Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Bob Brinker: Market Savant & Radio Host -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kirk © who wrote (6536)	8/7/1998 11:35:00 PM
From: redwood	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42834

I'm only talking about a small farm --6-8 acres i think-an i don't believe he had the option of selling into any futures market but i don't know for sure---i also agree that there are many different endevors that have great risk an no sure outcome--came into this conservation in the middle an just wanted to give another side to the farmers story for it is one of those things where people drive down the highway an gaze at the beautiful fields of different crops but it doesn't get into their minds what it took to get it to look like that!! an i am against gov. give-a-ways but for the farmer getting a better proportional price for his crop versus the packagers an retailers.....redwood when you finally hit that gusher i'll bet there's a really big payoff or designed that new chip--but when you get your crop in you have to sometimes settle for less than you got before --an by the way don't a lot of these chip makers etc get govt money lots of times in the form of property tax relief an sometimes free land an utilities in order to coax their business to move to certain areas? out here in oakland the raiders football team got millions to move there

To: Kirk © who wrote (6536)	8/8/1998 6:32:00 PM
From: edward miller	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42834

Kirk, You are comparing "apples to potato chips". The typical farmer is one (very undercapitalized) individual. Even a relatively small semiconductor company has 1000 employees or more and enough sales to budget these purchases. I've been in electronics since 1975, and much of it in the semiconductor business. You are comparing normal business competitive risk to a weather driven catastrophe. As an additional point most small farmers don't have trading skills necessary to trade the futures pits. They work the land. That's what they know. They work so hard that the work is their entire life, with just enough time left for minimal community work and religion (except for a few well-heeled farmer family corporations). That's it guy. Many farmers don't want to do anything else because they could never work where they could be with their family all day like on the farm. They are really that devoted to their families. I am sure not all are like that, but many are. We certainly have a lot of risk in our business but compared to the farmers our financial payback isn't so bad. Ed Miller