Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
take too long for that to happen. Then we will just be borrowing money for
the cattle. I am buying out my dad's equipment on a lease agreement, so I
will pay him so much a year to use it, and every year, a little bit more gets
turned over to me. There is no way you can just come into it and say, 'Oh,
I think I will farm' and buy all your equipment. And I haven't bought any
new equipment. I don't need any of that. I do my own repairs, everything -
rebuilding motors, transmissions, etc.” Likewise, Allen does all mechanical
repairs on his Colorado farmmachinery and even builds his own specialized
equipment, like the grain cleaner and container loader that “blows the grain
up into the containers” for rail shipment.
Busy
Seeking information, growing and marketing diverse crops, and maintain-
ing their equipment, these independent farmers are very busy. They are
experienced at multitasking. In fact, Rob noted that the only time he is
indoors is after sunset. “And I don't know if it is going to slow down. All
I have on my mind is taking care of grove maintenance.” So even after
harvesting and shipping season is over, he's busy with his groves. Mary says,
“A lot of times, I load 24/7. Because if I've got product here and it needs to
go to Boston and a guy wants to pick it up at 3:00, it isn't his fault that there
was a wreck in Orlando and he couldn't get here on time. Or that he got to
some packinghouse and the product wasn't ready. I'm loading 24/7. I'll load
in my pajamas. I want that product on that truck and out of here.”
Steve says some seasons are busier than others. “In the spring we are
pretty hectic. But in mid- to late July, things start slowing down before the
big fall push.” Joel is particularly busy in the fall when the farmers' market
is in session, but he remains active all year with meat and poultry sales to
restaurants and buying clubs and the multiple grain sales to various buyers.
For the Bensons, their grain production is busiest in the summer when
preparing the ground, planting, getting equipment ready, and harvesting
must all be accomplished in a fine-tuned sequence. Plus all of these crops
must be sold, and most often there are multiple buyers and brokers for
each. Phil's California vegetable farm is in operation year-round, although
it is a bit slower in the winter. Even then they sell shallots, onions, cabbage,
squash, “and crops that can be pretty successful in winter harvest.”
In addition, organic farmingmethods aremore labor-intensive than con-
ventional agriculture, as humans often take the place of chemicals. Rather
than spray a pesticide, organic farmers carefully monitor the occurrence of
pests, and then may decide to rotary hoe, cultivate, pick bugs, flame weed,
[179], (30)
Lines: 494 to 504
———
0.0pt PgVar
———
Short Page
PgEnds: T E X
[179], (30)
Search WWH ::




Custom Search