It's sad to hear what you all are going through. Food IS life, so at least your work is life-affirming (unlike, e.g., a tennis-shoe plant :).

Those who survive will have fewer competitors; hopefully, higher prices will help you rebuild.

Wow what a story. I guess is you get a few excellent crops every 7 years you're going good. It's rather like fishing, a very dangerous business with lots of risk and no guarantee of making money. At least you're not fishing for no fish anymore and can hang in the game - and be a responsible farmer and steward of the land. My hat goes off to you!

If I had the land and money, perhaps the right soils and climate, I'd go into making 6-row barley and hops for the beer industry and homebrewers. Some "experts" look down on American stocks for barley and hops but prices keep doubling and even tripling, and there's no option but to buy whatever you can.

"Beer is proof that God loves us" ~ Ben Franklin

Onward through the fog

Remember, nature is your enemy. It is always trying to kill you. From the climate to insects, to snakes and bacteria - nature is not your friend.

Victory in Pattani

talk to beekeepers.

we don't get subsidies, loans or jack.

bees die and no one cares enough to change policies. prior to this year, commodities prices for honey have been below the cost of production.

to stay in business many are now hauling and killing their bees by moving to the giant bee feedlot in central CA to collect the almond pollination fees in Feb.

bees would normally be at their low point in population in Feb. the feedlotting of bees prior to the bloom is part of what is killing honeybees off.

yet this cycle is not on the radar.

locally ditches are mowed and anything that can be cut, disced under or Rounduped is wacked and little forage is left for honeybees.

Nature is not our enemy ever.  Last I checked we are all a part of nature.  A very BIG part!  I live in the middle of a National Park surrounded by bears, bugs, and all manner of other beasts.  NONE of them are trying to kill me.  Nature does not function as kill or be killed competition.  Cooperation is the only way that life can exist on Earth.  Go live in the woods for a little while my friend and you will learn quickly that nothing wants to kill you.  You are simply a small part of a larger picture as each of us are.  This Human vs. Nature mentality is EXACTLY what is causing the imbalance we are faced with every day.

I have heard about the problems beekeepers are having in the west. I was not aware of the bee feedlot, I thought cattle feedlots were bad! For an insect that does so much for the human race it is quite appalling how little people care about changing agricultural practices to protect pollinating insects.

We finally found a beekeeper to place some hives on our farm, they are pretty well surrounded by acres of assorted clovers, alfalfa, basswood trees and all manner of weeds. I suppose it is about as good as it gets for bees. We have had reports of Colony Collapse Disorder in WI, bu none in this corner of the state.

I wish you well.  

 Just ignore the Troll MADMAC. The guy is clearly certifiably delusional, or just abbysmally ignorant. Nature is the enemy? What a kook. Other animals get along just fine with nature. They do their "jobs", and nature does its' job. The problem with humans is that nature just going about its' bidness(hurricanes, typhoons, tornado, seismic events, etc.) often kills humans. I suppose some people take offense at that, but it's just the way it is. MADMAC, in his childish view of life, hasn't grasped this yet. Nature is the enemy. Shit, that's funny.

The mellotron is your friend.

It doesn't care if you live or die.

Animals get along just fine with nature??? Actually, not. Nature kills animals just like it kills people.

Now, I am not saying because it is your enemy you have to kill it. But understand that working to preserve the environment needs to be done so we can exploit it and sustain that exploitation, not because it's some sort of "friend".

Victory in Pattani