Look ahead, not back
John Schlageck, Special to the Gazette
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Some proponents of organic, labor-intensive farming contend we should go back to the days when every family owned 40 acres, farmed with hay burners (horses) and applied no chemicals.
You remember the good ol’ days when people were self sufficient, owned a couple milk cows, tilled a garden and butchered 40 or 50 fryers each spring.
Some of these zealots propose each nation should also strive for self sufficiency. No imports. No exports.
Should such events occur, you may want to prepare yourself for milking each morning instead of that piping hot mug of coffee. Forget about sliced bananas on your bowl of corn flakes. These goodies we import into this country, and a lot more, won’t be on the kitchen table anymore. Count on it.
God forbid we adopt these policies. If we cave in to those who spread hysteria about unsafe food and giant farms, be prepared to do without the services of all the non-agricultural types. This includes carpenters, painters, nurses, doctors, teachers, writers, musicians, etc. In case you haven’t heard, labor-intensive farming doesn’t permit time for many other pursuits. Neither does production agriculture.
Farmers run non stop, from early morning to late at night, planting and harvesting crops, tilling the soil, feeding and caring for livestock. Their work seldom ends. It’s foolish to assume everyone would want to leave his or her jobs in the city to move to the farm. It ain’t all “Green Acres” out there folks.
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F John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.