Those darn slow tractors!

[LouNY]

Not familiar with the term "farm to market road", but seems to me that farm equipment operators should be considerate of others they share the road with.
Do these rigs use off-road diesel? If so, they're not even paying road use taxes.

Around here they may used untaxed diesel buts farms pay a large amount of property taxes and that's what builds and maintains the township roads.
and the road travel is just incidental to the farm work.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Farms here get a massive property tax break.

And for what it's worth neither Bicycles or Farm Equipment are licensed for the roads as they are in Europe.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Farms here get a massive property tax break.

And for what it's worth neither Bicycles or Farm Equipment are licensed for the roads as they are in Europe.

True, but we all eat.

I had an Army recruiter when I was a graduating High School who would not take no for an answer, so he took me out to eat. We were sitting at this truck stop and he gave me his spiel. I was not buying it, so he finally said, "don't you want to do something for your country?"

I said, "I am a farmer, I think I already do", then grabbed his plate of food and slid it to my side of the table.

He looked at me, then at his food, then back at me, and finally I slid it back. He paid for the meal, but it was a pretty quiet ride home. He never called me again.

Everyone needs to eat, even the greatest Army in the world.

 

[LouNY]

Even with a "massive" tax break I'd bet the tax bill is still pretty substantial.
I know that even a mid sized one here is over $10,000 just for Property tax then the damnxd school tax will be over $20,000

 

[Diggin It]

Do these rigs use off-road diesel? If so, they're not even paying road use taxes.

Well, considering that 80-90% of their fuel use is in fields and their road time is only between fields, not grocery shopping or whatever ....

 

[Industrial Toys]

The teachers and Police use up most of any property taxes here. Both providing very poor value for the money.

It used to be that if a farmer asked for help, you would gladly help. Haying or whatever. But it's just another business now, and those guys with the huge equipment is just bigger business. If a neighbour was in the plumbing business, would you go out and help him earn money for free? Why is farming any different?

 

[Jstpssng]

The teachers and Police use up most of any property taxes. Both providing very poor value for the money.

It used to be that if a farmer asked for help, you would gladly help. Haying or whatever. But it's just another business now, and those guys with the huge equipment is just bigger business. If a neighbour was in the plumbing business, would you go out and help him earn money for free? Why is farming any different?

I think that you raise some very valid points. I believe that if people paid the actual costs of everything including what they eat rather than having the government subsidize it; the US would have another Revolutionary War. Unfortunately we prefer to spend our money on luxuries and the more important something is for life the less that we are willing to pay for it. Raise the price of soda or movies 25% and people will keep buying; bring up the price of milk, bread, or gasoline a few cents and people will shop around for the best price. Can you imagine if we had to pay for the air that we breathe? Yet people with heart or lung problems have to do just that.

 

[Industrial Toys]

If you told me or anyone else, thirty or so years ago, that we would buying bottled (tap) water, at crazy prices, we would have said you are nuts! It's all about manipulation.

It's funny. I had one interesting neighbour. He tried to take advantage of the fact, that he has a "farmer" and went around to all the neighbours, enlisting help to do his haying. Even the newcomers from the city, some of which in fact helped him.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Farming is very different...

Where else do you buy everything at retail prices, and then turn around and sell what you produce at wholesale prices, and expect to make a decent living?

If farming is so lucrative, then how come only 1 out of 200 Americans are farmers? That is one half of one percent.


What would you say if I came to your house, picked up ten cord of firewood that you worked hard to fit up, hauled it back to my house, separated out the different species of wood to get the most money out of it, then two weeks later sent you a check for what I think it is worth, after the wood has long been sold, and you have no way but to accept the payment given? Not exactly fair, but that is what happens to a dairy farmer, and the blueberry farmer. I would like to see General Dynamics work that way. They build a US Navy Destroyer for the Navy, and then after it is built and sailing the high seas, the Government cuts them a check for what they feel it is worth. Or we buy a car off a dealership, and then two weeks later send them a check for what we think the car is worth. No my friend, farming is VERY different.

But then again, one half, of one percent of the population is feeding the rest, and yet we live in a fat society. That does not mean the farmer is getting rich, it means there is cheap food in America. But then again, no one appreciates the farmer when their belly is full, but they sure do when they are hungry. America just has not been hungry since the 1930's, that is all.

 

[widefat]

Just last week, I was riding my bicycle down a small winding road when I came upon a tractor hogging the road in front of me. I yelled, honked my little clown horn, and gave him the finger as I peddled around him as fast as I could. Next time I might just run him out of the road.