Gunner Quinn
Editor’s Introductory Note: This is part of a multi-part article series on retreats written by a Christian farmer who is praying and searching for a wife. Please prayerfully consider all of the topics that he discusses.
—
Economics for Farmers
The first lesson that I’d like to address in this installment is that our family is very conservative, economically. We chose to avoid all debt. Yes, it is a choice for most people. Debt is no longer passed down intergenerationally as it was previously in American history. As Christians, we are taught to avoid debt. In Proverbs, we are warned: “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (22:7). Financial freedom and financial bondage are two ends of the spectrum. Sometimes being financially free means you do not get whatever you want when you want it. But to His people God provides you with what you need. There are some out there who say that you can have it all right now by signing your name and taking on debt. We choose not to and we warn people about the potential consequences of it. The results of this over generations have been awesome in that we have no debt, we are able to give generously to those who are in genuine need, and we strategically invest in businesses.
I am not criticizing people who choose to be in debt. Many times it is your choice, but it would be wrong if I did not point out the dangers of debt. Not saying anything would be the equivalent of me seeing a fast-approaching car and not warning a person who stepped out into the road whose head was turned the other way. Debt is often based on the lie that you can have today what you cannot afford today and that it will be always be easy to pay for. I know many times items are sold in “easy to make” payments. I know they talk about debt-to-income ratios. But I encourage people to read what the Bible says about debt. For those who are in debt, I know the road is not easy to get out of debt. My family and I have known many people over the years who chose to get themselves out of debt and we understand the struggles and sacrifice it is to travel to, merge, and stay on the road to being debt-free. My parents say: “It is better to have 10 acres that you own than 100 acres that you don’t own.”
That particular family that I told you about in Part 2 was facing fierce headwinds, but they did not know it at the time much like the passengers on the last flight of the Hindenburg thought that they would have a late dinner in New Jersey. The Hindenburg faced real headwinds that were caused by the weather delaying it just enough to most likely create the necessary conditions required for it to be quickly engulfed in flames. Now, we know that airships filled with hydrogen are one of the least safe modes of transportation.
This particular family in the 1880s did not realize this would be one of the toughest decades to turn a profit when farming plus paying back debt. They did not realize that this decade would be when the populist movement formed in an environment where prices declined, money became very hard to earn, and unusual weather events even occurred further impacting crop production. In this type of economic environment, the last thing you want to do is owe money because in reality the burden of making the payments is actually much greater. This particular family lost their land because they were unable to come up with a small payment on the note. Their story is only one of many. Books have been written detailing all of these heartbreaking stories. There is one author who worked on farms during this period and lived until the 1940s. He made a living for many years writing stories about farm families during this era, but the one common thread usually is owing people money and being unable to pay back the money.
You may be thinking that this has little relevance to you because maybe you have a regular job in the city or you own your own business. Consider how many stores over the last 10 years have been impacted by a pullback of police services, and selective prosecution of criminals. I noticed this about ten years ago talking to businessmen in a big city about the problems they were having. It is difficult to make a profit when people can come in and take your merchandise without paying for it.
We do not know the future and thinking everything will be the same as today or improve is a very dangerous assumption. I am not saying to be pessimistic, but be realistic. Even five years ago, back in 2019, few people could consider the rapid changes that have occurred in such a short period of time. Successful preparedness is not about anticipating the best cases, but rather considering how to mitigate the most likely worst-case scenarios. Living at a retreat full-time is the highest level of preparedness. Having a retreat for the long term is not just about buying and storing items, but about treating it like a business including using business tactics such as being able to negotiate. Retreats that actually are truly self-supporting (producing a profit) are often farms and ranches.
The second lesson is that we negotiate. I would encourage you to read Mr. Rawles’ novel Survivors which is the second volume of the Patriots series. The important part for our discussion is when Captain Laine is negotiating with the local merchant for a piece of “hardware” at a local store outside of his forward operation base, to learn more about negotiating. Some important negotiations took place in Patriots on larger and smaller stages including between the different retreat groups when they formed an alliance and when individuals were bartering.
