They will not direct you to biased sources if they are working as objective professionals. Most libraries I have volunteered at or worked in would not even have materials that are extremely slanted in some way. At least not reference materials.

There will be a recession. There will be a recovery. When? None of us know. I have an average return of 8.3% annually for the past 33 years with a very low risk model. I use index funds, set an asset allocation and re balance when ever I am 5% out of balance. Forces me to always sell high and buy low. The S&P has made about that same return but with a significantly higher risk profile.

Using this or similar model you don't really care what the market does or when we have a recession or a recovery. Look up the Bernstein or Yale or other index fund low risk investment models and do some back testing on them. Find one you like and follow it. Then you too will not really care what the media, politicians or investment advisers have to say as they try to hype the markets and cause ups and downs for their benefit.

This guy has some other crazy ideas.....just Google.

Hoping and praying, all will be well, feel bad for my soybean farmer friends that are in a bad way.

Same here. :(

I have a number of Colorado/Nebraska/Kansas relatives on my Mom's side (mom had 11 siblings, which makes for LOTS of aunts/uncles/cousins :D) who farm (a couple are 4th generation family farms), but are now reevaluating & kicking themselves for supporting that which they're now seeing first hand...has been detrimental to their own best interests.

They're extremely worried that the current problems, have the very real potential of making them the last generation...and they'll have to sell out to a corporate entity.

My fingers are crossed and I almost dread seeing another Facebook post or e-mail...from any of them. :ohdear:

[QUOTE=ColdNoMore;1674055][SIZE="2"]Same here. :(

I have a number of Colorado/Nebraska/Kansas relatives on my Mom's side (mom had 11 siblings, which makes for LOTS of aunts/uncles/cousins :D) who farm (a couple are 4th generation family farms), but are now reevaluating & kicking themselves for “supporting that which they're now seeing first hand...has been detrimental to their own best”





I think that your relatives are wiser than that if they have been farming that long. Manipulation of farm prices is a joke and many here maybe unaware of huge corporate farms taking over farming and prices. Consumers will be amazed at the cost of food in twenty years.

Also, you may want to check the fat, government subsidies being handed out to farmers. Google it in each state. It’s laughable and now farmers are insuring their crops and many in this locale are cashing lovely checks because it was too wet to plant or later in the season so they filed a claim and are not hurting at all.

Farming is a whole different game than even 20 years ago.

[QUOTE=Aces4;1674065]If they are not hurting, why have there been so many bankruptcies and foreclosures in the past two years?
Btw a lot of that government payola (because of the tariffs) is going to those very corporate farms.

I recall listening to my father and a friend of his talking about farming when I was a teen, 50 years ago, and they were saying exactly the same thing then as you are saying now.

Well, this thread has taken some interesting turns. I appreciate some of the suggestions and ideas.

I have to say, it is somewhat amazing how civil this forum remains despite wandering close to sensitive topics.

Thanks everyone from both sides for the interesting conversation.

[QUOTE=Bogie Shooter;1674119]I assume you’re questioning why small farms are being pushed out and it is because of large farms overproducing and squeezing the profit margins for the little guy as the cost of seed and equipment continue to rise.

Farm short courses years back saw this beginning to happen and advised students quite often what was coming down the road. It’s here and government payola has been out there for years. It was called “soil bank” in many areas, way back when, meaning if you don’t plant the government will pay you for leaving your land fallow.

If you were noticing farms having issues over two years ago, you’re right and even before that and that was before tariffs. Have tariffs made it more difficult for farmers? In some corners, yes. Pork producers are feeling the pinch and perhaps some cash croppers but the American small farmer has had problems for years and those farms have been disappearing.

Those farms receiving huge subsidies are the ones I am indicating are not hurting. We’re talking about the $200,000. to over a million dollar payouts. A recession will send many more small farms down the tube.

Boy howdy. I respect all opinions as just that, opinions. I also understand that even I can be wrong.

I think most people are very aware of farm subsidies, which started back during the Great Depression, and how a disproportionate amount...goes to corporate/millionaire farmers.

And also that the 'family' farmers don't get nearly as much in subsidies/assistance...as the more politically powerful/larger agribusiness entities.

Most smaller farmers have to take loans before planting season...then hope it's a good year. Not to mention that they have huge capital costs in equipment, that are used only a small part of the year.

So my relatives, and other farms that are not part of large conglomerates, basically live on the edge year-to-year...in spite of some even receiving small subsidies (as long as they plant the correct crop).

And yes, it is definitely a hypocrisy when the larger corp's (who don't really need them) receive what is basically a 'government handout/welfare'...while so many rail against minority families who receive money simply to survive.

Why the great hypocrisy?

Which is also a good segue into those billion-dollar companies whose working employees who receive government assistance, because their wages are so low...which means that we are in effect subsidizing those large corporations also.

Why are most people fine with one so-called "government handout," yet so outraged...by the other?

Why the great hypocrisy?


Here's a good article that gives BOTH the pros/cons of farm subsidies...and a few reasons why of each.

Farm Subsidies (till here)


People need to do but a modicum of research, to find that individual farmer's impact from tariff's is huge and most would much prefer to sell on an open-market...in spite of government money off-sets.

When my wife and I were working, most of our investments were stock market linked.
When stocks collapsed of fell, we had time and income whilst waiting for the investments to recover.
We retired 24 years ago, encashed all funds, and put them into cash savings only.
Most were UK National Saving schemes, tax free and with inflation covered, plus a very small interest rate on top.
We did this, as we did not want to watch large falls, with no income if needed to cover them, plus being retired we did not want to spend a lot of time following markets.
It has worked out well for us.
Our capital has stayed pretty steady, and with the present rate of depletion, we should be good until we are about 109 years old.
After that things could get a little rocky!! :icon_wink:

Similar to us, we live on Social Security and a 4% rule (taking 4% of our investments as income.) and a 36 month cash buffer. Looking at various scenarios of recessions we should not be too impacted. A depression on the other hand could hurt.

IMHO, you are an extremely wise couple.