Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers • Hacker News Board

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#41

Post by _9ptr » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:51 PM UTC

Ericson2314 wrote: post #34

xnx wrote: post #32

Farming is somehow still regarded as being some mom-and-pop heartland thing rather than the highly optimized manufacturing operation it has been for decades. Direct farm employment is now just 1.2% of the population. It was 40% in 1900. The special treatments farms and farmers get is an outdated relic kept alive by the electoral college.

Yes, cannot emphasize this enough. Farming is an industry, and we have take it seriously as one and stop romanticizing it. Of course, the irony is that now we romanticize industry too.

The workplace is becoming increasingly abstract. I wonder if there'll be a time when cubicles and spreadsheets become an object of nostalgia or romantization.

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#42

Post by isaacdl » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:51 PM UTC

_9ptr wrote: post #35

dlcarrier wrote: post #14

Most farms are not owned by farmers, most housing is not owned by tenants, most airplanes are not owned by airlines, etc., etc.. Vertical integration can have benefits, but it isn't necessary and has drawbacks. Even when vertically integrated, regulations are often written under the assumption that everything is leased, not owned, so compliance is easier if you own a company that owns an asset, instead of owning that…

If you carpool for money, you're a taxi. And if you take a friend on your plane, and he gives you x€ afterwards for gas money, how is that illegal? I'm sure you're right about the compliance thing in general, but I don't get your example.

It's actually an FAA regulation. If you are not a licensed commercial pilot, there are extremely strict rules on how and when you can accept ANY money for flying, use of an airplane, etc.

Actually, even if you are a licensed commercial pilot, there are still strict rules around payment. You can be paid for your skill as a pilot, but you cannot, e.g. charge for giving rides in your personal airplane.

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#43

Post by quantummagic » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:52 PM UTC

xnx wrote: post #32

Farming is somehow still regarded as being some mom-and-pop heartland thing rather than the highly optimized manufacturing operation it has been for decades. Direct farm employment is now just 1.2% of the population. It was 40% in 1900. The special treatments farms and farmers get is an outdated relic kept alive by the electoral college.

The country wouldn't even exist without the electoral college. It was pivotal in uniting the states under a federal government, and is working as intended. Maybe the USA should be abandoned, and all ties between the states renegotiated, but you shouldn't be able to unilaterally change the terms of the deal.

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#44

Post by droopyEyelids » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:52 PM UTC

xnx wrote: post #32

Farming is somehow still regarded as being some mom-and-pop heartland thing rather than the highly optimized manufacturing operation it has been for decades. Direct farm employment is now just 1.2% of the population. It was 40% in 1900. The special treatments farms and farmers get is an outdated relic kept alive by the electoral college.

The highly optimized manufacturing operation has made farming into a powerful tool of statecraft internationally. Other countries become dependent on our beans and corn to [indirectly] feed their people or for inputs for their own industries. That gives us diplomatic leverage.

Once you start thinking about that, a lot of the mystery or 'inefficiency' of farming in the USA makes more sense. For example, the subsidies to grow corn and soy but not kale and squash or whatever was in the article- growing kale and squash isn't a strategic priority.

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#45

Post by OkayPhysicist » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:53 PM UTC

xnx wrote: post #32

Farming is somehow still regarded as being some mom-and-pop heartland thing rather than the highly optimized manufacturing operation it has been for decades. Direct farm employment is now just 1.2% of the population. It was 40% in 1900. The special treatments farms and farmers get is an outdated relic kept alive by the electoral college.

There is a lot of national security benefit to propping up the domestic agricultural industry. We've probably overstepped that line, but just "leave it to the free market" is a really bad option, too.

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#46

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:53 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#47

Post by cozzyd » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:55 PM UTC

autoexec wrote: post #16

cozzyd wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fortunately the Illinois governor can be counted on to take a stand against billionaires.

I have to admit that for as corrupt as Illinois is, Pritzker has managed to support a few things which his billionaire buddies weren't too fond of. It's not all good, but it's better than I expected. He's called for higher taxes on the rich, stronger labor protections, higher minimum wages and better support for the poors.

Yeah I actually like JB, even though I'm somewhat uncomfortable with him being a billionaire.

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#48

Post by darth_avocado » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:55 PM UTC

xnx wrote: post #32

Farming is somehow still regarded as being some mom-and-pop heartland thing rather than the highly optimized manufacturing operation it has been for decades. Direct farm employment is now just 1.2% of the population. It was 40% in 1900. The special treatments farms and farmers get is an outdated relic kept alive by the electoral college.

It’s because it’s still mom and pop because 72% of farms are still fully owned by people but they tend to be smaller in size and only account for 30% of the total farm land. And majority of farms are still under a 1000 acre size. The problem is that there are about 27000 farms that are hyper giants of 5000+ acres which are the consolidated operations that account for a huge portion of the US farmland.

Also, farming is mom and pop highly optimized operation. Those two don’t need to be separate things. Once you understand that running a farm can be hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions, you can understand the disconnect.

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#49

Post by aeternum » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:56 PM UTC

dlcarrier wrote: post #14

Most farms are not owned by farmers, most housing is not owned by tenants, most airplanes are not owned by airlines, etc., etc.. Vertical integration can have benefits, but it isn't necessary and has drawbacks. Even when vertically integrated, regulations are often written under the assumption that everything is leased, not owned, so compliance is easier if you own a company that owns an asset, instead of owning that…

Yes, regulation often inadvertently creates both barriers to entry and economies of scale.

Government should focus on making it easier for new companies to compete as that is what generally yields better and/or less expensive products.

Re: Most Illinois farmland is not owned by farmers

#50

Post by jghn » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:57 PM UTC

xnx wrote: post #32

Farming is somehow still regarded as being some mom-and-pop heartland thing rather than the highly optimized manufacturing operation it has been for decades. Direct farm employment is now just 1.2% of the population. It was 40% in 1900. The special treatments farms and farmers get is an outdated relic kept alive by the electoral college.

Unfortunately "the farmers" is simply a marketing gimmick along the lines of "the children". It is used to evoke a specific image and implied set of ideals. And because of that we have to deal with all kinds of crap legislation tied to it.