Custom Farm Sign or Ranch Sign
Farm signs are popular. Recently, a nice influx of farm signs have come through our shop. We enjoy doing these signs as it gives us the opportunity to add chickens, horses, cows and tractors to our work. Such things rarely appear on the other signs that we do.
A Little Farm History
I imagine from the beginning of time people have been farmers and ranchers. Shaking my own family tree a bunch of farmers fall out, with some are still hanging onto this profession. In early America, most small farmers planted and grew crops for their own survival. I am told that 90% of the population at that time relied on agriculture for their livelihood. As America grew so did farming. Throughout the early days in America, farmers saw good times and not so good times. When FDR appeared on the scene he thought that true prosperity in the country was directly related to farmers being prosperous. When he enacted the New Deal, many new programs came into being which helped the American Farmer.
Ranchers on the Horizon
Early in the 19th century long horn cattle ranches started cropping up in Mexico, the area now known as the state of Texas. In 1836 when Texas became independent many farmers took to ranching inheriting cattle left behind by the Mexicans. In the early days there was not much profit or demand for beef. This did not change until after the Civil War when a northern states created a market for beef. This change along with the invention of barbed wire fence and windmill water pumping stations caused the industry to grow.
What Do American Farms Look Like Today
The Farm Bureau tells us that 99 percent of the 2.1 million farms are operated by families – individuals, family partnerships and family corporations. The average farm or ranch size is 434 acres. An acre is 43,560 square feet and may be comprised of many shapes. Most people think a farmer’s or ranchers work is seasonal. This is a misconception. There is always something to do on a farm or ranch. Currently, the United States farmer export more food than we import making a positive trade balance. Current cattle inventory in the U.S. is approximately 93.5 million head. According to Cattle Fax Data U.S. beef production in 2016 was 25.2 billion pounds.
Who are the Farmers
I often wonder who makes up our farm community in the United States. Living in rural Alabama where cotton, soy beans, wheat, peanuts and canola are grown I know of a few the families that run farms. In my opinion, they are just like me, hardworking, every day people. This point is further cemented in my mind when I read of other farm families throughout the US. In fact check out this link: http://www.americasfarmers.com/ . I see that men, women, Mom’s, Dad’s and kids make up our farm work force. Reading stories on the “America’s Farmer’s” website I see the generational legacy of many. What I read again and again is they love what they do. Families members working side by side. One thing that really stuck out in my mind was something the Boyd family said. “Farming isn’t what they do, it’s what they are.”
Facing the Challenges of Today
From my observation only, I think one of the many challenges that farmers face today is the inconsistent weather. I know that here in North Alabama the drought of last summer left to corn fields decimated with little or no crop to harvest. Some of the biggest news stories I observe are about strange weather occurrences. Either fields are starved for water or flooded from too much water.
Food Demands Continue to Grow
The world population and demand for food continues to increase. To meet the demand, current farms and ranches must expand. But is there available land at affordable prices to expand to? I am told this is a big challenge for today’s farmer. Ranchers face the same challenge as range and pasture land sells at a premium price making expansion a challenge.
A Strong Breed
Regardless of all the challenges and hard work required today in the agricultural world, farmers and ranchers continue to hold on. Their determination affords us with an abundance of many great food products. In 1862 when Abraham Lincoln created the U.S. Department of Agriculture 90 out 100 American were farmers. Today that number has shrunk to 2 out of 100. What this tells me is you have to be determined to remain a farmer or a rancher.
We feel privileged to provide a service of making custom farm and ranch signs for this business group.
Rutherford Farm Sign
One day we had a local customer stop in from one county over from Florence. He gave us the challenge to come up with a two foot by ten-foot entry sign for his farm. I believe it was the largest sign we had done to date. This sign also gave us the opportunity to be creative during the design process. Since that time, we have continued in this creative vein leveraging off the Rutherford Farm design.
One very unique farm sign we did was for Sorella Farms located in Virginia. Sorella Farms is a wedding venue based around an 1800’s built Shaker Barn. Not a farm in the true sense anymore but none the less a farm. In this instance, we created several layered signs featuring several colors. The idea was to match the logo they used for their business.
Why A Sign for Your Ranch or Farm
I moved to the country after growing up in a small city where there were rows of houses on nicely named streets like Pleasant Street, School Street and Cottage Ave. Living in rural Alabama there are roads, not streets. At first when I moved here I could never find my way around. What I noticed there were names on all the chicken farms. It was a great way to find my way around. Since then I have notice that many farms have signs out as well.
We Can “Get-Er” Done for Your Farm or Ranch
We like to think that there are few challenges we cannot meet when it come to a farm or ranch sign. Although our powder coating oven can only take sign that are 10 feet long we have been able to create signs that can be bolted together. So, if you have an idea for your farm or ranch, let us take a shot at making the ideal sign for you. You can reach us Monday thru Friday 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM CST at 256-246-0001 or drop us an email at info@alabamametalart.com. Contact us today!
