I think I need to reply to this message.
My family lives on a farm that was granted to us by King George11 of
England. We have kept most of the farm in the family, but some has been
lost through family divisions. We have never been given a dime of
government money nor have we ever asked for it. This is our land which may
have been given to us but has been mortaged and paid for many times over
during hardship years. We raise apples and a few cattle. Most of the land
is not usable due to the steep mountain terrain and therefore is really just
a tax burden, but we keep it anyway.
We have never gotten rich on this land and only have been able to make a
living and allow the families who worked here make a living as well.
There is no 401K there is no savings there is just the land. If anyone in
the family needs long term health care or if there is a crop failure (like
the one we are facing now due to cold temps) we would need to sell some of
the land to yes developers. There is no one out there who wants the risk,
the hardship of farming, the long days, etc. But this is our right and no
one should tell us that we are closet developers.
There are many people who are in the same boat as we and their land is the
only asset they have. The people is this country do not support the family
farm nor do they support any home grown industry. And until they do farm
land will shrink and we will grow nothing but houses. I takes more than
just being a resoureful business man to make it in these uncertain times.
Tommy Bruguiere
Dickie Bros. Orchard
Roseland, Va.
----- Original Message -----
From: "John L. Belisle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'Apple-Crop'" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 5:14 PM
Subject: RE: Apple-Crop: U. S. Farm Bill
I think any person receiving a crop subsidie should sign away an equal
amount of development roghts. I am tired as a tax payer supporting farmers
only to have them sell for development. We are using good tax payer
monies
to support closet developers instead of a farmers.
If farm land like industrial land is only the land it is used for, taxed
for, supported by communiy tax gifts and direct cash benefits it would
still
be affordable. It just does not make sense to me to have a society put
forth
huge amounts of time and monies to insure a farmer survives until
retirement
then lets him in many cases convert. In most other countries many farmers
drive from the town to work on the farm. The resouce is just to valable to
destroy with new housing.
I think if we want to preserve farming we need to preserve the resouce
first. If the resouce is preserved the farmer being the resoucful business
man he is will farm it profitably.
JOHN Belisle
Bellewood acres
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of Arthur Harvey
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 5:20 AM
To: Apple-Crop
Subject: Re: Apple-Crop: U. S. Farm Bill
I think we would all (except a few big guys) be better off if all federal
subsidies were phased out, and the money saved used for reducing the
national debt. Federal market interventions distort the demand side of
economics, and also victimize poorer farmers in other parts of the world.
--- lee elliott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
What do you want to see in the new Farm Bill? The only $$ my small
orchard gets is the$$$ from the WIC & Senior Farmers Market coupons,
would like to see that expanded, growing fruit on land where program
crops
are grown, not so sure. What do you think?
Lee Elliott, Winchester, Il.
---------------------------------
Don't get soaked. Take a quick peek at the forecast with theYahoo!
Search weather shortcut.
On another topic, the federal law governing organic foods was recently
amended by lobbyists hired by some manufacturers. This will allow
synthetic
ingredients to be added to organic-labeled foods.
If this is important to you, please visit my website,
www.RestoreOrganicLaw.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
<http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill and Jon
Clements
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
the
content.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
<http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill and Jon
Clements <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
the content.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
<http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill and Jon
Clements <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
the content.
