DUANE ‘BANJO’ DAVIS: American farmers most productive in the world

A squawker recently opined that our farmers will have to get by this year, but not to fear, the taxpayer will bail him or her out. The squawker opined that Mr. Farmer will have to go hunting in Alaska rather than Africa, and that Mrs. Farmer won’t get to trade her 6-month-old Mercedes, and other absurdities about daughter and son. Obviously this squawker has lived a sheltered life, and has not ventured too far from the sidewalks and shopping malls of a metropolitan area, I suspect Albany. I do not quarrel with the fact that there are some wealthy farmers, many of whom worked long, hard hours in all kinds of weather. Many have hands that are rough from handling different items of equipment, and many are stooped shouldered from a variety of reasons.

There are more farmers who are not wealthy than there are farmers who are wealthy. Squawker, you need to consider that the farmer is about the only entrepreneur that buys all his or her supplies at retail, and sells all his products at wholesale. In the last two or three years, farmers have been blessed with high prices for their goods, and many times prices are high because weather conditions caused a shortage of a particular crop.

The American farmer is the most productive in the world, and because of that abundance, products are sold at low prices, and that is an economic function known simply as supply and demand. The greater the supply, the less the demand and when demand is greater, the supply is low. Farmers have tremendous input costs into crops, such as seed, fertilizer and chemicals and fuel to operate the equipment. These prices tend to increase when goods are sold for high prices, and when prices decline, prices remain constant.

Squawker, there are many causes of economic conflict, but you should understand that the farmer has no input to those conditions other that being a prolific producer. Remember when your mouth is full.

DUANE “BANJO” DAVIS

Pelham