Posts by slysurfer14

Bryan Murphy3 said:I mean, you can actually set up a Family Farm without owning any land. It makes me wonder how people who specialize in mushroom buying even manage. They don't own the woods, they just buy forest products from others. I was thinking about doing something similar—maybe finding a few local foragers to gather wild herbs, then I could buy them out and turn those raw materials into finished products myself.

But, I have a feeling the government subsidies won't be coming my way. I gave my cousin a call, and he told me that if you're opening this alongside a full-time job, you aren't technically starting a "self-employment" venture in their eyes. So, I guess I probably won't see any grant money for a physical location.

He also mentioned that they work closely with the Blue Office, and apparently, you can download xcell accounting software for free right from their website if you're handling your own books. Maybe if I reach out, they can actually answer some of my specific questions.

@placidtinker39 I tried emailing them, but honestly, the lady I spoke to was pretty blunt with me. She basically said that only someone who already has an active Family Farm registration is eligible for incentives. I guess I was being a bit silly asking if I'd qualify under my current setup, since I haven't even officially registered yet. Once I said that, she pretty much shut down the conversation.

Bryan Murphy3 said:Now I’m just trying to figure out the best way to handle this. If I go ahead and register the Family Farm now, and then later realize I could have just waited to grab those new startup grants... man, I would be absolutely livid.

I sent an email over to the folks in Washington, D.C. I actually have a cousin who runs a Family Farm, so he might be able to give me some pointers. But, I don't know, it's a pretty weird situation—trying to set up a Family Farm without owning any land.

Honestly, seeing people like you makes me realize how lucky I am. I actually enjoy helping people out instead of just being a jerk and spitting on everyone. You must be a deeply unhappy person.

mellowtrucker said:You actually don't need to worry about buying a domain if you're operating as a Family Farm. If I recall correctly, the .us domain is free for businesses and Family Farms. The government won't charge you a dime until you hit the $350 mark $0.00 when you're dealing with the IRS. That’s when you start looking at the 5% tax, plus your Social Security and Medicare contributions. I'm not entirely sure how it works if you're already covered under some other insurance plan, though. When you first set up your Family Farm, they usually categorize you under self-sufficiency status so you aren't hit with those flat-rate taxes right away. One thing to keep in mind—and this was a bit of a headache for me personally—is that subsidies are calculated based on acreage rather than the actual yield. For instance, I planted a single ton of garlic across 7,000 square meters. Also, just a heads-up: subsidies are slated to decrease slightly starting next year. For vegetables, you're looking at roughly $325, while field crops hover around $220 or so.

You really need to get ahead of the weeds. Especially those perennial broadleaf varieties with deep, stubborn root systems—think dock or ragweed. It would be a smart move to list those under organic farming practices.

As for applying for any government grants or assistance programs? Honestly, don't hold your breath. Because of the way the dates fall, you can't really apply until you've been established for two years. Your first year is essentially a "startup" phase, meaning you won't qualify for much unless some specific program for new entrepreneurs pops up. Plus, for most of these programs, you absolutely have to be registered with the IRS.

If you're looking to start a Family Farm but don't quite have enough land to meet the requirements, maybe ask a buddy to let you lease a little patch of their property so you can hit that minimum 1-hectare threshold. You can just draw up a standard agricultural land lease agreement.

Bryan Murphy3 said:The Blue Office handles everything out of Washington, D.C., but I’m actually up here in the Appalachian Mountains. I wonder if anyone might be able to point me in the right direction or maybe offer some advice?

Donna Harris11 said:don't forget about skipping meals and barely showering every other day, too. 😁

hiddeneagle98 said:Right now, it's sitting below 13

hollowdriver13 said:I mean, just imagine if you actually agreed to manage your supplies more rationally to avoid exactly that kind of chaos. We run out of stuff, and suddenly everyone’s acting like you can't plan consumption....

But nope, you'd rather just sit there waiting for the whole system to collapse, or you'll take a month-long break just to come back later with those same old "the West is crumbling!!!!!" talking points from the left-wing crowd, right?
Look, I know doom-and-gloom predictions aren't really your thing, but just think back to all those May announcements about how gas prices would hit $6.75 per gallon this summer if Russia turns off the taps while Americans and Europeans scramble for their annual supply.....hm, wait, how many gallons does a standard tank even hold?

hollowdriver13 said:Look, you gotta distinguish between the media and what's actually happening in Europe. The news outlets aren't the ones causing the panic; they're just feeding on it. Honestly, those media types would probably try to start a mass panic over a little bit of acid rain in a tropical rainforest if they thought it would drive up their click counts.

