Nancy2 wrote;

> > brownies and melons. We keep hoping that the mid-West of our childhood
> > still exists somewhere.
> > Janet
>
> It does, but if your older family members on the farm are gone, it's a
> childhood Midwest that you have to work hard to recreate.
>


Indeed:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0322/p01s01-usec.html

from the March 22, 2007 edition

In US Midwest, young farmers priced out of land

Ethanol demand has pushed Midwest farmland prices through the roof.

By Amanda Paulson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

"DES MOINES, IOWA

Matt Miller dreams of the farm he and his wife and young son could one day
live on.

Mr. Miller says he could make it work with 200 acres near the small farm his
father owns if he focuses on organic agriculture and diversifies with a few
dairy cows or hogs. The problem: buying the land.

He already rents 90 of those acres, and he and his wife have been saving her
income for years to buy the rest. But every time they reach their goal, land
prices go up.

Real estate prices in cities may be falling, but in Midwestern farm country,
land values are going through the roof. Fueled by heavy ethanol demand,
which has pushed up corn prices, land that sold for $4,500 an acre a year
ago might go for about $6,000 an acre today.

"It's kind of disheartening," says Mr. Miller, an organic inspector for the
state of Iowa. who has a friendly smile and an upbeat attitude. "It's like a
moving target. All these things we've done are futile."

Average land values are up 13 percent in Iowa from a year ago and 14 percent
in Nebraska - and far more than that in prime counties. Along with surging
corn prices, land-value growth means a boom in wealth for farmers who own
their land. But for beginners like Miller, it's made an already tough
proposition far tougher.

"It's absolutely destroying their chances," says Mike Duffy, an agricultural
economist at Iowa State University and director of the Beginning Farmer
Center. When Mr. Duffy advises aspiring young farmers, he says he encourages
them to find other ways to begin than buying land. "But they always want to
own land," Duffy says. "That's somehow the badge of being a farmer."

The issue is a concern to some because of the aging farmer population and
the continuing trend of consolidation and depopulation of rural America that
it contributes to. About half the nation's farms are owned by people over
the age of 65, and a quarter are owned by people over 75, according to the
most recent survey, which Duffy's organization conducted five years ago. He
expects those numbers to rise significantly when they redo the survey this
year.

As land passes down to a generation that may be farming it, more acres -
currently about 1 out of every 5 - are owned by people who don't live there.

Some see that as the natural evolution of farming and a way to keep things
efficient, but others worry that the barriers are getting too steep - and
that America's rural culture will suffer a loss. Many, of course, celebrate
the surging land price.

"It represents a huge wealth increase for those who own the land," says
Bruce Johnson, an agricultural economist at the University of Nebraska in
Lincoln. "It's the hottest real estate market to be in right now."

For those trying to enter it, Professor Johnson acknowledges, it's tough.
Like Duffy, he encourages young farmers to find alternatives to owning land.

Niches with higher profit margins - like the organic market Miller hopes to
enter - can also help.

Not all young farmers are discouraged. Kyle Maas, a senior at Iowa State
University and the former chairman of the Beginning Farmers Network there,
has already entered into a nonfamily partnership with an older farmer and
his son. They're focusing on cattle, because it requires less land. They
also grow some row crops and hay. The high rents are tough, he says, but he
thinks the market is such that they can make the operation profitable.

"If you tell yourself about how high cash rents make it too difficult, then
it is," says Mr. Maas, who grew up on a small farm in northwest Iowa. "But
if you move past it, then you can try to overcome it."

He encourages young, aspiring farmers to come up with creative solutions,
and to talk to as many farmers nearing retirement as they can - many of whom
can get significant tax advantages if they enter into a partnership with a
young person.

"The older generation has the capital," Maas says, "but we've got
advantages, too" - including familiarity with technology and the willingness
to work long hours.

One concern for anyone trying to buy land is whether the current values will
last. Back in the 1970s, land and corn prices saw a similar spike, only to
be followed by a crash of land values and higher interest rates that led to
a wave of foreclosures and farm consolidations in the 1980s.

"It's an interesting time to be in agriculture, and from our perspective,
it's been a very good thing," says Jim Farrell, president and CEO of Farmers
National Bank in Omaha, Neb., which manages about 1.2 million acres that it
leases to farmers and sells close to 600 farms a year.

The last four months in particular have shown a steep surge, Mr. Farrell
says. The factors driving those prices up - corn at more than $4 a bushel
and a steady demand for ethanol - have helped inject a sense of euphoria
into agriculture that reminds Farrell of the late 1970s.

So far, he and many other farmers remain cautiously optimistic, saying that
the economic fundamentals are solid. "It's much more sustainable, based on
who is buying it," says Johnson.

But people like Miller who are just trying to enter the market aren't so
sure.

"If you pay $5,000 an acre and corn prices drop, then you're in a really bad
situation," he says. "Maybe I'm too cautious, but I think there's a lot of
uncertainty."

