Comments on: John Cougar Mellencamp Had It All Wrong

By: Eddie Ayala

Eddie Ayala — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:16:36 +0000

Why bother to analyze the plight of a farmer in these days in the context of world economy? Why speculate on whether a farmer is responsible or not. The next time you open a can of corn and think about someone having to drive a planting machine across 40 acres of land and toil over the fertilization, insecticide, the high cost of bringing their product to market after turning on yet another machinic behemoth to just reap it off the stalks, the hard labor of loading and unloading that huge amount of husks, just so you can pour a 16 ounce can of sweet fresh corn on your plate, think about the one unavoidable fact that kills our poor farmers: It takes the same amount of gasoline to run that equipment as it did 40 years ago, but a can of corn went up in price only by 35 cents while the price of gas went up by more than three dollars.

By: nickle young

nickle young — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:37:49 +0000

Great!“I have no idea as I’m not a farmer.”If you make bad decisions and don’t have enough money to get through the lean years, what should happen to the family farm? Just because I’m not a farmer does not mean that I don’t have common sense.

By: fivecentnickel.com

fivecentnickel.com — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:49:27 +0000

What about ever-increasing property taxes as land values increase due to development from ever-expanding cities? The perceived value of the land goes up, but it doesn’t magically become more productive. Similar case with estate taxes. Sure, they could sell their land to cash in and avoid these expenses (in fact, many do), but then there wouldn’t be any farmers. And without farmers, we don’t eat.

By: Outdoorsman

Outdoorsman — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:25:07 +0000

Yemen makes a good point about crop/product diversification. I would add that the U.S. Govt regulates and subsidizes sections of farming to the point that it heavily enourages mono-culture. It is not a free-market business anymore.

By: Rosalind

Rosalind — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:09:53 +0000

People were losing the family farms right and left due to a lot more than just poor business management. Do little research next time JLP.

By: Yemen

Yemen — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:06:25 +0000

JLP do you think farmers buy a $250,000 tractor just for fun? Times have changed quite a bit since your father’s time. If you are farming hundreds or thousands of acres you definitely need to spend quite a bit of money on equipment just to plant, fertilize and harvest your crop.

You are correct that in the past farmers diversified by raising animals as well. But that doesn’t work so well when the animals cost more to raise then you can get selling them!

As for this comment… “Just because the land was in his family for several generations doesn’t mean squat if you can’t pay the bills.” I have a couple thoughts.

Farming is much more then mere land and profit, it is a lifestyle. Many had ancestors who poured their blood, sweat and tears into the soil. They do not view their land, by how much money they can squeeze out of it, but instead how can they care for the land and protect it so it is there to provide for future generations.

By: sam

sam — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:00:15 +0000

Wasn’t that song from the “Farm Aid” era? My recollection is that Mellencamp was a big supporter of that movement, along with Willie Nelson and some others. John has always been a prairie populist sort a guy, kinda like Springsteen, but in Indiana rather than New Jersey. Boy, that brings back the memories. That was back when oil was way cheap as well.

By: TIL

TIL — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:47:57 +0000

I think your picking a fight with the wrong folks. All of the family farmers I know work damn hard and exemplify the idea of personal responsibility.

By: Outdoorsman

Outdoorsman — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:32:39 +0000

Farming is heavily regulated by the government these days. Yes, farming is a business. But like any over-regulated business, it is more difficult to make the right decisions about what to put capital into, what to cut to limit losses, etc. Do you know why so much corn is grown in this country? Why so much of our food is laced with corn syrup? It is because the U.S. Govt subsidizes corn production. This distorts the market and encourages producers to produce too much corn. Farming in America is not a free-market business. It used to be, 100 years ago, but not today. As market, much of it is centrally planned in Washington, DC, mostly to the benefit of large agri-corporations. The little guy, of course, finds it harder to compete in that environment. Not because it’s free-market capitalism, but because the odds are deliberately stacked to favor large agri-businesses. Clear that away and fortunes may begin to change for small farmers who are good at managing their businesses.

By: partgypsy

partgypsy — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:49:03 +0000

First of all, it’s just a song.
Second, when you say he “has it all wrong” you are incorrect. He is describing in the song a depiction of a small farm going under, which a common and realistic event in this day and age. You may disagree with the reasons behind it, but his description of that, and how the farmer may feel seems pretty correct.
As the number of farms in the US has been steadily decreasing, one may surmise that farmers used to know what they are doing, but now suddenly don’t, thereby going under.
Or it’s possible that global agricultural economics are changing, making small farms unprofitable to run.
The discussion of the ultimate impact of the loss of small farms in the US is left for another day.