dmccarty
Super Star Member
Surely he did not sink so low! :confused3::shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:
I can't believe that "discussion" is still going. :laughing::laughing::laughing:
Later,
Dan
Moving to the 1st world
- Thread starter zimbo
- Start date
- Views: 13178
Surely he did not sink so low! :confused3::shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:
I can't believe that "discussion" is still going. :laughing::laughing::laughing:
Later,
Dan
dmccarty
Super Star Member
Today, I read yet another article about how many people are moving to New Zealand. Maybe that is good reason to NOT move to New Zealand. :laughing::laughing::laughing:
Later,
Dan
Later,
Dan
westcliffe01
Veteran Member
The timing of this post is uncanny. Just last week I got an email from my former manager in Port Elizabeth, saying that since the leadership has pretty much destroyed the currency and investor confidence, the latest political developments are moves to start a Zimbabwean style "land grab" from the "settlers" to appease the party base. Lets face it, this tactic has allowed Robert Mugabe to survive for the last 3 decades after he completely destroyed Zimbabwe.
So it should be no surprise to find people trying to sell out before the government starts seizing land, making any land belonging to other "settlers" worthless in the process. One could see this coming (based on what happened in the rest of the continent in former colonial settlements) more than 20 years ago, but some people are more optimistic than others, so I got out in the year 2000. I am hoping that my friend will find a job either in Germany or the US, but it would not surprise me that the next wave of refugees be coming from South Africa.
So it should be no surprise to find people trying to sell out before the government starts seizing land, making any land belonging to other "settlers" worthless in the process. One could see this coming (based on what happened in the rest of the continent in former colonial settlements) more than 20 years ago, but some people are more optimistic than others, so I got out in the year 2000. I am hoping that my friend will find a job either in Germany or the US, but it would not surprise me that the next wave of refugees be coming from South Africa.
mltaylo3
New member
Hello Mr. Zimbo! I've been reading over these posts and guess I'll make a quick pitch for Mississippi (Southeastern United States). First I just want to say I have a lot of respect for what you are doing, kind of reminds me of Abraham from the Bible--picking up and moving to a new place, with new people, and starting a new life. I know you're faced with some tough decisions. It sounds like goal #1 is to get yourself and your family to safety. I suppose if it were me, I'd want to establish a "home base", to be my starting point in the new country. There I would make myself known--build a house, own some land, become part of a community, and learn the ways and customs of the people. From there, you could stay for 5-10 years and build equity in your home, all the while going and visiting other areas of the country which may appeal to you, with plans of moving there as your final destination one day. I'm sure the idea of relocating more than once is hard to consider at the moment, but the average American moves 10 or 11 times in his lifetime, and you basically said it yourself--no matter how much you research, looking at pictures, getting opinions--it just won't be the same as when you have boots on the ground and get eyes on the target.
I'm originally from North Mississippi, spent my childhood here; most of my family have been farmers and cattle ranchers, though I am personally new to it. I graduated from the University of Mississippi, and I just retired from the Army, where I traveled the world, and have settled back here in Mississippi for a few reasons. First, Mississippi is usually #1 for having the lowest cost of living. Taxes are low, food cost is low, housing is low. Check out the links I pasted below for more information on cost of living. Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush both grow well in Mississippi (link below). We've got hunter jumper equine facilities throughout the state, many are near Mississippi's two largest public universities, "University of Mississippi" in Oxford, and "Mississippi State University" in Starkville (link below). There are numerous "junior colleges" located throughout the state, where your son might attend to get a head-start on college, then move to a full university later. This usually saves money and helps young adults with the transition to independence.
Overall, whichever place you choose, just remember you are doing a good thing, protecting your family.
I don't usually post on these sites--just look for information on how to fix my tractor! However, I felt compelled to provide information on Mississippi to a good man from another country. Whichever path you choose, good luck! I and my family will be praying for you. --Mike Taylor, mltaylo3@gmail.com
PS-- zillow.com is a good place to look for land/houses. It will give you a ballpark idea of the cost to buy/rent/etc. in any area of the US. Good luck!
