Food - lockdowns are going to affect farmers if the lockdown continues

[kbf64]

good produce at the farmers markets... become friends with your local farmer.

 

[4Freedom]

Just like young men had to storm the beaches of Normandy in WWII for the survival of the country, young men can also get off of their computers and playing video games, stop collecting welfare checks or hanging out at their friends houses getting high and drunk all day and get into those fields and start planting, growing ,harvesting and helping to deliver food to our stores. When a country needs to survive, they get off their a** and they do it, because nobody wants to be destroyed. Yes, even with the deadly risk of Coronavirus. IT is much less of a risk for young men (and women) to get out there and do their duty (assuming that we are all starting to go hungry here) than having to run into gun and artillery fire , step on landmines or drown in the ocean, etc like happened in the early 1940s.

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor did Americans just sit around hoping that we won't get bombed anymore and that the war won't encroach upon our borders or did we mobilize our country, wake from our slumber and fight for our very survival? Did people remember the Anti-War protests in the 1930s, when Americans marched in Washington DC demanding "NO MORE EUROPEAN WARS". Those war protests obviously didn't do very much good for our country.

I think we are in a time of crisis and we are going to have to mobilize the people in our nation to help save it from imminent collapse. It is a lot easier to get a bunch of people to go out and start farming and raising food than it is to overthrow the Japanese Empire or the Nazi German Empire that was taking over Europe and Asia.

The world has gone through many catastrophes and I don't just see AMericans sitting around twideling their thumbs forever once they start getting poor and hungry.

Poverty, hunger and imminent fear of death do a lot for changing a society's outlook, their culture and mindset. As well, I think the love for BIG GOVERNMENT, handouts and people relying on social programs with magically financed programs from the government will eventually die out as more people are told the government can no longer finance you and you will have to get off your a** and do something or go hungry like what happens to people in the majority of the world.

If an Indian or African man refuse to work and wait for the government to feed them they are going to be waiting while they wither away and turn to dust in their mud hut or shanty house. I got to see this with my own eyes travelling to the Third World.

 

[kbf64]

meat's always in season... buy some calves.

 

[4Freedom]

good produce at the farmers markets... become friends with your local farmer.

I've been getting raw dairy products, meat products as well, fermented foods liek sauerkraut from an Amish farm that I am part of a buyer's club. As well, most of the meat I get is from ranchers that I got to know from various Ranching/Farming websites, where farmers /ranchers advertise their products. I am waiting on a big order for some Grass Fed Wagyu cattle coming to me .. The rancher will be slaughtering soon . A lot of these people like selling online and you get to know exactly where your food comes from. I even went out to a guy's ranch in Eastern Oregon where I use to get my meat and he brought me through his whole ranch and showed me how he did his whole operation. Even spent the night as his house. There are a lot of farmers out there who will eve nship to you.. The quality of produce and meat is much higher, cost is less as you cut out the middle man and they are grown on smaller private farms/ranches and not in big corporate factory farms.

 

[CoastRange57]

I just filled my new 4 raised beds with soil mix today, and will plant potatoes and onions tomorrow. Another half a bed in one month. Start a two week rotation of lettuce in another box. Maybe a row or two of carrots, Row of garlic. Tomatoes the first of May. I cover the beds with plastic every night we are still getting high 20's for lows.

You can grow lot in small spaces, but instead of trying to grow a lot, key in on processing bulk purchased foods. Any of the potaotes we don't eat fresh, we slice and freeze for dinners and breakfast. We will venture to an apple grower I know in Hood River who will sell me the last totes of stored apples, and we will make cider out of those. Trade some for honey or give some away.

Green beans and corn can also be bought from truck farm stands and along the road. Can those items or freeze if you can use them all in one year. We also go to the coast in August and will buy tuna direct on the dock filleted. We take it back to the camp ground (well RV park) and can it right there. Throw it in the smoker for half an hour before canning it. This is an easy way to get that .75 pounds of protein / day / adult that we try to have on hand

American agriculture is over produced in most years, but when the raw resource production is affected, it is time to take a close look as to why. I have seen over 30 trains a day come through Flagstaff grain cars, headed to Long Beach, CA to be exported.

