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To answer your first question, we have 92 percent fewer family farms now than we did in the 1930s. As for your second question, no one said that family farms wouldn't qualify for loans. In fact, if you follow the link that David M kindly provided, you would see that the Farm Credit Service provides loans to all kinds of ag businesses, large and small.
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To answer your first question, we have 92 percent fewer family farms now than we did in the 1930s.
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Industrialization has helped bring food (and every other product) to many places where it isn't available, more efficiently and cheaper than 'family farms'. Where family farms can exist and survive economically, that's great, but the reason they aren't as prevalent as before is that most people aren't willing to work 80 hrs/wk for a living.
Do we really want to go back to the 1930's? Shantytowns? 25% unemployment? Ever read Grapes of Wrath?
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John, thanks for the First Hawaiian Bank tip. Our friends have started the loan process.
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When I bought my property in Puna, I first talked to the mortgage people who told me to send in $750 with my loan application. I just put it on my home equity line on my house in Oregon. The interest is variable, I'm sure it will eventually increase but right now it's about 2.99% about 55 dollars a month for my 1 acre lot.
There was no getting qualified or the land being approved by the bank, they don't care what you use the money for.
Tom