Seed company sells out, hundreds out of work

[Yoda]

I get your sympathy, BN, but what's the alternative? Sacrifice best business practices to accommodate "fairness"?

It's a rough world out there; if they run the company in a way that's not best for the SURVIVAL of the COMPANY, then far more will lose their jobs.

I just can't understand how folks don't see that...especially on a liberty-loving board such as this.

become an owner. Start a small biz or buy some stock. If buying stock doesn't sound so lucrative once you actually have to pony up a few months of cable TV bills, then maybe the "fortune" you envy owners of is not quite so certain or so lucrative.

I liked Ferry Morse seeds. (If I remember, they had a nice little how-to booklet, very concise, on growing vegetables.) But if workers don't have the message these days that jobs requiring no particular skills are not secure, they simply don't want to listen.

If you bemoan the ruthless efficiency of the Market, then first examine your own purchasing closely, and make some changes to use your dollar vote to support your beliefs. If it is one thing the Market respects, it is dollar votes.

[Blacknarwhal]

become an owner. Start a small biz or buy some stock. If buying stock doesn't sound so lucrative once you actually have to pony up a few months of cable TV bills, then maybe the "fortune" you envy owners of is not quite so certain or so lucrative.

I liked Ferry Morse seeds. (If I remember, they had a nice little how-to booklet, very concise, on growing vegetables.) But if workers don't have the message these days that jobs requiring no particular skills are not secure, they simply don't want to listen.

If you bemoan the ruthless efficiency of the Market, then first examine your own purchasing closely, and make some changes to use your dollar vote to support your beliefs. If it is one thing the Market respects, it is dollar votes.

I would like to know, RIGHT THIS MINUTE, what company can be bought in sufficient amounts for even a year's worth of cable TV bills that both will make anything even approaching an income and is not a total scam. That's just under $500 you're talking about, and I would cheerfully buy into such an enterprise.

[packyderms_wife]

I would like to know, RIGHT THIS MINUTE, what company can be bought in sufficient amounts for even a year's worth of cable TV bills that both will make anything even approaching an income and is not a total scam. That's just under $500 you're talking about, and I would cheerfully buy into such an enterprise.

Many of us that have started our own businesses did so with less than $500. I had a very old 486 computer an idea and about ten cents to my name when I started my first business.

K-

[Blacknarwhal]

Many of us that have started our own businesses did so with less than $500. I had a very old 486 computer an idea and about ten cents to my name when I started my first business.

K-

Not the right question, packy--see, I already have a small business that's doing reasonably well, at least for now. I was hoping to bolster it with secondary income streams, preferably ones that could run whilst I actually worked my current job.

So while your answer is very nice and quite correct, it's answering the wrong question.

[packyderms_wife]

become an owner. Start a small biz or buy some stock. If buying stock doesn't sound so lucrative once you actually have to pony up a few months of cable TV bills, then maybe the "fortune" you envy owners of is not quite so certain or so lucrative.

I liked Ferry Morse seeds. (If I remember, they had a nice little how-to booklet, very concise, on growing vegetables.) But if workers don't have the message these days that jobs requiring no particular skills are not secure, they simply don't want to listen.

If you bemoan the ruthless efficiency of the Market, then first examine your own purchasing closely, and make some changes to use your dollar vote to support your beliefs. If it is one thing the Market respects, it is dollar votes.

This^

[Johndeere]

I just wanted to let you guys know that this is the town I live in and after the closing of the plant our county will have the highest unemployment rate in the country. I know plenty of folks who work their and were shocked at the closing. This is their slow time of the year and already had laid off the seasonal workers for a few months.
From the people I know who work in the office they told me that Plantation bought the Ferry Morris side out late Wednesday and and chained the doors at lunch on the Friday.
The company that owned them before was cooking the books and charging everything to the ferry Morris division. For example the other seed factories would ship the seeds out to Fulton to store in the warehouse over here. They would charge the shipping to Fulton and also charge the storing to Fulton and then charge the distribution to Fulton all on seeds that did not come from the Ferry Morris Fulton plant. Many other shady things were going on like that which caused the books to look bad to the new owner.


We have over 20% unemployment now and with this plant closing and also MTD in Martin Tn (8miles away) laying off several hundred I expect the unemployment to go over 30%. I know many who are unemployed that are not drawing. Is say a good 50% at least here have no jobs. We are the
Armpit of America. Nobody cares about investing here may c it be. The state of Feds.

