Lack of Access Promotes Inequality - Western Nebraska Report

Profitable farming in Western Nebraska, and I imagine in many other parts of the United States of America, requires access to resources (land, water, nearby roads et cetera) and significant amounts of capital (to purchase seed, fertilizers and pesticides, own and maintain expensive equipment and hire other individuals, with or without expensive equipment, to work the fields). To the outsider farming appears to be a risky speculative business. For the uninformed, inexperienced and foolish, profitable farming is a risky speculative business.

Big Ag aka Big Agriculture is a growing and ongoing success in the USA with the Big Ag methods exported abroad.

- Intensive Crop Farming

- Union of Concerned Scientists: Hidden Cost of Industrial Agriculture

- Industrial Livestock Production

Lack of Access Promotes Inequality:
As of August 2014, the price of land is at a record high. Uncertain growth of the USA economy with the peculiar on-going government accounting practices suggesting inflation is under control, tells savvy investors and farmer/ranchers that the ownership of land, large parcels of land, is a safe investment producing product that government(s) and corporations (and eventually consumers) will buy. Therefore there are three classes of farmer/ranchers here:

Large land owner operators, like my father-in-law Frank Svoboda, who have several circles of land with center pivot irrigation and/or many sections of dry land suitable for either crop production or grazing, 1 mile x 1 mile, section defined. These large land owner operators have access to the banks and vendors to secure easy terms for their large operation capital needs and often own their own land.

Middle class farmer/ranchers may own or rent a small parcel of land, such as a 1/2 section. These individuals often work several jobs: a little time spent working their own ground, much more time spent working the ground of large land owner operators or taking jobs in the cattle feed lots, newly constructed ethanol manufacturing facilities or nearby towns.

There are no low-income farmers in Western Nebraska.

However, there are low-income ranchers whose condition will never change as their agricultural practice is not respected nor supported by the profit takers. Rancher testifies to the need for Medicaid expansion : Politics
journalstar.com/.../rancher.../article_ee55130e-2879-...
Lincoln Journal Star
Dec 18, 2013 - "This is not just my personal story, it's western Nebraska's personal story," ... With a $10,100 adjusted gross income, she is too poor to qualify for ...

- Steve Bull, August 24, 2014

I am in Western Nebraska. I have two sections of dry land in agricultural production: one half section is organic and produces crops of millet, wheat, field peas and sunflowers, and the other half section is chemically supported "normal" practice and produces field peas, wheat and corn. Last year was a drought year. This year there has been rain and no hail on my crops.