I have a question on Farms.

[TheCoxwain]

I recently drove to the Shenandoah valley in Virginia to enjoy some countryside .. I noticed a lot of the farms had boards bearing the name of the farm and also Cargill farm number. something like

Jack Smith Farms
Cargil Farm # 104)


Does anyone know what the business model for these farms are? Are they like franchises? Or does Cargill simply buy up all the produce?

I am sure the answer will broadly add to my general knowledge of - How corporations are screwing us!

[jody]

1. Interesting question, thanks for asking. n/t

[Heidi]

2. Kick. I'd like to know the answer to this, too.

I lived for many years in Nebraska, and I'd often see similar signs affixed to the main gates of farmsteads. I never knew whether the farmer was endorsing a product he/she used (like seed) or whether he sold most of his product to the company (like feed corn).

:kick:

[sinkingfeeling]

3. They have a contract to produce ______ for Cargil. Here it's Tyson's chickens all over.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/swine/414-039/414-039.html

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. You see the same sorts of signs on dairy farms in Wisconsin, its just that many of those say...

"Land O' Lakes".

[XemaSab]

5. The nastiest dairies in California

produce for Land O' Lakes. :(

[TheCoxwain]

6. This seems like cell manufacturing...

Each farm is a group of skilled individuals .. who will implement the standard practices devised by the corporate monsters ..


Any new 'innovation' ( new antibiotic or a hormone) is ruthlessly replicated across all the cells. and so too any 'side effects that go with it'


no wonder rBST is banned across the world except - you guessed it - USA. Only consumer awareness has caused these corporations to backpedal.

[TheCoxwain]

7. Another intersting question - How do things like swine flu spread so rapidly through a system?

DO NOT MISTAKE ME - I am not suggesting that it is.

But If a whole bunch of farms are using the same feed for the hogs - and if the feed is somehow infected - you will have a sudden explosive vectoring of the infection.

This will not happen with distributed farming.


This is just my 2 cent hypothesis - I do not know shit about farming or disease control.