Posts by slysurfer14

Paul Gonzalez10 said:Three disease protections? Are we just waiting for days when the wind isn't blowing? Like, you start spraying, the wind picks up, and you have to pack it in and head home.... then there's insect control, weed control, growth regulators—and in a bad year, you might end up treating the crop four different times from planting through to maturity. Oh, and if an insect infestation hits during the heading stage? You get to spray again. And then you just have to pray to God that after you've done everything perfectly, you don't get hit by a late frost—and that the price stays at least $4.00 for Grade 3 wheat. It's not exactly a walk in the park, is it? Honestly, your take on subsidies is a bit misguided. That money would actually mean something if you weren't paying rent on the land—but where is that rent? $933 What kind of subsidy covers the cost per acre? Basically, you have to be in that lucky 5% who execute everything flawlessly just to break even—and even then, you're banking on decent rainfall and avoiding major storms. Now you'll probably tell me to "just get insurance." Well, I do, but insurance only recognizes damage if the yield drops below 5.5 tons per acre. Meanwhile, I have to chase at least 8 tons per acre just to feel like I actually made a living.
It’s not quite that simple. I'm not trying to lecture you on tourism since that's not my field. But believe me—you have far more than 20 days of work when it comes to wheat....

So, what was that supposed to mean? Saying you have more than 20 days of work... you really don't...
And you're basically admitting the crop isn't profitable...

But everyone plants it anyway because whether there's a harvest or not, someone's still footing the bill... you don't spray it or fertilize it because you say it's too expensive....

James Phillips92 said:So, does Wheat just grow by magic? No labor, no investment required? Care to explain the "technology" behind growing wheat here.

Growing Wheat takes about 20 working days...
I mean, you've got plowing, soil prep, seeding, fertilizing, more fertilizing after it sprouts, and finally harvesting....
That's basically it... It's probably one of the least profitable crops out there.

I don't even get what this thread is about.
It's either people collecting subsidies and then "forgetting" their taxes and social security, or just the fact that the number of Family Farms is dropping...
The drop in Family Farms is happening for a simple reason: now owners actually have to pay their own Social Security and healthcare premiums, along with everyone else on the farm. It wasn't like this before, back when anyone who grew a couple of tomatoes would just register as a Family Farm to grab some government money...
Now that running a Family Farm comes with actual fixed costs, the people who weren't producing anything at all have shut down. The ones actually farming stayed in business, so we finally have a realistic count of Family Farms (which probably would be a few thousand lower if it were still the old way)...

Jason Miller80 said:Exactly. I remember those mindless, sensationalist headlines from the first month regarding that "extreme" cold snap, which was actually perfectly normal for that time of year.
Today, I read an article claiming we were seeing temperatures above 90 degrees when it was barely even warm. 😁 I honestly wonder if there's an intelligence test for American media outlets, because it seems like they hire whoever has the lowest IQ possible.

They aren't even right... Since one of my side gigs depends on the weather, I've been tracking temps and everything else intensely for the last five years...
We haven't seen temperatures like this for this long at this time of year in ages....

What really caught my eye is that the last two weekends—which are usually huge for traffic heading toward New York City from the coast—weren't actually that busy. (Last year there was a line 12 miles like 500 meters long). So, I don't know if this season is actually as successful as people hope....

wearytrucker22 said:Where exactly are you finding rates for $2000 annual bookkeeping when a business is processing at least five transactions a month?
At those prices, your homegrown berries aren't worth more than $0.33 a pound. Honestly, you people are asking for hourly rates starting at $1-$0.67 per hour. It’s ridiculous.
As for commercial space, I'd rather take in some refugees from overseas and pay their utilities out of my own pocket than rent out a $0.67 sq ft unit for anything less than $2 per square foot.$0.67 It just isn't worth it.
Man, people from the rural heartland really get under my skin. To them, everything is gold—organic $3.25 pounds of potatoes, eggs worth at least $1.75 apiece, and so on.
And let me ask you: what's the actual going rate for labor in rural America? How much would you realistically be willing to pay someone per hour down there?