What varieties of blueberries should be grown? | Mississippi State University Extension Service
1 least expensive states to live in the U.S.
Hunter Jumper Horse Trainers in Mississippi
I'm originally from North Mississippi, spent my childhood here; most of my family have been farmers and cattle ranchers, though I am personally new to it. I graduated from the University of Mississippi, and I just retired from the Army, where I traveled the world, and have settled back here in Mississippi for a few reasons. First, Mississippi is usually #1 for having the lowest cost of living. Taxes are low, food cost is low, housing is low. Check out the links I pasted below for more information on cost of living. Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush both grow well in Mississippi (link below). We've got hunter jumper equine facilities throughout the state, many are near Mississippi's two largest public universities, "University of Mississippi" in Oxford, and "Mississippi State University" in Starkville (link below). There are numerous "junior colleges" located throughout the state, where your son might attend to get a head-start on college, then move to a full university later. This usually saves money and helps young adults with the transition to independence.
Overall, whichever place you choose, just remember you are doing a good thing, protecting your family.
I don't usually post on these sites--just look for information on how to fix my tractor! However, I felt compelled to provide information on Mississippi to a good man from another country. Whichever path you choose, good luck! I and my family will be praying for you. --Mike Taylor, mltaylo3@gmail.com
PS-- zillow.com is a good place to look for land/houses. It will give you a ballpark idea of the cost to buy/rent/etc. in any area of the US. Good luck!
What varieties of blueberries should be grown? | Mississippi State University Extension Service
1 least expensive states to live in the U.S.
Hunter Jumper Horse Trainers in Mississippi
Complete Turf Care
Veteran Member
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Move here to South Louisiana. We have crawfish......that's enough reason to live here.
dragoneggs
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I'd say move here to the great PNW.. we got prawns, crab, oysters, salmon, snow skiing, waterskiing, mild temps, great wine, farming, horses, blueberries, and no hurricanes but ssshhh... don't tell anybody. That said, dang expensive around here.
RSKY
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For some reason this reminds me of a manager from Europe coming to a factory I worked at in Tennessee. He and his wife were enthused about taking a couple weeks to visit the USA. She said they were going to Disney World first, then the Grand Canyon, then Yellowstone, then the Golden Gate, etc.. Then she started naming all these other places across the US they were going to visit before ending up in New York to fly home. Finally somebody asked the obvious, "How to you intend to go all these places in only two weeks?" She replied that they would rent a car and drive. So it was explained that it would take two full days of driving with an overnight stay to reach Disney World from Union City Tennessee. And three full days from Disney to the Grand Canyon. They were intelligent people but had no idea how long it would take to travel from one site to another in the US. They thought they could visit one place and drive a few hours to the next site.
My point is that the United States is a vast country with every imaginable landscape within it's borders. People are for the most part friendly and very independent. But different areas have different 'personalities'. I imagine Australia is somewhat like that with fewer different personalities. New Zealand is smaller with a more homogenous population.
IF I did not live here, if I had to move to another country, my choices would be Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Not necessarily in that order.
My point is that the United States is a vast country with every imaginable landscape within it's borders. People are for the most part friendly and very independent. But different areas have different 'personalities'. I imagine Australia is somewhat like that with fewer different personalities. New Zealand is smaller with a more homogenous population.
IF I did not live here, if I had to move to another country, my choices would be Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Not necessarily in that order.
Interesting thread, and challenge you have zimbo.
Not that being successful as a farmer is trivial (it definitely isn't), but I'd agree that the gating (pun intended) factor may be what you want/need to set up on the horse side. Some of the most expensive horse operations in Canada are a little ways south of me, just north of Toronto, and they were in the stratosphere price wise before Toronto real estate went nuts in general lately.... So the horse side of things definitely needs detailed spreadsheet work....
You may know already, but on the pure Ag side of things, I'd want to identify the key Ag schools in a geography. Top universities in Canada are Guelph, and the U of M (Manitoba). Many fine ones in the USA, but I know them less well - A&M if you are interested in Texas, and I'm sure the Mid-West guys will chime in with the names my old brain cells aren't dragging up....