These are some of my qualifications to discuss negotiating: I have traveled extensively, been mentored by people with more experience than your average American could pack into several lifetimes, have family members who taught me negotiation from an early age, and saved six figures negotiating just one purchase. Most Americans do not negotiate on most items and this is reflected in how people organize their lives and arrive at prices they pay for items. People should want to negotiate because when this is done well you can save money. I successfully worked in corporate America before being able to move to our family farm and still use many of these negotiating skills. Negotiating is a fact of life for anyone who owns a business and wants to run a successful business.
Whenever I talk to people about negotiating, I have often heard that they would not want to “insult” someone with a “low” offer. I am not going to offer someone a penny for an acre of land, but I would not pay a high price if I could avoid it because I am seeking the highest return on my capital investment. To me, offering money for something is not insulting. One time a seller wanted eight hundred dollars for an item that he originally paid a thousand dollars. I wanted the item to add to my tangibles collection, but thought that it was worth a hundred dollars. I was able to do some more searching and found another seller who was interested in taking my hundred dollar offer and included the invoice which shows it was originally purchased for $1,000 dollars. This is not something I needed and I was willing to walk away from the deal, knowing that it was not something necessary, rare, or exceptional.
There are other examples out there, so I regard that another one will come before my eyes at some point in time maybe at even better price as has happened before. It is important not to get excessively attached to material things and to value the important things in life (Faith, Family, and Friends). Another time I was negotiating for a vehicle and it was well maintained, but they wanted to move it at a higher price. I knew they would get the higher price given enough time. I went to lunch and by the time I checked again it had sold. I found an even better vehicle later that month. If this was the only vehicle out there and it was an emergency, then I would have bought it right there.
The largest negotiation that I carried out so far was for purchasing multiple parcels further expanding the farm real estate that we owned. I regard any price out there as just a number that is subject to negotiation. I make a mental note that it is just a starting point and to see if there is any potential movement in a number. You don’t always get what you want or the price you want, but many times if you are able to play it cool, you can find some great deals. Some people want or need the highest price for something and are willing to wait sometimes years to get the price. Some people just put a price out there and can be persuaded downward. I talked with the seller, became friends with the seller (yes, a real friendship), and he sold my family the land at a large discount (a six-figure reduction off the price). Some would say that I should just pay full price for everything and not negotiate because I can “afford” it. That is the first step in the wrong direction and I believe having a careless attitude even in small matters will eventually lead to not being able to pay bills.
When I negotiated for these parcels, I read everything. Yes, my family had their own real estate agent, but I have heard enough stories about important purchases to read everything, ask questions, and get those questions answered. I read the paperwork going back to the original land grant from the government. My family and I are very friendly people, but when we buy something we want to own it in full, deciding when and for how long we will invite people. We did not want to have any current leases and wanted a transfer of all ownership interests with the sale. There was a lease on one of the parcels that appeared to not be current, but we made sure that it was lapsed. I would not want to be walking the fields and suddenly come across sportsmen who said they had a legal right to be on what I thought was my family’s land.
Another very important aspect of land ownership is mineral rights. My dad is really big into this concept because he knew of people who thought they owned their land fully and then found out that they did not “own the minerals.” Each state or area could be very different, so you would need to check with a professional on this if you wanted or needed to know more about “mineral rights” as it is a very specialized field with legal firms just in this area. As for our family farm on every parcel that we own, we own all of the mineral rights. If a landman visits us, we are friendly people and will consider any offer. My mom might even serve them some of her homemade desserts. Over the years, we have had people make us all sorts of interesting offers related to our land, but we have no interest in doing any exploration on our property. When you are an owner, you have a great degree of control and ability to make decisions. Being a prepper means you often have options.
—
Message from Single Farmer:
My family and I are long-term preppers who currently live on a large farm that produces enough food for hundreds of people. Our farm will be our retreat. It has taken more than three generations of people to achieve this level of preparedness. This article was not sent for the blog’s writing contest. I am trying to provide you with what could be useful information and hopefully to find some family reading these blog articles who would be a good potential candidate for our retreat. Or perhaps a father reading this with a single daughter who is seeking to be a traditional wife. This article series will be useful for those who currently live at their country properties which can be activated into retreats or for those who would like to increase their level of preparedness. Please read my letter that was posted in SurvivalBlog in August with more details about me and what I am praying to find in a wife.
—
(To be continued tomorrow, in Part 4.)
Read the full article here