The Rural Voice, 1982-05, Page 24pcetaeu&in So�ON NOW
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PG. 22 THE RURAL VOICE/MAY 1982
VOICE OFA FARMER
Discarding the old,
acquiring the new
by Adrian Vos
This issue of Rural Voice focuses on the renovation of
older buildings. For many young people this is a novel idea
as it has become quite common for developers to raze whole
city blocks to put up new apartment and office buildings, or
for farmers to tear down the old bank barn
to make place for a spanking new
Tabor -efficient confinement building.
For older farmers. there is nothing
novel about the concept of renewal. which
they consider no more than common
sense. They shook their heads in bewilder-
ment when droves of young farmers lined
up for FCC loans of a quarter to half a
million dollars. so they could hire a l
contractor to build them a money -making
livestock building.
Their financial advisers had shown
them that the eight or ten per cent loans
were easily repayable from the profits of
$135 hogs or $800 steers. The old farmer. who had lived all
his life with price cycles. shook his grey head but the young
farmer thought him too old-fashioned and cautious.
The young man reasoned that he had a right to weekends
off and a holiday in the sun. The only way to get this was to
expand. so the weekends and holidays could be shared with
hired labor.
Labor saving buildings were a necessity to attract and
keep labor, and capital was thus subsidizing labor. The
barns had slatted floors for liquid manure; livestock pens
were not made from hardwood that would last forever,
made from double galvanized piping.
The old men admired the easy workload of the modern
farmer. but still shook their grey heads in doubt.
Money streamed in, but slowly, inexorably. interest rates
increased and prices dropped; input cost increased but
prices still dropped.
The young farmer went to the bank for money to tide him
over the difficult period, and many a banker gave it to him,
as long as the loan was secured. Interest payments rose
accordingly.
Many blamed the government for its economic policies;
the banks for making a profit after giving the money; the
commodity organizations for lack of push for price
guaranteeing quotas; Ronny Reagan for his Reaganomics;
everyone but themselves.
The old men shook their grey heads. They figured they
had been right in the first place by insisting on renovation
before new structures. By working with the whole family
instead of hiring labor.
Now, in desperation many farmers band together in
survival associations; they try to force banks to work
without profit for their investors; they sometimes threaten
and sometimes cajole.
For some, this may help to get an obtuse local banker to
Cont. on page 16
Farmer/writer Adrian Vos likes to be provocative, "to
make people think...they don't have to agree." He
welcomes comment and suggested column topics from
readers.