What kind of nonsense are you spewing here... seriously...
I'm just laying out the facts while you sit here arguing with yourself...
Commercial space right by George Washington Square is only $2.25 per square foot
http://www.nyc.gov/default.aspx?id=2102
So go ahead, keep arguing with yourself if that's what you want....

wearytrucker22 said:And who actually does the labor? Is it clear to you that after harvesting wheat, you might net a measly $50 to $100? You'd need a massive amount of acreage just to cover the gas money required for members to drive out and check on that wheat. Growing produce is a whole different beast—it demands specialized expertise and serious capital.
You really need to have 10 to 20 successful independent farms established first before even thinking about forming a cooperative. Only then would you see actual reductions in production costs and better market prices for your goods.

yeah, right, because wheat is such a great metric... if you ask our incompetent farmers, I guess.
Commercial space in New York City is $0.67 per square foot...
Just rent a spot, slap an "organic food cooperative" sign on it, and see how fast the money rolls in...
Right now, I know at least ten places selling "non-local" produce just like that...
But co-ops? Ugh, total communism...

wearytrucker22 said:http://www.cooperative-info.org/index.php?opti...d=38&Itemid=82
Please. What do you mean "$100-$$67" for the paperwork? You're looking at over $1,000 upfront before you even start.

for what $333 for filing papers? seriously, stop wasting everyone's time, again...

Andrew Murphy said:I would certainly appreciate that...👍

What exactly are you looking for?.....
So, basically, you need at least 8 people to start a co-op (maybe 7 or 8, I don't want to dig through the legal fine print right now). Everyone puts in some initial capital—it's at least $333, but honestly, the more the better....
All the members make up the assembly and they vote on everything, like picking the secretary, the manager, and all that stuff....
The manager has to be a pro (like, an actual employee), unless the co-op isn't pulling in more than $180 $0.00 (that's just a rough estimate) in revenue; then you don't necessarily need to hire someone....
You gotta open a business bank account, get a seal, and hire a firm to handle the paperwork (you absolutely have to have a contract with an accounting firm)....
A co-op can do anything—manufacturing, sales, whatever....
If you don't hire a full-time manager, your only real cost is the bookkeeping (maybe $100-$67 a month)....
All the big decisions happen at the general meeting, and obviously, you have to vote on the bylaws to define how everything works, including how profits are split or how losses are covered....

That's the gist of it, I guess....

Andrew Murphy said:A rural cooperative could potentially provide enough food to sustain an entire urban residential development.
That is the concept at hand.
It leads me to wonder: is it possible to establish a Commercial farm based on capital investments from these residents? They would essentially pool their funds to fund a shared production site in the countryside, intended primarily for their own consumption, while any surplus could be sold directly through the Commercial farm's operations.

I am not entirely certain about the legal specifics regarding a Family farm, but I am considering the term "Small family farm" as a new business model.
The idea involves collective capital being invested into a single property that a landlord then leases out to these investors...
How might one legally structure such an arrangement, and what are your thoughts on the feasibility of this idea?

You don't need a Family Farm, just start a cooperative...
All you need is 7 or 8 founders with a small investment of maybe $1,000-$667....
Only a cooperative deals with monthly overhead....

If you're actually serious about this, I can explain how to set one up and how it works...

Nancy Johnson9 said:Man, seriously. A thousand views on this thread and not one single person replies. I'm starting to think I'm just invisible on this forum or something.

Look, there's an entire thread dedicated to rentals and buying homes in Zanesville or Clara. You can find everything you need over there...

Thanks everyone for the help. Finally grabbed the PSU, the RAM, and that R9 380 Nitro GPU

It just says R7 200 series for the GPU
Memory is 4GB on a single stick, so I guess there’s still one empty slot left
The PSU is a Spire ATX -420W-PFC-N-PSV

I was poking around online and it looks like this card is probably worth maybe $250

honestly my kid’s on Windows 8 and I can't for the life of me figure out how to pull up his system specs to see what's actually inside... any tips? maybe you guys could help me out...

