escape, but, you know, who follows
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