Icons Of Vermont Vanishing

[Henry]

On last night's 6 p.m. news there was a story about a farmer in Sheldon who was selling out his cows as part of a program to reduce milk production.  He was a man that had farmed all of his life and because the price of milk is now about $3 per hundred less than what it costs to produce it, there is a program that helps farmers sell their cows, to reduce production.

The farmer was very emotional, and rightly so, as a way of life he had always been involved in was disappearing.

I was brought up on a family farm, and was not one of those that chose to remain a farmer, but I saw my father, who was a dedicated farmer, work all of his life taking great pride in his animals, crops and land.  Back in 1952, I saw my Dad sell his farm and watch his 60 cows being sold at auction.  His 60 cows included only one Jersey Cow that Dad had bought, the rest were all animals he raised.  The farm had been purchased by my grandfather in 1895.

As I listened to the farmer on Channel 3 last night, he said he wasn't sure what he was going to do.  Well, I can tell you what my Dad did.  After he sold the farm he and my mother and younger sister and I moved to a second floor apartment on East Canal Street in Winooski.  I got a job in Burlington and Dad got a job working second shift at Tulatex on Pine Street in Burlington.  Now this all started in November of 1952.  Needless to say, Dad was not that happy with that type of work and about this time of year, in 1953, dad was getting just a bit yancy not doing the usual farming type work.

It was then that he contacted John Reed, a Real Estate Agent in Colchester, who brought us first down to Hinesburg to look at a small bare farm there, but that did not appeal to him.  The second place he showed us was a bare, 70 acre farm located here on the Fletcher Road.  There were two large Tamarack Trees in the front yard and it was on a quiet peaceful dirt road about two miles from the village.  We all fell in love with the place and Dad & Mother decided right then and there that they would spend the $4,500 and buy it.  Dad purchased 8 cows and a brand new Farmall Cub Tractor from McGovern's in Cambridge along with some attachments and a manure spreader.  Dad was Happy Again doing what he loved to do and as for us kids, well we were very happy too, especially to see him and my mother happy in their new home.  They didn't have a lot of money, but they were in a place they loved and Dad was doing something he loved to do.

It is just so sad to see our family farms vanishing as for those that love that type of work, not only does it provide them with a great way of life, but provides the much needed necessities we all need.

If you would like to read the segment from last night on Channel 3, just click on the link below:

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=10536272

[David Shea]

Henry,

As you know I too have a special place in my heart for old things...  Old farms buildings and the machinery that once worked the land are particular favorites.   I own an old tractor that is 50 plus years old.  Before I bought it, it sat unused and forgotten next to a barn for 25 years.  A little bit of tinker and the trusty rusty old tractor came back to life!  I dare you to let your shinny orange, green, blue tractor sit for 25 years, my bet is on mother nature and not the tractor.

My grandfather used to tell me, " They don't build quality anymore."  My grandfather was right.  My trusty rusty tractor is still dressed in her work cloths, not all shined up and pretty but as reliable as the day she came off the Ford Assembly line. I use the tractor to plow my driveway, brush hog my field, plow, disk, and spring tooth my garden and pull out firewood.  All of my implements, but one, are well over 50 years old and they work just like the day they were new.  ( As a mater of fact I save many of them from being exported for scrap iron)  Unfortunately many of these old barns and machinery have just run their course and are no longer efficient for farming.

My rusty tractor was the cats mew back in the 60's but now would just not be practical for todays farming it couldn't even budge some of the monster implements that are in use today.  Just like my tractor many of the farms have run their course as well.  The day to day activities of raising animals, milking cow, raising and harvesting crops have changed very little in the past 25 years.  Despite the static nature of daily farm activities on major thing has changed.  Farming has become more than a way of life, it has become big business. 

The behind the scenes aspect of farming, bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, workers compensation, cost forecasting, employees, employee benefits, employee retention, milk production vs income derived, profit vs loss etc... All of these functions and how well they are performed are a direct function of how well a farm is doing.  The bottom line is that farming is big business and each farmer has to run his or her operation as such.  If they do not make money, save money, pay their suppliers and vendors, manage debt etc then it is only a mater of time before that farmer will go out of business as well.

The current milk pricing system was put in place by the US government.  Price control stared by farm coop's before the depression.  These failed as milk demand dropped during the depressions. The agriculture act of 1933 was the next attempt at stabilization.  World War II created increased demand for food product so the agriculture act of 1949 was put in place to stabilize milk prices further via government regulation.  These acts have all been changed over time most recently with the Dairy compact of 1996. 

It has been recently proven that our government is not the best regulator of things.  The most recent an memorable for me is the banking disaster that we are currently in.  As a business person it would be very difficult to forcast cost when the government is setting the price for your product.  The bottom line for me is that the pricing system is out of date and needs to be revised.

To go a step further... many of us are questioning the subsidies that are being given to AIG, GM, Citibank and the list goes on.  Subsidies like these have been given to farmer for the past 50 years.  Even with subsidies and low interest loans farmers continue to go out of business.

Farming is no longer a way of life.  It is big business and needs to be handled as such.

Just like you Henry I have good memories of my time working on Doug Webb & John Collins Farm.  I think my memories would have been different if I knew just what went on in the office.

Just My Opinion.

If you would like more information on milk pricing go here:

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aib761/aib761.pdf