Also remember the house fire that made national news Magen the firefighters just watched the house burn? Well that is the same town. Fulton Ky/ South Fulton Tn which is Obion County.

I'm amazed when I get away from the Mississippi River counties of Kentucky and witness the riches of other parts of the nation. Most homes here are 50-70 yrs old and decrepit and falling down. If your lucky enough to land a job it's minimum wage. Factory job? $9 an hr. We only have one left in Fulton and they make plastic buckets but only employ just a couple dozen people. I don't even think they pay $9 their.
MTD is the biggest employer around these parts and they pay 9 an hr and you get to work 4-5 months a year. They employ 1100 people. Working on that line is hard work and not everybody can do it.

Forgive my spelling because typing on a phone is not the easiest thing to do.

[ChristieAcres]

I find the situation very sad for the workers, their families, and for your area, Johndeere!

The best thing we could all do? BOYCOTT them immediately and let everyone we know why we are boycotting them!

Five years ago, I began buying Heirloom seeds, converting over to growing almost 100% Heirlooms, harvesting my own seeds. I pulled out some of the 2 year old Dill seeds, ones I had harvested, did a germination test, and got over 85% results! I am getting almost 100% results with my Asparagus seeds (Jersey Knights/Giants); they were harvested late 2011. It surprised me how much higher the rates were with my own seeds, even the older ones!

[Tired of Lies]

I find the situation very sad for the workers, their families, and for your area, Johndeere!

The best thing we could all do? BOYCOTT them immediately and let everyone we know why we are boycotting them!

Five years ago, I began buying Heirloom seeds, converting over to growing almost 100% Heirlooms, harvesting my own seeds. I pulled out some of the 2 year old Dill seeds, ones I had harvested, did a germination test, and got over 85% results! I am getting almost 100% results with my Asparagus seeds (Jersey Knights/Giants); they were harvested late 2011. It surprised me how much higher the rates were with my own seeds, even the older ones!

I don't know about now but I know back in the 80's the store I worked in sold seeds and we had to send back whater we didn't sell. The company redid germination tests and if they passed they just added them back into the mix for the net year. This was especially true for grass seed.

[dilligaf]

I just wanted to let you guys know that this is the town I live in and after the closing of the plant our county will have the highest unemployment rate in the country. I know plenty of folks who work their and were shocked at the closing. This is their slow time of the year and already had laid off the seasonal workers for a few months.
From the people I know who work in the office they told me that Plantation bought the Ferry Morris side out late Wednesday and and chained the doors at lunch on the Friday.
The company that owned them before was cooking the books and charging everything to the ferry Morris division. For example the other seed factories would ship the seeds out to Fulton to store in the warehouse over here. They would charge the shipping to Fulton and also charge the storing to Fulton and then charge the distribution to Fulton all on seeds that did not come from the Ferry Morris Fulton plant. Many other shady things were going on like that which caused the books to look bad to the new owner.


We have over 20% unemployment now and with this plant closing and also MTD in Martin Tn (8miles away) laying off several hundred I expect the unemployment to go over 30%. I know many who are unemployed that are not drawing. Is say a good 50% at least here have no jobs. We are the
Armpit of America. Nobody cares about investing here may c it be. The state of Feds.

Also remember the house fire that made national news Magen the firefighters just watched the house burn? Well that is the same town. Fulton Ky/ South Fulton Tn which is Obion County.

I'm amazed when I get away from the Mississippi River counties of Kentucky and witness the riches of other parts of the nation. Most homes here are 50-70 yrs old and decrepit and falling down. If your lucky enough to land a job it's minimum wage. Factory job? $9 an hr. We only have one left in Fulton and they make plastic buckets but only employ just a couple dozen people. I don't even think they pay $9 their.
MTD is the biggest employer around these parts and they pay 9 an hr and you get to work 4-5 months a year. They employ 1100 people. Working on that line is hard work and not everybody can do it.

Forgive my spelling because typing on a phone is not the easiest thing to do.

this explains a lot.. thank you for the firsthand info,and welcome to the tree..

[doat]

This country has bigger fish to fry. One of our problems is we are
easily distracted by minor issues and are indifferent on the real major issues.