Farmer 'showing off' on social media

[little_p]

I often come across posts on social media where farmers are posting pictures of their big / new / expensive machinery.
A sort of Farmers Weekly 'What's in your shed' (without an explanation as to why they got that piece of kit).
Inevitably it is followed by comments from non-farmers such as "so that's where my taxes go", "I thought that farmers were supposed to be poor'?, 'British farmers want us to buy British, but you buy German'.

So what is everybody's view on this?
Their willy waving. Plain and simple? They have worked hard to get it, leave them be? Bringing a negative view on British Farmers?

 

[teslacoils]

Every week it's "look how cheap I can make milk for". Next week Mr Tesco rings up and says milk s penny less than that. Complete dicks. FW needs to go in the bin.

 

[M-J-G]

A line up of 5 polished tractors and a new combine etc. is probably giving the impression of being flash, but a steading like a scrap yard and everything covered in sh1t and tied up with string just makes us look sloppy.

I feel there needs to be a balance between creating the illusion that we are all filthy rich and giving the impression of having a professionally run business.

 

[M-J-G]

Every week it's "look how cheap I can make milk for". Next week Mr Tesco rings up and says milk s penny less than that. Complete dicks. FW needs to go in the bin.

Stopped buying it many years ago.

 

[Goweresque]

Its odd, when other parts of the economy show off their new kit (often purchased with taxpayers money) its a cause for celebration. Think new ambulances, fire engines, trains, buses, police cars etc etc. Do any of those have to make do with Vauxhall Cavaliers, AEC Routemasters and 40 year old HSTs?

 

[Farmer Roy]

Yes, but the above are all “not for profit” public services, not private profit driven businesses

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Its odd, when other parts of the economy show off their new kit (often purchased with taxpayers money) its a cause for celebration. Think new ambulances, fire engines, trains, buses, police cars etc etc. Do any of those have to make do with Vauxhall Cavaliers, AEC Routemasters and 40 year old HSTs?

Good point - our St John's ambulance service down here is having to 'lose' staff due to lack of funding (mostly donations, which are slowing with the economy) yet AJ Hackett bungy recently made headlines by receiving $10M as a booster from the gov't (who couldn't run a bath, let alone a country it seems)

Perception is critical in this modern age of populism.. especially when it comes back to "so this is where our taxes go"

 

[Farmer Roy]

Farmer exceptionalism

 

[Farmer Roy]

Well, there’s not much public money ( or private money for that matter ) being spent on shiny kit here

 

[Farmer Roy]

Maybe agriculture should be nationalised ?
Then it would be perfectly acceptable to show off what the public purse has been spent on

somehow though, people always seem to prefer to socialise their losses but privatise their profits

“there’s no money in the game”, but there seems to be plenty of money for shiny metal ?

 

[Farmer Roy]

So - apparently it is ok for UK farmers to spend tax payers money on shiny tractors & show it off on social media, but not ok for public funds to go towards buying new ambulances, fire trucks or police cars ?

 

[Farmer Roy]

Even if it isn’t a case of “showing off”, I think UK agriculture needs to be very aware of public perception - after all, it is the public who fund you & who are your customers. You would rather have them feeling sympathetic than jealous . . .

 

[Tarw Coch]

Maybe agriculture should be nationalised ?
Then it would be perfectly acceptable to show off what the public purse has been spent on

somehow though, people always seem to prefer to socialise their losses but privatise their profits

“there’s no money in the game”, but there seems to be plenty of money for shiny metal ?

Sounds like you think the entire industry is run on shiny new machinery because of a few photos on Facebook, but it’s not. Sure there’s plenty of new kit out there, nothing lasts forever but there’s also plenty of older kit out there, there are even Facebook groups out there with pictures of farmers using such kit but I guess as it’s not as glamorous it doesn’t capture the attention of some the same.

 

[Henarar]

Yes, but the above are all “not for profit” public services, not private profit driven businesses

Really

 

[Farmer Roy]

Sounds like you think the entire industry is run on shiny new machinery because of a few photos on Facebook, but it’s not. Sure there’s plenty of new kit out there, nothing lasts forever but there’s also plenty of older kit out there, there are even Facebook groups out there with pictures of farmers using such kit but I guess as it’s not as glamorous it doesn’t capture the attention of some the same.

no, I don’t see any shiny tractors on Facebook, no one I know posts that sort of stuff & I don’t follow any UK farming pages on FB

it’s purely TFF & comments on it that make me think that is the case.

I’m glad to be proved wrong & TFF isn’t representative of the industry as a whole

but, you have to admit, there is a lot of excitement on TFF about new gear & the number of threads about it
New Toy Day, just for starters

 

[Hfd Cattle]

It's one thing to have all new shiney kit in the yard .......it's another thing to own it .
At least I know with my older kit that if it's sold the money goes into my bank account and not the finance company .

 

[Farmer Roy]

Really

It wasn’t me making the original comparison between oranges & apples . . .

 

[ARW]

Some farmers hobby’s are not just farming but also swapping machinery!

 

[Tarw Coch]

no, I don’t see any shiny tractors on Facebook, no one I know posts that sort of stuff

it’s purely TFF & comments on it that make me think that is the case.

I’m glad to be proved wrong & TFF isn’t representative of the industry as a whole

but, you have to admit, there is a lot of excitement on TFF about new gear & the number of threads about it
New Toy Day, just for starters

Yes, it’s undeniably nice to get the new toys and take pleasure and pride in having them but doesn’t mean every machine on the farm is shiny and new, depending on size and scale of farm, for some having a new piece of machinery can be a very big deal.
The bigger the farm the more new kit they’re likely to operate, does anyone honestly believe they could get by running old kit?
Just look at the thread on the reliability of modern machinery, plenty on there complaining about the problems with electrics after a relatively short working life, all that glitters isn’t gold.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Yes, it’s undeniably nice to get the new toys and take pleasure and pride in having them but doesn’t mean every machine on the farm is shiny and new, depending on size and scale of farm, for some having a new piece of machinery can be a very big deal.
The bigger the farm the more new kit they’re likely to operate, does anyone honestly believe they could get by running old kit?
Just look at the thread on the reliability of modern machinery, plenty on there complaining about the problems with electrics after a relatively short working life, all that glitters isn’t gold.

yes, exactly, and I have nothing against new machinery if it has a place. Last year I was running a $1.4million cotton stripper for a contracting team & I certainly posted plenty of pics of it at work on my FB page

I suppose the main point I was making was the one about perception, what the general public see, & being aware of the image that farming as an industry in the UK presents to the general public

as other, UK members, have also expressed at times