Every so often the head of a do-gooder nonprofit or journalist reaches out, wanting to hear my thoughts on [farm topic]
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@sarahtaber Just toss the term "moral hazard" into the conversation if they don't get it.
@yoasif LOL they don't know what that is
if these folks were familiar with the concept of "moral hazard" they wouldn't be asking how to save farms in the first place
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Every so often the head of a do-gooder nonprofit or journalist reaches out, wanting to hear my thoughts on [farm topic]
And they're always floored & taken aback that I say "mean" things about farmers. Like "They're adults. They chose this. And they should live with the consequences of their actions."
@sarahtaber are you familiar with FarmingWhileBeige on TikTok?
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It's kind of a funny selection bias, I guess.
The only folks who are going to call me to learn more about "saving farmers" are those whose brains are completely made of pudding.
Which... yeah, explains how those phone calls go.
@sarahtaber Yup, this was the weirdest thing about California farmers complaining about California. I really wanted to shout "Your choices are what causes these outcomes! Choose differently or stop complaining." But alas, that would not have gone over well.
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It's kind of a funny selection bias, I guess.
The only folks who are going to call me to learn more about "saving farmers" are those whose brains are completely made of pudding.
Which... yeah, explains how those phone calls go.
them: Wow. This person who keeps making videos abt how most small family farmers are millionaires w a 6-figure income? We should ask her how to save farmers.
me: Nah we shouldn't be "saving" millionaires w 6-figure incomes. Or the farmers who are even bigger
them:
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them: Wow. This person who keeps making videos abt how most small family farmers are millionaires w a 6-figure income? We should ask her how to save farmers.
me: Nah we shouldn't be "saving" millionaires w 6-figure incomes. Or the farmers who are even bigger
them:
@sarahtaber Americans have such a romanticized notion of agriculture and rural life.
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them: Wow. This person who keeps making videos abt how most small family farmers are millionaires w a 6-figure income? We should ask her how to save farmers.
me: Nah we shouldn't be "saving" millionaires w 6-figure incomes. Or the farmers who are even bigger
them:
@sarahtaber A lot of times people like that are less interested in your opinions than they are in getting a public figure like you to bless _their_ opinions.
Some of them have a high enough regard for themselves to think that once you hear their opinions you will naturally get on board. The rest usually figure they can just throw enough money at you to endorse whatever they want. Both types are usually gobsmacked when their preferred approach does not work
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them: Wow. This person who keeps making videos abt how most small family farmers are millionaires w a 6-figure income? We should ask her how to save farmers.
me: Nah we shouldn't be "saving" millionaires w 6-figure incomes. Or the farmers who are even bigger
them:
@sarahtaber We need to be certain that a married couple can leave their small family farm valued at a mere $30 MM to their children without any estate taxes owed.
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@sarahtaber Americans have such a romanticized notion of agriculture and rural life.
@michaelgemar And undeservedly so. Rural life means "indoor plumbing and electric are not guaranteed" still.
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Every so often the head of a do-gooder nonprofit or journalist reaches out, wanting to hear my thoughts on [farm topic]
And they're always floored & taken aback that I say "mean" things about farmers. Like "They're adults. They chose this. And they should live with the consequences of their actions."
@sarahtaber Not just putting their hands on the stove but personally stoking the fire before enthusiastically slamming both hands down while simultaneously crying and demanding somebody save them.
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them: Wow. This person who keeps making videos abt how most small family farmers are millionaires w a 6-figure income? We should ask her how to save farmers.
me: Nah we shouldn't be "saving" millionaires w 6-figure incomes. Or the farmers who are even bigger
them:
@sarahtaber I'm sure my cousin Andrew would find it hilarious if someone called him a millionaire. His farm is small and he raises cattle and corn. Maybe someone could explain why he has a job as a semi driver to supplement his income or why his wife works to help pay the bills.
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@sarahtaber I'm sure my cousin Andrew would find it hilarious if someone called him a millionaire. His farm is small and he raises cattle and corn. Maybe someone could explain why he has a job as a semi driver to supplement his income or why his wife works to help pay the bills.
@FaithinBones That's just called "multiple streams of revenue."
Sorry, but people who are truly poor.... can't afford small farms that always lose money.
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@sarahtaber A lot of times people like that are less interested in your opinions than they are in getting a public figure like you to bless _their_ opinions.
Some of them have a high enough regard for themselves to think that once you hear their opinions you will naturally get on board. The rest usually figure they can just throw enough money at you to endorse whatever they want. Both types are usually gobsmacked when their preferred approach does not work
@jalefkowit They really are lmao
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@FaithinBones That's just called "multiple streams of revenue."
Sorry, but people who are truly poor.... can't afford small farms that always lose money.
@sarahtaber he inherited the farm and he and his wife have jobs to keep it. It's been in our family since the 1800's. I hope you're being sarcastic
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@sarahtaber he inherited the farm and he and his wife have jobs to keep it. It's been in our family since the 1800's. I hope you're being sarcastic
@FaithinBones
My dad drove a semi and my mother was an aid in special needs classes, and I grew up eating government cheese because they didn't inherit a large asset they could sell at any time to make themselves whole.
@sarahtaber -
@FaithinBones
My dad drove a semi and my mother was an aid in special needs classes, and I grew up eating government cheese because they didn't inherit a large asset they could sell at any time to make themselves whole.
@sarahtaber@Capheind @sarahtaber no wonder this country is in trouble. Factory farms are taking over most food production and small farms are being squeezed out.
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@Capheind @sarahtaber no wonder this country is in trouble. Factory farms are taking over most food production and small farms are being squeezed out.
@FaithinBones
Because a broke stay at home dad with a Hort degree called you out for not knowing what poor means? How odd.Chronically unemployed ag nerds, the real power behind the throne!
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@sarahtaber he inherited the farm and he and his wife have jobs to keep it. It's been in our family since the 1800's. I hope you're being sarcastic
@FaithinBones I am absolutely not being sarcastic.
Lots of couples have to work two jobs! Most of them don't inherit a farm on top of that!
People who inherit a property, & who can afford to keep it even though it loses money, ARE NOT POOR.
They're less wealthy than they wish they were, sure, but that's not "poor." Full stop.
If you don't understand that, you're just straight financially illiterate. Maybe worry about that instead of yelling at people on the internet.
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Every so often the head of a do-gooder nonprofit or journalist reaches out, wanting to hear my thoughts on [farm topic]
And they're always floored & taken aback that I say "mean" things about farmers. Like "They're adults. They chose this. And they should live with the consequences of their actions."
@sarahtaber I come from a large white farm family.
I can never decide what makes me laugh more: farmers constantly crying about being the poorest of the downtrodden or the people who actually believe it.
Maybe super poor rural farmers still exist in the US? But the typical Midwestern white ones are not it.
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It's kind of a funny selection bias, I guess.
The only folks who are going to call me to learn more about "saving farmers" are those whose brains are completely made of pudding.
Which... yeah, explains how those phone calls go.
Yeah like... save farmers by kicking out all the "farmers" and giving the land to the farm workers equitably. Even I can see that. -
@michaelgemar And undeservedly so. Rural life means "indoor plumbing and electric are not guaranteed" still.
Honestly not convinced that's entirely a bad thing... composting toilets are fine as long as they're sanitary, and electric lights are hell on our circadian cycles. But the shit we're teaching our children about idyllic cows and duckies who never ever end up on the dinner plate has to stop. I want kids to see the grim death and struggle and be rightly terrified by it. Instead, the only thing we let kids be scared about is:
1. smart people
2. independent women
