Ua uku ʻo Danny Murphy i $10 no kahi ʻeke hua soya, 18 a 30 keneta no ke galani no ka diesel, $200 no ke tona o ka urea, $20 no ka lā no nā limahana hoʻolimalima, a me $25 kālā hoʻolimalima. I kēlā manawa; kēia manawa. "Hoʻololi mau ka mahiʻai ma kekahi ʻano a i ʻole, akā hiki iā ʻoe ke maopopo i hoʻokahi mea: E piʻi mau ana nā kumukūʻai komo".
I ka makahiki 1974, ua uku ʻo Danny Murphy, 21 makahiki, he $10 no ka ʻeke hua soya, 18 a hiki i 30 keneta no ke galani no ka diesel, $20 i ka lā no nā limahana hoʻolimalima, a me $25 kālā hoʻolimalima. I kēlā manawa; kēia manawa.
ʻO ka wehe ʻana i kāna mau kāmaʻa mahiʻai i 2022 no ka manawa hope loa, haʻi ʻo Murphy i kahi moʻolelo o ka piʻi ʻana a me ka piʻi ʻana o ka hoʻonui ʻana ma waena o 48 mau makahiki ma ke kula: "Ua neʻe ka piʻi ʻana ma kēlā me kēia wahi mai ka mea kanu a hiki i ka herbicide, akā ʻo nā mea pono kahi aʻu i manaʻo ai he ʻino loa ia. Hoʻomanaʻo i ka parody? ʻOiai me ke kiʻekiʻe o nā kumukūʻai huaʻai e like me 2022, inā e hahai lākou i ka piʻi ʻana o nā kaʻa a i ʻole nā tractors, ʻo ia mau kumukūʻai kiʻekiʻe e ʻelua ʻelua i ko lākou i kēia manawa.
ʻOiai he kiʻi kiʻi wale nō o ka ʻike o ka mea mahiʻai, ʻo ka hōʻike hoʻokomo a Murphy he hōʻike hōʻike no ka piʻi nui ʻana o nā kumukūʻai i hoʻopaʻa ʻia i loko o ka manawa pōkole o kahi ʻoihana mahiʻai hoʻokahi.
Holoi Kumukuai
Ma luna o ka lepo silty loess i puhi ʻia i nā millennia i ka wā i hala mai ka Midwest, Murphy mahiʻai ma waena o Mississippi, me kona kaikunāne, ʻo Tommy, mai 1974-2021. Ma nā mahina ʻolokaʻa mālie e ʻokoʻa ana ka piʻi ʻana mai ka 1% a i ka 4%, ua ulu ʻo Murphy i ka pulupulu a me ka soybeans, a ma hope o ka kulina, ma 1,600 mau ʻeka ma Madison County.
Ua hoʻomalu ʻo Cotton i kāna mau māla a hiki i ka makahiki 2000, akā ma hope o ka hōʻea ʻana mai o nā kumu kūʻai doldrums a me ka infestation o reniform nematode, ua hoʻohui ʻo Murphy i ka palaoa i kāna papa hana. Me ka makaʻala i nā helu hoʻokomo, ua hoʻomaka ʻo Murphy i kahi hoʻololi ʻāpana i ka makahiki 2005, a i ka makahiki 2009, ua pau kāna hana holoʻokoʻa ma waho o ka mahiʻai maʻamau.
“Inā ʻoe e nānā i hope i ka makahiki 1974, ua hana mākou i nā pā he nui i ka mālama ʻana i ka mauʻu wale nō, i kekahi manawa i kēlā me kēia pule, akā ʻaʻohe o mākou koho. A laila ua puka mai nā GMOs/Roundup Ready e hoʻomaka ana ma kahi o 1996-1997, a hiki koke mai mākou i ka liʻiliʻi a hiki. Ua hoʻomaikaʻi maikaʻi ʻia a hiki iaʻu ke ʻike i ka nui o ka mālama ʻana ma ka diesel, ka hana, nā mea hana, ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ka hoʻolālā lepo, a me ka hoʻonui ʻana i nā mea ola.
"I ka wā e hoʻomaka ai ʻoe e mālama i nā mea hoʻokomo, hana ia i kahi ʻokoʻa nui ma waena o kāu mahiʻai - a ʻo ka mea pōʻino, he ʻoiaʻiʻo maoli ka ʻaoʻao, a ʻo ia ke kumu e hiki ai ke piʻi ʻana o ka hoʻonui ʻana iā ʻoe a i kekahi manawa ʻaʻole ʻoe e ʻike."
