Last Honk

At least it isn't corn, on corn, on corn like some guys around here.

Swampy_44

Are you talking about the big brush piles that are on 61 just north of the wapsi? A big creek line that runs onto Mr. Art Ladehofs property, aka MR Bigfoot? My stepdad farms a property that the big breek runs through. Dont quote me on this. But i remember him saying it was a county drainage? I believe he said it was made in the 1950's. I guess that was the last time that the county cleared it, and it was the countys decision to clear all that timber in the creek line and dig it out. Not sure if that helps, but im guessing thats what you were seeing.
On the other hand cleaning out fencelines and drainages are a major problem. Especially with upland game in Iowa, or the lack thereof.
Swampy

feathhd

You know it should be said that we do have some very good ass farmers in this state who do it right, but there are far more who dont.

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bbgun82

I say lets do away with subsidies and go to a "fair market system" and see how well farmers like making money on $2-3 bushel corn. I understand making money to support a family but I am sick and tired of listening to farmers complain about how hard it is and then listen to them talk of winter trips to the bahamas and then hop in their $50k trucks and drive off. I appreciate everything farmers do for our country but what is going on now is irresponsible and greedy!

feathhd

Now thats some funny chit right dar!~

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feathhd

Snots we are just airing out some IOWA garbage and this year we have seen a lot more than we ever have.

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CLIPPER

agree to disagree

YoungGun11

February 2010 Iowa Corn average $3.66 maybe do some research first
It really wasn't that long ago

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agd.../pdf/a2-11.pdf

Having a house in the Bahamas is news to me. And last time I checked I drove a 94 Chevy

wilbur104

Most of you have good arguments with this topic. But as someone who was raised on a Iowa farm and still works on the family farm its hard to argue with someone doing what they want with there land when paying upwards of 10 to 12 thousand a ac. At the same time I work for a sheriffs department and so many of our complaints come in the fall in the form of hunters on private property. You are always going to have the farmer who complains about hunters and the hunters who dont respect the farmers ground. I think in this great state of hunting if we all learned to respect each other a little more it would go a long way in mending the fences that are disappearing. Just my 2 cents.

fowl tude

With a fair market system, there would be a very good chance that grain prices would be higher than they are right now.

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We talk fowl round here

feathhd

It's not hard. It is simple really. As long as an individual doing what he wants on his 13k an acre farm doesn't force me the tax payer to foot the bill to clean up the mess. That isn't hard.

A lot of small family farmers arent really the problem as most own the ground they farm. It is the ones who dont own the ground but rent it from a land owner who lives in NY that is the problem. That cash rent is going up as those who own it have seen farmers take advanatge of the tax payer cash cow. Now they want to get in on it and get theirs and they will. The guy renting it will do all he or she can to get every dollar they can out of it to. That means Pavement to pavement and all things in between gone.

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IAtaxidermist

Its pretty crazy when one takes a road trip in Iowa and sees just how many excevators and dozers are parked around.

Last Honk

Yep, helped my dad for 15 years. He now share crops or trades rent for custom work. We have had several requests from the to let him rip the two fences out to the south, guess what the answer was? There is no fence on the west side anymore and every year the agribusiness man encroaches closer and closer. I'd almost bet we'll own two rows of his corn this year. This is the same guy that turned around in our field and killed about half a dozen Norway spruce tree His 8 year old son owns about 1500 acres, first time land buyer. This guy is not a farmer he is an agribusiness man. A farmer cares for the land, the agribusiness man just cares about that extra dollar.

Great example. There was some marginal very hilly ground that was CRP for 15 years. After ythe contract a guy bought it baled it and hit it with Round up. Then tiled the whole thing 160 acres. Turned it all over and it was all orange from the clay. It will never yield what flat land is going to and erodes twice as fast in row crops vs. CRP or pasture. Is that farming or business?