Intel Core i3-3220 CPU @ 3.30 GHz
Only 4GB of RAM? Man, that's barely enough to run anything these days. I guess.
ASRock H61M-DGS R2.0 motherboard.
AMD Radeon R7 200 Series graphics card.

My son got a raise at work, so he wants to grab a new GPU. His budget is up to... $1000...
I guess I'm looking for some solid advice here. Any suggestions on what to get? Also, where can I find the best deals around Chicago? Thanks in advance.

Rachel Palmer56 said:I'm asking about the Vineyard Hospital area, specifically the parking.
There's that hospital parking where I didn't see anyone paying, so I'm wondering
since it involves staying overnight—can I leave my car there? If I have to pay a daily rate, where do I go?
Are we talking about the lot behind the hospital?
If anyone knows, I'd really appreciate the help.

Just go to the lot above the hospital. It's free, and I guess you could probably leave your car there for a month.

Grace Ross62 said:But isn't that essentially the same process as filing for physical impairment? It seems the only difference is the type of application used, yet they both go to the same office. I assumed they were identical, but it just clicked for me today—I actually need to file for disability.

I mean, I think it’s pretty much the same application, you just check a different box or whatever. Pretty sure the form is the same...

Grace Ross62 said:Hi everyone, I’m looking for some guidance. To give you the short version, I’ve been dealing with rheumatoid arthritis. I’ve already been assessed with a 30% physical impairment rating, but honestly, the atlantoaxial subluxation is causing more issues than the actual arthritis itself. What I’m trying to figure out is how the disability percentage is actually determined, because from what I can gather, the process isn't quite the same. Apparently, having an official disability status offers more significant benefits than just a standard physical impairment rating. I’m not looking to change jobs or retire early; I just want to understand the specifics of disability status, whether I qualify for it, and where exactly I would need to file the application.

Like I said in my earlier posts...
The Social Security Administration...
You grab the application forms online and submit them to the SSA along with all your medical records.
Then you'll get a summons, and you'll have to show up before a board with your original documents...
If you're looking for actual benefits, you'd probably need a much higher disability rating, which I doubt you'll get...

coppergardener said:Thanks so much!

I barely slept a wink last night—the pain was just relentless—but then, miraculously, I woke up today feeling absolutely wonderful. It’s as if the discomfort had vanished into thin air! I even managed to head out for a little hike through the woods using my trekking poles. Isn't it funny how that works?

Unfortunately, I didn't have any luck with the Zumberk area—well, let's call it the Ozarks—as I lacked the right supplies. Perhaps next time I should pack a small portable sprayer or something similar.🤣

Use a cold stone or something. Whatever. Just don't mess with the sting site. If you start poking at it, you're just helping the venom spread faster...
That's usually the case, obviously, but we beekeepers had a colleague pass away this year from a single bee sting. Now we're trying to get epinephrine shots approved for emergencies. They're super expensive and expire way too fast, so we can't exactly pay for them ourselves...

Rubbing plain old vinegar on a bee sting—or maybe even a vinegar compress—might stop the swelling.
Obviously, I’m not talking about people with serious bee sting allergies. If you're one of those folks, just call a doctor...
I mean, I got stung over 20 times yesterday and the vinegar totally fixed it. Not a single swollen spot.
Stings were everywhere... fingers, forearms, upper arms, stomach, back, legs...

There’s a cortical lesion in the back part of the proximal tibial shaft. It's got this polycyclic shape, stretching about 25 mm from top to bottom, and measures roughly 17 mm on cross-sections. Looks like a non-ossifying fibroma, I guess. There's also a 10 mm bony spike sticking out of the tibia at that level, pointing down toward the deep muscles in the back of the lower leg.

This is the CT scan from a year after my surgery and bone biopsy. That biopsy didn't actually say what kind of tumor it was. Based on this, does it look like things are healing, or am I looking at another bone procedure? Maybe...

Thanks in advance.