 

[CoastRange57]

I've been getting raw dairy products, meat products as well, fermented foods liek sauerkraut from an Amish farm that I am part of a buyer's club. As well, most of the meat I get is from ranchers that I got to know from various Ranching/Farming websites, where farmers /ranchers advertise their products. I am waiting on a big order for some Grass Fed Wagyu cattle coming to me .. The rancher will be slaughtering soon . A lot of these people like selling online and you get to know exactly where your food comes from. I even went out to a guy's ranch in Eastern Oregon where I use to get my meat and he brought me through his whole ranch and showed me how he did his whole operation. Even spent the night as his house. There are a lot of farmers out there who will eve nship to you.. The quality of produce and meat is much higher, cost is less as you cut out the middle man and they are grown on smaller private farms/ranches and not in big corporate factory farms.

Great ideas. I buy a lot of meat from the Painted Hills group of ranchers in the area. Also I usually buy a steer at the fair FFA / 4H auctions, overpriced but good for the kids. I keep certain cuts and give the others to my kids.

You can search these kinds of direct to farm buys. A new crop of younger growers is trying to cut out a lot of middle man and sell direct to consumers. Great way to get started. I buy elk meat from a grower over here, I have standing orders with them for so much at the next processing date, that is how popular that meat is.

 

[4Freedom]

@CoastRange57 , glad to hear you have a network of ranchers/farmers that you are getting your meat and produce from. Indeed, if one good thing can come out of this disaster, maybe it is helping to bring back the old mom and pop ranches and farms. Home on the range won't just be a nice song to listen to on youtube anymore. The guy I was getting my Red Devon beef from (he mainly raised Devons and Red Angus) was fairly poor. He worked long hours, brought in about $60,000 a year while the big corporate ranchers were making millions and stuffing the cattle into a fraction of size of land that he was raising his cattle on. He said he raised high quality grass fed beef because it is what he loves doing and does't care about the money like big factory farming neighbors across the way.

There are lots of ranchers and farms throughout the country who are eager to get new customers.. Some are doing great business as people discovered them. The AMish farm I am getting my stuff from is generating a considerable amount of money after some years of hardship. They have become popular and I have been buying from them for almost 20 years now. Been a long time customer

OH yeah, when I lived in Idaho I was eating like 6 raw egg yolks a day from the local chicken farmers. Those eggs were like $3 dozen and the yolks were blood red. The best eggs I ever had and they sold them at my local health food store. When I lived in Star, Idaho I was one of the few people in my neighborhood who didn't have their own chickens. Let's say I stuck out , a little

 

[The Heretic]

Back in the day There used to be folks with a pickup parked in a vacant lot on a street corner that would sale corn watermelons apples ect , fresh picked that morning .dirt cheap . Its probably illegal now. That was the way to go ,the vender would make a few bucks the neighborhood had fresh food and the farmer wasnt letting it waste . To much control starves people

There are farmer's markets where you can more or less buy direct. My kids often buy food there.

Saw someone today with a pickup parked on a corner of a vacant lot selling oranges. Obviously not a local farmer though. There are still farmer's stands out there. The Rowell Brothers in Scholls (friends of my family), have had a stand selling their berries (picked or u-pick) for decades - they still do.

The Jaquith's (again, friends of my grandparents and well known in Scholls) have a berry stand on Scholls Ferry Road every year at their church in Progress (Beaverton).

 

[Ura-Ki]

That's one of the things I dearly miss about living in Colorado, My Neighbors are all ranchers, and I get really good deals on beef and pork, as well as some exotics when they have it! An hours drive west, we can get fresh fruit, eggs, Dairy and most grains/flower, and it's all local and all fresh! I really miss the top quality of that beef, never had better, and the costs are much less then commercial or store bought! Were big on sourcing foods locally, and here in the Valley we have plenty of fresh produce and berries, and even meats, but we pay more. it's still a better deal then store bought all day long!
We also take trips to the coast for fresh seafood, and I have a commercial account with Pacific Seafoods, so we stock up almost every trip!
Once or twice a year we venture north to Long Beach for fresh Willipa Bay Oysters and Clams, both Steamers and Razors, YUMMY!
If the State would relax it's strangle hold on angling, I would be neck deep in Salmon and Steel Head by now, but NO, the frickin State has to ruin it all for us!