Nancy Gomez26 said:I find myself partially agreeing with that assessment. Once gas starts flowing from Russia at a reasonable price—devoid of political strings or sudden conditions—and once Russia begins behaving like a decent neighbor toward its peers, the supply will naturally gravitate back toward the European Union. For now, they ought to sit back and reflect on why those sanctions were imposed in the first place.

ironpuma29 said:Why?

Maybe slysurfer14 knows... let the rest of us blind and deaf hear it too

slysurfer14 said:Just watch.
From what I can tell, Putin isn't the one cutting off the supply, but then again, the European Union is definitely making moves to ditch that gas entirely.

ironpuma29 said:Russia isn't going to walk away from the European Union market. They have the pipes and they have customers who pay on time. That cash helps fund their war effort and keeps their budget afloat.
The current squeeze on the European Union via reduced supplies is pure blackmail. Just like how the whole world is being blackmailed by nuclear threats.
Same goes for sabotaging food exports. It’s another way to pressure the "normal" parts of the world to stop sending weapons to Ukrainians.

Russians will act in their own interest. Eventually, they'll be begging people to buy their gas and oil, but it might be too late. The European Union is looking for other suppliers and different sources... it's slow, but bit by bit, we're cutting off those thugs.

Or put simply, if Russia hits back with energy sanctions, the European Union is toast.

And India and China buying oil? How much? As if they wouldn't want more if they could actually get it.
So great, now Russia is stuck with a surplus... yay.

It’s all connected, like a chain reaction. In the end, the loser is usually whoever puts all their eggs in one basket...
the ones who rely entirely on a single sector.

Kind of like our tourism industry back home...

Nancy Gomez26 said:It’s all perfectly clear now. If you read between the lines, the CEO basically admitted that at these current natural gas prices, producing fertilizer is a losing game if they want to remain competitive on the global market. As for your claim—where exactly are you getting this idea that nobody is manufacturing urea anymore?

From what I can gather, there’s quite a variety of nitrogen fertilizers available on the market right now. At the following wholesale rates.It seems to me that those folks over at the Petrokemija Board of Directors are simply sitting around, waiting for the Government to step in and bail them out.

Bryan Booth82 said:Exactly which specific package of Western sanctions actually includes a ban on importing gas from Russia? Because I'm struggling to find it.
Lp

Nancy Gomez26 said:Where exactly are you getting this idea that they've stopped production or that they aren't planning to produce anything this year? There isn't a single notice about that on their official site:

https://exxonmobil.com/news

Bryan Booth82 said:Go ahead then—explain it, if you actually can.
To start us off, could you pinpoint which specific sanction, or perhaps which group of sanctions, is supposedly responsible for halting production in Indianapolis?

Walk me through how the decision to keep production offline in Indianapolis is somehow part of the "damage" being done to the West by the imposition of sanctions.

I see these kinds of logically bankrupt arguments all the time, yet they're always presented without a shred of actual explanation.
Best,

Nancy Gomez26 said:Regarding the planting season, this could be significant, or it could be noise. Mineral fertilizers are global commodities; they move through international trade routes, meaning they can be sourced from other suppliers regardless of local shutdowns. On the other hand, if a major player like Dow Chemical is struggling to get lines running, we might see similar systemic failures among other manufacturers across the European Union. Then there is the matter of internal stability; even when gas supplies were consistent, this facility faced its own set of hurdles beyond just fuel availability. Generally speaking, when fully operational, Dow Chemical is one of the largest industrial gas consumers in the US. During peak demand periods—those bitter mid-winter stretches—they often throttle or halt production entirely just to ensure the grid remains stable for everyone else.

Bryan Booth82 said:I’ve been digging through this for quite some time now, desperately searching for even a shred of evidence or a logical explanation to support the claim that sanctions are actually hurting the West more than they are hitting Russia, but I haven't come across a single argument that makes any sense at all.

It honestly feels like Russian propaganda hasn't quite polished this particular narrative yet—I suppose it's designed for people who don't ask many questions.

Can anyone actually walk me through the logic here? How on earth are these... if I recall correctly... six different rounds of sanctions supposed to be damaging the West instead of Russia?

Respectfully submitted,
Best regards,

Richard Wilson4 said:Maybe two months ago, or even three.