Manawa e Hele ai
ʻO ka manaʻo o Murphy i ke ola holoʻokoʻa ʻo ia ka hoʻomaha ʻana ma 70. Eia naʻe, ua kiʻi ʻia ka monster inflation o 2021 i kahi nānā lōʻihi mai kahi Murphy makaʻala. Ma waena o ka hōʻiliʻili 2021, me ka lele ʻana o nā kumukūʻai momona, me ka piʻi ʻana o ke kumukūʻai herbicide a me nā nīnau e pili ana i ka loaʻa, ua loaʻa iā Murphy kahi manawa helu ma 69.
“ʻAʻole i pupule nā kumukūʻai kūʻai i kēlā manawa. Paʻa nā kumukūʻai, akā ʻaʻole hihiu. ʻO ke kumu, he mākeke paʻa loa ia, a me Tommy mākaukau e haʻalele i lalo, ʻike wau ʻo ka manawa kēia e hele ai. Ke nānā nei au i ka wahie, herbicide, nitrogen, a me nā kumu kūʻai ʻē aʻe e piʻi mau ana. ʻAʻole au i makemake e pilikia i ka makahiki pohō a laila e uku hou mai koʻu hoʻomaha ʻana. ʻOiaʻiʻo nō i loko o koʻu mau manaʻo.
ʻAʻohe manawa kūpono no ka mea mahiʻai e hoʻomaha ai, akā hilinaʻi ʻo Murphy i ka instinct. "Ua haʻalele au i ka wā e piʻi ana nā kumukūʻai a ua maikaʻi wau. ʻOiaʻiʻo, inā wau i ʻike e hiki mai ana nā kumukūʻai kiʻekiʻe aʻe, ua kānalua wau, akā ʻo 69 ka nui o nā ʻeha a me nā ʻeha, a me ka palaualelo liʻiliʻi paha," wahi a Murphy me ka ʻakaʻaka. "Maikaʻi wau i ka haʻalele ʻana, a ʻaʻohe ala e ʻike ai i ka mea e hana ai kēia mau mea ma hope, akā hiki iaʻu ke hoʻohiki iā ʻoe i hoʻokahi mea - ua neʻe lākou i koʻu ola a e neʻe mau lākou i ka manawa."
Ka Hoemi Dala
Ma ka noʻonoʻo ʻana i ka waiwai o ka mahiʻai ʻana ma kāna ʻoihana, ua huki mua ʻia ʻo Murphy i kahi ʻokoʻa ma waena o nā kumukūʻai ʻoihana mahiʻai o nehinei a me kēia lā. "Ua ʻike mua wau i ka paʻi ʻana i nā mīkini. I nā makahiki 1970, ua kūʻai iaʻu kahi tractor hou ma kahi o $25,000, ʻo kahi hui ʻana ma kahi o $30,000, a ʻo kahi ʻohi pulupulu ʻo John Deere 9900 ma kahi o $35,000. ʻAe, he mau kālā nui kēlā i kēlā lā, a haʻahaʻa nā waiwai, akā haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa loa nā mea komo. "
I ka hoʻoulu ʻana i ka mīkini, hoʻomanaʻo ʻo Murphy i nā kumukūʻai diesel ma 1974 ma waena o 18 keneta a 30 keneta no ke galani. "E kālepa mākou i nā tractor i kēlā me kēia ʻelua a ʻekolu mau makahiki a hana like me nā mea ʻohi. ʻO ka manaʻo, hiki i ka mea mahiʻai ke hoʻoneʻe i nā mea hana a ʻaʻole e ʻeha.
ʻOi aku ka maikaʻi ma mua o nā mīkini, ua like nā kumukūʻai ʻāina ma nā kumukūʻai haʻahaʻa. ʻElima mau makahiki ma mua o ka hoʻomaka ʻana o Murphy i ka mahiʻai, ua kūʻai kona makuakāne ʻo Carl i kahi mahiʻai liʻiliʻi me nā lepo maikaʻi ma Madison County no $200 no ka ʻeka. Ma kahi o 14 mau makahiki ma hope mai, kūʻai ʻo Murphy i kahi mahiʻai like ma Madison County no $900 no ka ʻeka. "He mau kumukūʻai maʻamau kēlā o ka manawa, ma lalo o ka $3,500-$4,000 o ka ʻāina mahiʻai ma ko mākou wahi i kēia lā. ʻAʻole kokoke kēlā i kā lākou uku ma Iowa a i ʻole Illinois, akā maʻalahi ka ʻike ʻana i ka ʻokoʻa i nā makahiki.