 

[CoastRange57]

I've been enjoying the thrill of growing things for over 50 years. There's a lot more to it than burying seeds, watering, going in the house and coming out to your own personal produce department 3 months later. I don't believe people will bother with it.

I was born into part time farming and knew that way of life as a child. By the time I was as senior in high school, I had 30 cow calf pair, 40 acres of rented ground for hay production and paid for my life and college at 18. I then grew nursery stock for about 15 years.

After my illness, I decided to grow about 3 acres of vegetables, and have a U pick operation. I was close to town off a major highway. I did the tillage, planted it all, by hand by myself, drip taped it and start growing a variety of crops. Started getting ready to pick, we had good signage, FB presence and ads.

So what happened ??? Well my dumb azz thought people would come up pick their own, I would sell direct at the farm and make my money back plus. Ha !! The American public will come out to your farm and buy your ALL READY PICKED produce, but they will not in any way actually harvest or bring the crop in from the field. Now we had some come out, they were great people, but not enough to pay the bills.

I was able to give a lot away, one gal who came out was connected with people in need, so it helped them out a bit.

So I made my seed money and barely covered my water cost. Damn good thing I like farming because it was a money loser. But there is something about hoeing weeds barefoot in the field as the sun comes up to connect you to Mother Earth.

 

[Pete F]

Great ideas. I buy a lot of meat from the Painted Hills group of ranchers in the area. Also I usually buy a steer at the fair FFA / 4H auctions, overpriced but good for the kids. I keep certain cuts and give the others to my kids.

You can search these kinds of direct to farm buys. A new crop of younger growers is trying to cut out a lot of middle man and sell direct to consumers. Great way to get started. I buy elk meat from a grower over here, I have standing orders with them for so much at the next processing date, that is how popular that meat is.

I used to be one of those FFA kids and made a killing at the Fair auction.

 

[CoastRange57]

The Jaquith's (again, friends of my grandparents and well known in Scholls) have a berry stand on Scholls Ferry Road every year at their church in Progress (Beaverton).

I delivered fuel and fertilizers to a lot of those farms years ago, and knew Ken Jaquith. He grew strawberries high up on the hill there when every body was growing them on the lower fields. Something about that red soils on those hills really added some flavor, plus the additional altitude made it a different flavor. Strawberries are hand picked and getting harder to grow every year in that area.

 

[CoastRange57]

I used to be one of those FFA kids and made a killing at the Fair auction.

Me too. I got $ 3,500 for a steer in 1975. Blew me away.

 

[The Heretic]

I delivered fuel and fertilizers to a lot of those farms years ago, and knew Ken Jaquith. He grew strawberries high up on the hill there when every body was growing them on the lower fields. Something about that red soils on those hills really added some flavor, plus the additional altitude made it a different flavor. Strawberries are hand picked and getting harder to grow every year in that area.

Not far from where I live. Across the ravine is where my family grew strawberries - now it is the Ponzi winery and vineyards. My dad cleared that land when he was 19 years old - 70 years ago. One of the Ponzi clan has a small vineyard adjacent to my land.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Dairy farmers and ranchers get hosed. But never the crop farmers. They make mega millions. And write off everything. Groceries, haircuts, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, cabins! Fact!
And I'm pro farmer!!!
But they have it good.

 

[Mikej]

So I made my seed money and barely covered my water cost. Damn good thing I like farming because it was a money loser. But there is something about hoeing weeds barefoot in the field as the sun comes up to connect you to Mother Earth.

