Local farmers seek safety net
By Bayne Hughes, The Decatur Daily, Ala. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
McNatt wants this
If the crop fails because of a drought or natural disaster, or prices are lower than expected, McNatt and other area farmers look to the federal government for help.
Farmers are waiting to see how last week's renewal of the farm bill
They depend on federal subsidies, especially during rough times.
"It gives farmers a sense of security and certainty for the future after a year of operating on a bill that expired in 2012," Helms said.
Helms said a positive for
He said local crops have been good the past few years, but farmers are just waiting for weather to become too dry or too wet.
"We just want the help so we can survive when there's two or three rough years," Bridgeforth said. "We know it's going to happen. All we want to do is to keep farming when we hit a bad stretch."
McNatt said farmers "just want the government to guarantee us a profit so we can stay in business."
Farming is an expensive proposition, especially in row crops.
McNatt said his farm could easily invest
Most local farms are a combination of owned and lease acreage.
Shaw said farm costs vary greatly, depending on the crop planted, fertilizer and equipment costs and hauling prices. Most local farmers diversify their crops, planting cotton, corn and soybeans. Sunflowers and canola are among the newest crops in the area.
Cotton is the most expensive. Good cotton seed costs
"Beans cost much less," Shaw said. "You plant soybeans and wait for it to grow. You then harvest soybeans and drive straight to the buyer."
Five years ago, cotton was half of Shaw's crop. Now it's only 10 to 20 percent of his crop.
Shaw said foreign farmers use lower quality, less expensive cotton seed. This is where subsidies help, he said.
"I'm glad to pay for the better seed, but we need an equalizer that puts us closer to a level field," Shaw said.
Local farms typically employ three to six full-time workers and hire temporary employees during harvest time.
The days of the familiar red, three-wheeled tractor are gone. The machines needed on a farm are growing bigger and more expensive.
McNatt said the average tractor has a 200-horsepower engine and costs close to
Crop insurance --
The farmers are excited the new farm bill focuses more on insurance-style programs. They will pick between a program that pays when revenue dips or another that pays when prices drop.
"I would love more protection as long as it's reasonable," McNatt said. "Insurance costs keep going up, and it's getting too high."
McNatt said he received about
"It's probably down 20 percent from what it used to be," McNatt said.
Abercrombie got out of the dairy business, which he said is more expensive and volatile. He said dairy farmers will be interested in new subsidy rules and how payouts are determined.
"In the past, they were based on pounds of milk produced," he said.
The controversial
"There was such an outcry about paying farmers not to plant, that they had to eliminate direct payments," Seay said.
Shaw said he was using direct payments to increase his crop insurance coverage. He's hoping the new bill's focus on insurance will offset this loss.
@DD_BayneHughes.
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