ʻAʻole i koʻikoʻi ke ʻano like i ka hoʻolimalima kālā, ʻōlelo ʻo Murphy. “Ma ko mākou wahi i kēia lā, no ka ʻāina wai ʻole, e uku ʻoe ma luna o $80 no ka ʻeka o ka hoʻolimalima. I ka makahiki 1974, ua hoolimalima ia aina no $25 no ka eka.
ʻAʻole noʻonoʻo ʻia ka ʻinikua hua no Murphy—ma ka liʻiliʻi loa i ka makahiki 1974. ʻO ka ʻai ʻana i $15 no ka ʻeka ma ke kumu pōʻino (a me ka noʻonoʻo ʻana i ka nui o nā mahiʻai he liʻiliʻi nā moʻolelo / palapala) he mea hiki ke hoʻopiʻi liʻiliʻi. "He mea ʻole ia i kēlā manawa a ʻaʻole mākou i noʻonoʻo nui i ia mea. Ua loli nā mea a pau ma hope a ʻaʻole au e hele me ka ʻole o ka ʻinikua huaʻai, akā paʻakikī loa ka hoʻopukapuka kālā i kēlā manawa.
A me ka mea momona? Hoʻomanaʻo ʻo Murphy i nā helu noi pili like no ka phosphate, potash, a me ka urea i ka makahiki 1974-akā he ʻano kumukūʻai ʻokoʻa. "Ua homogenized ka hapa nui o ka fertilizer a ua loaʻa i ka sulfur i loko. E ʻōlelo wau ua uku mākou i $150 no ke tona no ka phosphate a me ka potash, a me $200 no ke tona o ka urea.
ʻO ka hana mahiʻai ma ke Kalana ʻo Madison e huki maʻamau i $2-$3 i kēlā me kēia hola a i ʻole $20 i kēlā me kēia lā.
ʻO ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka herbicide i puni iā Treflan, Karmex, a me Cotoran—ke kumu kūʻai o kēlā me kēia mea kemika kokoke i $5 no ka ʻeka.
He ʻano ʻokoʻa ke kumukūʻai o nā hua, no ka pulupulu, a hilinaʻi ʻia i ka mea hiki ke loaʻa i ka gin. "Ke lawe mai nei ʻo Cotton i kahi o ka 50-cent range. E kūʻai mākou i ka hua gin-run, a inā hiki iā ʻoe ke kiʻi mai kahi ʻāpana hua nui, e hoʻopau ʻia, mālama ʻia, a kūʻai kūʻai kūʻai ʻia. A laila e hoʻohui ʻoe i kekahi mau ʻeke mai ka papa o kahi ʻano hou no kahi $60 no ka ʻeke. ʻAʻole loaʻa nā ʻano pale soy a ua hoʻohana nui mākou i nā ʻano ʻano lehulehu. Ua uku mākou i ka uku no ka ʻeke a ʻōlelo wau he $10-$14 ka hua soya no ka ʻeke, a ke hele nei lākou no $4-$6 no ka bushel.
Hoʻopili ʻia i loko o kahi puʻupuʻu, hoʻopaʻa ʻo Murphy i kāna mau lilo holoʻokoʻa 1974 no ka pulupulu ma kahi o $200 no ka ʻeka a me ka soybeans ma $125 no ka ʻeka, hoʻohālikelike ʻia me kāna mau kumukūʻai 2021 no ka ʻeka o ke kulina ma $550 a me ka soybeans ma $400.
"ʻAʻole maʻalahi ka hoʻohālikelike ʻana i nā kumukūʻai hoʻokomo a me nā kumukūʻai huaʻai i kēlā me kēia makahiki e noho i ka ʻoihana, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka neʻe ʻana o nā mea i ka wikiwiki a i ʻole ka manaʻo ʻole," Murphy hoʻohui. “Ke kamaʻilio nei ʻoe e pili ana i kahi paʻakikī, akā ʻo ia ka mea e haʻalele ai ka poʻe mahiʻai i kēia lā. Hoʻololi mau ka mahiʻai ma kekahi ʻano a i ʻole, akā hiki iā ʻoe ke maopopo i kahi mea: E piʻi mau ana nā kumukūʻai komo.