When seasons collide...
Apparently the same can be said for a lot of folks.
I don't mind cold weather so bad if the sun shines on occasion!
But this messy, muddy, drizzly weather makes me want to hibernate in the house, bake sweet treats, and indulge myself with mindless eating.
However, duty called this evening, and I ventured out in a snow shower with my husband to cover the annual Kiwanis Heritage Farm-City Banquet.
This is an event I always enjoy. Each year, a couple of farmers and a business owner are recognized for their work.
One of this year's honored farmers just happens to be a lifelong family friend, and he's our country neighbor.
This man is one of a kind, yet part of a dying breed. For nearly all of his life, he has raised cattle or grown tobacco and other livestock and crops, in addition to holding down a full-time "public" job from which he retired after many years of service.
He and a few of the other older farmers around here drive past our place on a daily basis, checking on their cattle that are in various locations but also keeping an eye on neighboring farms.
They watch for unfamiliar vehicles, because there have been a few burglaries in the area over the years, and they scan the pastures for any signs of trouble among the livestock, whether it be a cow having a difficult birth or one that appears to be "down" or ailing.
Thank goodness, they are usually quick to notice if one of our cows is out on or near the road.
If so, they either stop by and warn us, or try to locate us by phone as quickly as they can. They'll even linger around to help put the unruly beasts back in the pasture where they belong.
I can remember when we all raised tobacco, and we'd be working to "house" it (haul the drying cut stalks of tobacco to the barn to hang to dry some more.) If rain or an early frost threatened, you can bet the neighbors were quick to pitch in and help each other get the job done. A sense of camaraderie developed as we would race to beat the weather, and there was usually lots of laughing and kidding around.
That's one of the many reasons I grew to love farm life, because of the strong sense of community that resulted from us relying on one another. Sadly, I see it dwindling as an older generation of farmers is fading away, and most of the younger wanna-be farmers are forced to work off the farm to make ends meet and keep health insurance.
There just aren't that many stepping up to replace the older farmers. My husband and I are among those trying, but we are already in our fifties. I'm not seeing many 20-somethings and 30-somethings getting into farming in this area. (The second farmer recognized tonight was only 38, so there are exceptions.)
It's no wonder the younger generation doesn't want to take the risk of farming considering the prices cattle are bringing right now.
The speaker for the banquet was a man who runs a local stockyard. That's where cattle farmers take their animals to sell them. He said recently he'd seen some cattle bring as low as 6 to 50 cents a pound.
A 1, 000 pound cow, at six cents a pound, would bring $60. That's hardly worth hauling to market.
Yet hamburger remains at 3 to 4 dollars a pound in the grocery, and as most know, hamburger is one of the cheapest beef products.
Looks like someone besides the farmer is making more than their fair share of the money. That just ticks me off! It's not right.
There has to be a better way. In larger cities especially, direct marketing of processed beef helps the farmer make a larger profit. In rural areas like ours, finding the customer base is a challenge.
BUT, if you find yourself with opportunity to buy meat or produce directly from a local farmer, please do. You might help preserve a dying breed.
I'll get off my soapbox now.
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