Let’s see. I know farmers in MN that bought land for $500 per acre not that many years ago that is now worth $5,000 per acre.
They are getting $8 per bushel of corn because of their demand for ethanol in this country.
They are retired at age 50 in Arizona and hiring people to run their farms or renting it out at $150 per acre or more.
They buy a new pickup each year and write it off as a service vehicle for their farm.
They fill their large fuel tanks on the farm with fuel without any road tax charged to it since they claim it will be used by tractors and off road equipment.
They haul a steer to market after deducting the entire cost of raising it and then even deduct the cost of the butcher who cut, wrapped, and delivered it to their freezer for personal use.
I could list another dozen or more reasons why today’s farmers are nothing but tax cheats and government sucklings.
I have NO TIME for Farmers anymore.
Once again it proves the adage farmers are asset rich but cash poor.
Corn is not $8.00/bushel and just last year corn was under $4.00/bushel. As for ethanol be careful what you wish for. You may find your gasoline bill a little higher.
I don’t see any farmers retiring that early. I will admit some smaller farmers are renting out their land because the capital requirements and the dollars per acre needed to put in a crop have made it an easy decision.
Pickups are the service vehicle for farms. What are we supposed to drive a Prius?
You can’t use red(dyed) diesel in on road vehicles. You have to use clear diesel and the Highway Patrol does check. If caught you pay taxes and penalties on all gallons.
Not being a rancher not sure about this one but I would guess the deductible expenses on one cow are less than charlie rangel’s taxes.
Last but not least don’t bitch with your mouth full.
Not family farmers. This particular bit of DOT bull crap is designed to drive family farms completely out of business. For indeed, who would be able to only employ CDL holders and maintain the paperwork— corporate farms. Don’t confuse family farmers with corporate farmers.
Corporate farmers are the ones who got corn ethanol subsidies through RINOs (see Archer Daniels Midland and Bob Dole).
They are the ones who work a deal with USDA and state ag commissions to be paid subsidies NOT to farm a crop or to lay fallow an acreage, even as they have a consortium to trade commodities futures as shorts or longs in these crops, as appropriately timed to the arrangement.
They are the ones who push and get special federal govt. tax breaks to construct a soy-diesel alternative fuel plant, supplied not by their farms, but by outside (trainloads) of grain stocks.
Just one large example: U.S. Sugar Corp. HQ Clewiston, FL a PRIVATELY HELD corporate farming company-187K acres of sugarcane and 30K plus in citrus groves/cattle. Privately held by the Charles Stewart Mott foundation, and through ESOP employees.
The Chairman of the Board of US Sugar Corp is one William S. White, who is also the CEO of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Charles Stewart Mott,Sr. (died 1973), and subsequently his “NON PROFIT” foundation is (or was) the LARGEST direct shareholder of General Motors through Motors Liquidation Co and its allied General Unit Trust of the same name. That is— the US Govt. bailed out GM by bailing out the largest shareholder— a non-profit foundation— with US taxpayer money, and still lost 1.83 billion on the sale of GM stock at reduced value.
The C.S. Mott foundation is based in Flint, MI (aka Detroit) and hands out grants to the likes of Nelson Mandela foundation, or race & reconciliation, abortion, or “sustainable development” and carbon credits from global warming initiatives. God Help Us.
This is the kind of “farmer” you should direct your anger against. Not the producing, for profit small family farmer- who, even with the individual actions you cite (all done while the crop may/may not grow, funded by a credit line that is controlled by— the US govt.) cannot compare to the corporate international socialist crony sponges and their RINO buddies, who will support this ridiculous DOT agenda.
Respectfully,-from a 4th generation U.S. family farmer. Deo Vindice.
You try using off road fuel in on road trucks, get caught by fuel inspectors and pay fine up to $28 grand. I had a duel user permit untill they done away with many years ago. One old Mack that was only used on the yard and no tag for several years still had red (off road) fuel, it had not been cranked of a couple of years, gov’t elder woman & tw0, assistants, that were semi literate, came on my fenced yard and attempted to test fuel in all vehicles. One of my men refused to let testing be done on the old Mack. Much hell & wasted time later I got issue settled in my favor.
You said **** “I have NO TIME for Farmers anymore.”****
#1 You have never been a Farmer (do you work for the Post Office?)
#2 You do not own a Corporation or have ever run a business
#3 Most Farmers “Rent”
#4 Don’t blame Farmers for Ethanol
#5 Farmers PRODUCE they are not a “Service Industry” and Production is the actual source of all VALUE (your $)
I could go on but you only really stepped hard on those nerves and no I am not a Farmer, I grew up on Farms and I do provide Services to Farmers and Ranchers ...
TT