[AT] On Topic: Reintroduction letter

[Greg Hass]

I would like to thank everyone for their kind remarks to my post :to be 
or not to be. I do remember joes visit but how time does fly. Someone 
mentioned tornadoes, but they went about 80 miles south of me. Michigan, 
of course, is surrounded by the great lakes. I live in the thumb of 
Michigan (you might be a Michigander if you use your hand to show where 
you live). I am 17 miles from Lake Huron in 3 different directions, and 
90 miles north of Detroit.
            I am now 65 years old and farm 110 acres. At one time I had 
another 100 acres but lost that when interest on my operating loan hit 
22.5 % and my land mortgage hit 18.5% (the time that they deregulated 
banks). I plan to farm this land as long as I can. I raise corn, wheat, 
soybeans, and black beans. Friends ? ; accuse me of living in the past 
but I simply tell them I can't afford to live in the present. Only three 
items of equipment I farm with are under 40 years old. I do much of my 
machinery shopping in fence rows. As an example, my cousin is about to 
take delivery on a new corn chopper. He didn't give an exact cost other 
than it is over 600 thousand. It is 12 rows with an 1100 horsepower V-12 
engine. Yesterday, he said they have verbally agreed to buy a new 24 row 
corn planter with all the bells and whistles. He didn't quote a price 
other than it was upwards of 200 thousand. The holdup on there signing 
the papers is they don't know if they will depend on just gps or if they 
also want row markers. Why the debate; markers are a 13,000 dollar 
option. This is why I chose fencerows. Also besides the farming I did 
part time appliance repair for 40 years, giving that up the first of 
this year. Also, before the high interest rates broke me, I had a little 
over 100 head of cattle and 200 hogs; both sows and fat hogs. At this 
point in life, I really have no desire to have livestock again.
              Just a little background for now ( Tractor reference, I do 
have a 1949 Cub)
               Greg Hass