I don't know about the bare foot as the sun comes up? But there is something in me that has a need to grow things, and eat what I grow. This GMO, I presume GMO, and hot house stuff is total crap as far as taste goes. Cabbage, cucumbers, green peppers and green beans in the stores are garbage now. The stores don't even carry regular cucumbers, peppers and beans in season, and they are some of the easiest to grow in our area. Effin' grass seed and warehouses takes up tens of 1000s of acres of beautiful soil that could grow food. Geezus, now I've got to thinking about that crap again. It always boggled my mind how we cover up all that beautiful soil up along Marine drive with concrete and warehouses instead of producing food on it. Asperagus? Shouldn't we be getting asparagus from Washington by now? It's all from Mexico, and been in storage for a couple of weeks or more.

Rant over! "Where's the Tylenol"

 

[revjen45]

1) "Many are, but from I have also read, that the middle class and lower middle class on down, in Mexico proper, are hard working people too. So it isn't just about being in a desperate situation. I believe it is the culture and work ethic of the culture."
So true. I have known a lot of Hispanics, and Mexicans/Mexican Americans and they are industrious people. Anybody who buys in to the myth that Mexicans are lazy has probably never known any.
2) " Any Gardening tips anyone wants to share?"
*Raised beds and tires work real well, but you have to be clear on the concept.
Raised beds =< 4' wide so you can reach the center. Choose the location where it will get sun exposure. Amend the soil in the raised beds and continue to add compost fertilizer, etc, A/R. It helps a lot to have some way to cover the bed. A well-maintained bed can easily be kept weed free and productive indefinitely.
I say clear on the concept because one neighbor built a huge raised bed in the shade and lifted a tiller into it. The whole raison d' etre for raised beds is to reach all of it from a comfortable position and to maintain the soil. Lots of earthworms is s sign that you're doing it right.
Roto-tilling every year (I mention this because I see our neighbor doing it.) just ensures that you will have a luxuriant crop of weeds every year. A lot of weed seeds sprout when exposed to the sun, but he seems to enjoy running the tiller and resents advice, so I don't say anything.
*A stack of tires full of soil works well for stuff that grows in hills. A friend of my wife's said they look Hillbilly. That's fine with me. we are enjoying the sketti squash we grew in those Hillbilly tires. Works for potatoes too.
*If you are going to grow tomatoes they have to be protected from the rain. If you don't they will ripen just in time for the rain to bring on blight.
Note that Cherokee Purples actually taste like a tomato. Pick when the purple blush starts to spread and finish ripening on a window sill.
* In terms of gardening potential WA State sucks for a lot of crops. Know what grows here and what is a waste of time.
* If you waited until now you better get on it.

 

[jayR]

Not that anyone should use these seed - but what is going on ?
Michigan

 

[CoastRange57]

Dairy farmers and ranchers get hosed. But never the crop farmers. They make mega millions. And write off everything. Groceries, haircuts, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, cabins! Fact!
And I'm pro farmer!!!
But they have it good.

There are variations inside growing crops. Dry land farmers with no irrigation grow grains, clover for seed, grass seed, make straw out of the grain stubble. Allows smaller farmers ( under 2000 acres) to make a living, not get filthy rich but do OK. If they grow irrigated crops, there is more work involved and more instability in selling the crops to processors. The guys I know that do both, grow about 6 crops. They do really well on 2, average on 3 and lose their azz on 1 for what ever reason.

Corn, wheat, beans, grass seed, beets. I know one who has 3,500 acres in a corn, wheat beans rotation. I know a couple that are dryland, grass seed, grains, clover on about 4,000 acres. Need a bit of volume there. Labor is the big thing now. Being highly mechanized is the key. You have to keep labor inputs down to make any money. Hemp has been the big add on the last couple of years, but a lot of people lost big time on that last year, and probably half that acreage is back in hay over here anyway. They underestimated their hand labor requirements and the processing thing has not been worked out real well yet.

 

[Commonsense]

With help I put in 14 - 4 X 8 beds years ago. Favorite crop round cucumbers you can eat like an apple, Found cherry tomatoes grow best here, full size didn't grow well.