</>

jmcquown wrote:
>
> It's a spread (butter and margarine substitute) which helps lower LDL
> cholesterol levels. Mom's doctor actually recommended it so she started
> using it on her toast in the morning and her vegetables with other meals.
> It really helped!


It is readily available here.
I have a bad memory of margarine from my childhood. I would rather not have
butter than to use a butter substitute. There are two things where
margarine is the best choice. One of them is to mix it with Frank's Hot
sauce for wings and the other is to combine it with HP sauce for BBQing
steaks.

Janet B. wrote:
> "Nancy2" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>>>
>>> I remember my mother talking about the 2 mean geese that wandered
>>> the yard
>>> and had it in for her.
>>
>> Did you ever see the movie, "Friendly Persuasion?" It starred
>> Dorothy McGuire and Gary Cooper, and it was about a pacifist
>> (Quaker) family during the Civil War. There is a part early in the
>> movie, where the family is starting off to Meeting (I think), and
>> one of the young boys of the family notices that he is being
>> followed by a really mean goose (one of theirs), and he turns around
>> and makes a twisting/choking motion with his two hands, just to warn
>> the goose. Pretty funny. Geese can be really mean.
>>
>> N.
>>
> Yeah, they can. They pinch hard and those wings can really beat you
> up. Janet

When I lived in Bangkok there was a fenced-in lumberyard across the street
from the house. There was a live-in "security guard" of sorts, but what
they really depended on was their watch geese. #1 they'd set off such a
racket they'd wake up the guy sleeping in his shack, and #2 they tended to
chase and bite the intruders

In article >, says...
>
> "Nancy Young" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> > I used to spend time in the summers on a friend's family farm
> > at the southwest corner of Pennsylvania. It was a nice vacation
> > for a kid living in the projects. Their neighbors were one of those
> > singing families that went from state fair to state fair to perform, so
> > while they were gone us kids would go down the lane to collect
> > the eggs from the chicken house. The chicken house that was right
> > in the middle of the cow field, with that one mean bull. Every day,
> > running into that coop, then waiting until the bull lost interest and
> > making back for the fence carrying eggs.
> >
> > They also had a couple of pigs. I used to visit them and feed them
> > grass through the fence. They seemed to like it. Never occurred
> > to me why they were there and I'm glad it didn't.
> >
> > We'd all weed the kitchen garden. I hope I knew what I was
> > picking, I don't think I took out the vegetable plants. Heh.
> > They were adamant you didn't touch the cucumber flowers.
> > That was hot work, but hey, what are kids for?
> >
> > We used to jump out the window of the barn, for some reason this
> > seemed like a good idea. The fact that it was that high up didn't
> > faze us.
> >
> > The outhouse. Double seater. Flashlight. Ooops. Lit up
> > piles of crap. 'nuff said.
> >
> > Got bit by a snake once. I didn't see it and I stepped on it and
> > got what I deserved. That hurt.
> >
> > I look back on those days with great fondness.
> >
> > nancy
>
> OH yes. The Outhouse. My grandparents did not have indoor plumbing. When I was 10 or
> so, my uncle put in a pump because it was getting too hard for them to carry the
> bucket from the well...so they had a faucet that provided cold well water, and that
> was it. Spending the night meant going to the outhouse in a blackness so complete you
> could put your hands in front of your face and not see it with nothing but a
> flashlight....which, in my young opinion, did not provide nearly enough light. I used
> to go out when my mom went out, and try to hold it the rest of the night. The one
> thing I don't miss about Grandma & Grandpa's house.
>
> We did the barn jumping too, at my aunt & uncle's place, into huge bales of hay.
> Seemed like a good idea at the time.

That brings up the city kid memories. They'd excavate these huge piles
of sand and then start building the structure. This meant jumps out 3rd
story windows into huge piles of sand.

Nobody ever managed to break a leg, arm, or what have you. The only real
danger was the chance of being hit by a car.

