There's not much in my world these days that's NOT in upheaval. I've been meaning to share photos of the flooding in Nebraska to urge you to pray for those farmers who may never plant another crop. I can't stop thinking about the farmers in Iowa whose grain bins popped open when their grain got wet and swelled. Now all of that income is lost! Besides all of that I read that over a million baby calves died in all of the effects of the blizzards followed by rainstorms. HOW CAN THOSE RANCHERS GO ON WITHOUT THEIR LIVESTOCK???
I am constantly aware, though, that this blog is named "A Ray of Hope." Somehow I must find some hope to share with all of you. Where will it come from with so much evil in our world? The state of New York says that a woman can decide WHILE SHE IS IN LABOR that she doesn't want the child. Then a doctor can cut the baby into pieces and kill it. If it somehow lives, the mother has the right to watch it die right beside her if she so chooses. Where is the hope in that??
Then we have the Southern border of our country which has very little protection from the ever growing caravans of people who think that they can come here and get a free lunch. The biggest upset for me is our Congress people who don't even see the need to protect our country from all of these beggars coming in with their diseases and crime.
WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THEM? Instead of working to protect our country from destruction, they worry about cows farting. What kind of idiots do we have making our laws?? I realize that many of our Congress people are amazing but how do the rest of them get elected? They can't even think!!!
Did you hear that all of the Democrats who are running for President refused to protect babies born alive after a botched abortion? That's INFANTICIDE!!! Killing of babies and old people is all right in my America? When did this happen?
My biggest personal challenge is preparing for the departure of my daughter and her family which most likely will happen next month. PLEASE pray for them to leave with no regrets!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can I live without my sweet grandbabies when they have been just over there across the road all their lives???
Robert and I decided to sell the quarter of farm ground I inherited in SD so I'm having to deal with my siblings and their spouses. This has brought no small amount of upheaval as I recall how I was cheated out of a rather largish portion of my inheritance.
On the other hand, we're buying a quarter of ground up here. We know that they're not making any more ground, as farmers always comfort themselves when they buy some, but the wheat price can't seem to get above $5 a bushel. I just copied this interesting bit of information for those who think that farmers are getting rich. From that $5 we got paid for making a bushel of wheat, someone else makes a WHOLE LOT MORE!
There are about 150 cups (8oz.) of grain in a 60 pound bushel of wheat (1 bushel = 0.352 hectolitres in volume, 1 hectolitre = 3381.4 US fluid oz.). When converted to flour these 150 cups of kernels produce about 300 cups of flour. About 3 cups of flour are required to produce a single 1.5 pound loaf of bread. Therefore 1 bushel of flour produces about 100 loaves of bread each weighing 1.5 pounds (24 oz.) Or, in other words, a bushel of grain berries (kernels) produces about 150 pounds of bread.
So one bushel of wheat berries (which we grow on our farm) makes about 150 pounds of bread. I found this information about the average cost of bread.
The average price of a 500 gram (slightly over 1 pound) loaf of fresh white bread is somewhere between $2.37 and $2.43 in the United States, as of 2014. The average price ranges from $2 to $4.41 in different locations in the United States.
So from our bushel of wheat, corporations get 150 pounds of bread with an average price of $3. We multiply that out and we get $450. Now remember that the wheat farmer gets $5 for that amount of wheat. HMMMM They make on average $450 and give us $5. Not a bad deal for the big corporations. Not a good deal for the wheat farmer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So why would anyone keep doing it? Well, somebody has to do it as I don't see the world giving up bread. Robert and I know how to do it having both grown up on grain farms. We have the land and equipment to do it, so why shouldn't we do it? We also love living in the country. Did I ever mention that before?
So basically this morning I am BUMMED--not only for me but for farmers and ranchers everywhere. We MAKE THE FOOD for our countries. WHY SHOULD WE BE THE POOREST PEOPLE????????????????????????????
I don't know what good my ranting this morning will do. If only you who have money for fancy houses and boats and hunting gear would truly APPRECIATE the great value you have to be able to buy food produced by those of us who don't have money for all of those things, somehow we could go on believing that THIS year we'll get a good crop AND a good price for it!
In the meantime, I comfort myself with music. I was led by the Lord to share this song with you. Perhaps you, too, are not flowing in silver and gold. Well, to those who have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, someday you'll walk on streets of gold!! He is preparing a mansion for you in Heaven.
Let's cling to those thoughts together! Let's pray for the farmers and ranchers together!! Let's find a way through all of the upheaval in our world together.
Dawn
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