Sitting here pondering things a bit, trying to be sure not to be argumentative. sometimes I am not good at it in typing, and sometimes we just get misread.
Before I signed up for bee-l ( a friend actually asked me too ) I read a lot of post, and lurked. Great group, some fantastic discussion, and a lot of prognosticating.
So I as pondered what can I add to the discussion, I am definitely not a scientist. some days I even wondering about my Engineering skills. But what was glaringly missing from here is a real Midwest farm country viewpoint. It seems obvious to me that many around the world have been fed a line of garbage. For so long its become the truth. I have seen reports on how big AG has ruined the world, ripped out fence rows and depleted the insects to nothing. among other ilks. 99% of it is not true.
I was blessed for 12 years working with CNH on grain harvesting (combines) and got to travel the US and some other countries an their dime. I have traveled to the Sacramento valley and southern GA and north Fl on my own, just to see what's going on. and every day I work, eat and talk to Farmers, serious farmers, guys who run 1200-5000 acres. Just Sat night we were at a friends watching the fights and the topic (usually turns to bees) was a new way to apply nitrogen thats upping yields by 10-15% and cutting cost.
I don't know anything about Montana fields, or Canadian beeks, or Maryland or NYC, but I know IN, IL, IA, MO, and KY real well and several other locations thur a lot of good friends.
We can choose to believe what some time article writes, or we can ask someone who actually lives there....
I don't agree with a lot of people on whats happening, but I try not to be argumentative. (not always successful) but I definitely am upset when I see people who are so totally misinformed on topics. Lots of beekeeping stuff I don't know squat about, and lots of base Chemical engineering way over my head, but I know farming, and acreages, and changes as well as a lot of current practices in regards to corn beans cattle and hogs. and I f I don't know I know somebody who does. My entire life has been here in the Midwest, and I have more hours in the seat of a tractor of some sorts, than most people get in their cars.
I do look at some of the numbers put in a lot of farm reports. and can tell you a lot of its misleading. like the comment the other day about 8% producing the bulk of farming. Not sure how the calculated that number, but I can tell you its a bit misleading. Farms have changed in 40 years. used to be everybody had 240 acres and a combine. farmed part time most of them. Mostly due to Tax issues thats not possible anymore average farm size now is approaching 1500 acres. economy of scale. in crops, the majority of that is still small family farms Now incorporated for tax issues but still run by guys who have to hire help to spell incorporated and to do taxes.
Hogs and poultry have been taken over by big companies, and cattle are headed that way. but for the moment grains are still widely distributed ownership's.
I don't intend to be a naysayer or pro pesticides. nor do I intend to offend. But I will stand up and tell you what I see here in the real world. I hope that construed as more positive than negative.
Charles Linder
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