On Mar 21, 3:46 pm, "Gregory Morrow" >
wrote:
> Nancy2 wrote;
>
> > > brownies and melons. We keep hoping that the mid-West of our childhood
> > > still exists somewhere.
> > > Janet
>
> > It does, but if your older family members on the farm are gone, it's a
> > childhood Midwest that you have to work hard to recreate.
>
> Indeed:
>
> http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0322/p01s01-usec.html
>
> from the March 22, 2007 edition
>
> In US Midwest, young farmers priced out of land
>
> Ethanol demand has pushed Midwest farmland prices through the roof.
>
> By Amanda Paulson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
>
> "DES MOINES, IOWA
>
> Matt Miller dreams of the farm he and his wife and young son could one day
> live on.
>
> Mr. Miller says he could make it work with 200 acres near the small farm his
> father owns if he focuses on organic agriculture and diversifies with a few
> dairy cows or hogs. The problem: buying the land.
>
> He already rents 90 of those acres, and he and his wife have been saving her
> income for years to buy the rest. But every time they reach their goal, land
> prices go up.
>
> Real estate prices in cities may be falling, but in Midwestern farm country,
> land values are going through the roof. Fueled by heavy ethanol demand,
> which has pushed up corn prices, land that sold for $4,500 an acre a year
> ago might go for about $6,000 an acre today.
>
> "It's kind of disheartening," says Mr. Miller, an organic inspector for the
> state of Iowa. who has a friendly smile and an upbeat attitude. "It's like a
> moving target. All these things we've done are futile."
>
> Average land values are up 13 percent in Iowa from a year ago and 14 percent
> in Nebraska - and far more than that in prime counties. Along with surging
> corn prices, land-value growth means a boom in wealth for farmers who own
> their land. But for beginners like Miller, it's made an already tough
> proposition far tougher.
>
> "It's absolutely destroying their chances," says Mike Duffy, an agricultural
> economist at Iowa State University and director of the Beginning Farmer
> Center. When Mr. Duffy advises aspiring young farmers, he says he encourages
> them to find other ways to begin than buying land. "But they always want to
> own land," Duffy says. "That's somehow the badge of being a farmer."
>
> The issue is a concern to some because of the aging farmer population and
> the continuing trend of consolidation and depopulation of rural America that
> it contributes to. About half the nation's farms are owned by people over
> the age of 65, and a quarter are owned by people over 75, according to the
> most recent survey, which Duffy's organization conducted five years ago. He
> expects those numbers to rise significantly when they redo the survey this
> year.
>
> As land passes down to a generation that may be farming it, more acres -
> currently about 1 out of every 5 - are owned by people who don't live there.
>
> Some see that as the natural evolution of farming and a way to keep things
> efficient, but others worry that the barriers are getting too steep - and
> that America's rural culture will suffer a loss. Many, of course, celebrate
> the surging land price.
>
> "It represents a huge wealth increase for those who own the land," says
> Bruce Johnson, an agricultural economist at the University of Nebraska in
> Lincoln. "It's the hottest real estate market to be in right now."
>
> For those trying to enter it, Professor Johnson acknowledges, it's tough.
> Like Duffy, he encourages young farmers to find alternatives to owning land.
>
> Niches with higher profit margins - like the organic market Miller hopes to
> enter - can also help.
>
> Not all young farmers are discouraged. Kyle Maas, a senior at Iowa State
> University and the former chairman of the Beginning Farmers Network there,
> has already entered into a nonfamily partnership with an older farmer and
> his son. They're focusing on cattle, because it requires less land. They
> also grow some row crops and hay. The high rents are tough, he says, but he
> thinks the market is such that they can make the operation profitable.
>
> "If you tell yourself about how high cash rents make it too difficult, then
> it is," says Mr. Maas, who grew up on a small farm in northwest Iowa. "But
> if you move past it, then you can try to overcome it."
>
> He encourages young, aspiring farmers to come up with creative solutions,
> and to talk to as many farmers nearing retirement as they can - many of whom
> can get significant tax advantages if they enter into a partnership with a
> young person.
>
> "The older generation has the capital," Maas says, "but we've got
> advantages, too" - including familiarity with technology and the willingness
> to work long hours.
>
> One concern for anyone trying to buy land is whether the current values will
> last. Back in the 1970s, land and corn prices saw a similar spike, only to
> be followed by a crash of land values and higher interest rates that led to
> a wave of foreclosures and farm consolidations in the 1980s.
>
> "It's an interesting time to be in agriculture, and from our perspective,
> it's been a very good thing," says Jim Farrell, president and CEO of Farmers
> National Bank in Omaha, Neb., which manages about 1.2 million acres that it
> leases to farmers and sells close to 600 farms a year.
>
> The last four months in particular have shown a steep surge, Mr. Farrell
> says. The factors driving those prices up - corn at more than $4 a bushel
> and a steady demand for ethanol - have helped inject a sense of euphoria
> into agriculture that reminds Farrell of the late 1970s.
>
> So far, he and many other farmers remain cautiously optimistic, saying that
> the economic fundamentals are solid. "It's much more sustainable, based on
> who is buying it," says Johnson.
>
> But people like Miller who are just trying to enter the market aren't so
> sure.
>
> "If you pay $5,000 an acre and corn prices drop, then you're in a really bad
> situation," he says. "Maybe I'm too cautious, but I think there's a lot of
> uncertainty."
>
> </>

It's a change, but not necessarily a bad thing. Usually, the people
who own the land and "have to sell" make a lot more money than they
ever dreamed. I did. Actually, I didn't need to sell, but moved to
another state and got tired of trying to manage the farm. I put it up
for sale and as the realtor was putting up the sign, the neighbor
asked what the deal was, and the realtor told him. Afraid my land
which actually surrounded his was going to be subdivisions (zoned A,
so you could do whatever you wanted) and a new consolidated school was
going up not too far away...anyway, he bought it full price, no
questions asked for 8X what I paid for it in 1979. That was 2004. dkw