Farmers are generally aging here, and I'd expect that any of these top schools are oriented towards helping skilled farmers transition into our countries.... what I'm thinking of is all the ancillary resources and issues that tie into a major transition like this. Governments are pretty similar anywhere on the planet, just some guidance on navigating govt bureaucracy is valuable, on top of all the pure Ag knowledge and ongoing research....
Most of Canada may be colder than you want, at least half the year. We have blueberry operations here in certain areas, some are near my friend's place near Abbotsford BC, in the Fraser Valley. They had a rough Winter this year in the Fraser Valley, but generally have fairly mild Winters on a Canadian scale.
Putting Winter to Work..... there are operations in Canada that produce Ice Wine - critical timing on the harvest, and you need to find enough people willing to get up in the middle of the night and freeze their fingers ! You don't have to be crazy to farm here, but it helps if you are..... :laughing:
You may have a similar berry in SA (?), what is also popular here are cranberries. An example of a long-established operation north of me:
Johnston's Cranberry Marsh - Johnston's Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka Lakes Winery
I don't know enough about SA to know if wetland farming is common....
It's been touched on already,but bears repeating..... Firearm Laws vary widely, even within the USA - what is considered legal and normal in Texas often is a problem in certain other States. In Canada, sidearms are restricted, and long guns (with just regular paperwork in place) are considered normal for Hunting in season, and in most rural areas legitimate for defense of livestock year-round. Canada has relatively strict storage-of-firearms laws in place (ex. - you need gun-safes at home) in most provinces, whereas some US States have few or no storage requirements at all.
Let us know how your research and project progresses :thumbsup:
Rgds, Dave.
Not that being successful as a farmer is trivial (it definitely isn't), but I'd agree that the gating (pun intended) factor may be what you want/need to set up on the horse side. Some of the most expensive horse operations in Canada are a little ways south of me, just north of Toronto, and they were in the stratosphere price wise before Toronto real estate went nuts in general lately.... So the horse side of things definitely needs detailed spreadsheet work....
You may know already, but on the pure Ag side of things, I'd want to identify the key Ag schools in a geography. Top universities in Canada are Guelph, and the U of M (Manitoba). Many fine ones in the USA, but I know them less well - A&M if you are interested in Texas, and I'm sure the Mid-West guys will chime in with the names my old brain cells aren't dragging up....
Farmers are generally aging here, and I'd expect that any of these top schools are oriented towards helping skilled farmers transition into our countries.... what I'm thinking of is all the ancillary resources and issues that tie into a major transition like this. Governments are pretty similar anywhere on the planet, just some guidance on navigating govt bureaucracy is valuable, on top of all the pure Ag knowledge and ongoing research....
Most of Canada may be colder than you want, at least half the year. We have blueberry operations here in certain areas, some are near my friend's place near Abbotsford BC, in the Fraser Valley. They had a rough Winter this year in the Fraser Valley, but generally have fairly mild Winters on a Canadian scale.
Putting Winter to Work..... there are operations in Canada that produce Ice Wine - critical timing on the harvest, and you need to find enough people willing to get up in the middle of the night and freeze their fingers ! You don't have to be crazy to farm here, but it helps if you are..... :laughing:
You may have a similar berry in SA (?), what is also popular here are cranberries. An example of a long-established operation north of me:
Johnston's Cranberry Marsh - Johnston's Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka Lakes Winery
I don't know enough about SA to know if wetland farming is common....
It's been touched on already,but bears repeating..... Firearm Laws vary widely, even within the USA - what is considered legal and normal in Texas often is a problem in certain other States. In Canada, sidearms are restricted, and long guns (with just regular paperwork in place) are considered normal for Hunting in season, and in most rural areas legitimate for defense of livestock year-round. Canada has relatively strict storage-of-firearms laws in place (ex. - you need gun-safes at home) in most provinces, whereas some US States have few or no storage requirements at all.
Let us know how your research and project progresses :thumbsup:
Rgds, Dave.
dmccarty
Super Star Member
I think this is a very important point that most people just do not understand and it cuts both ways. The US is huge compared to most countries especially compared to the EU states. I do not think that people in the US understand how small EU countries are compared to the US nor do I think most Europeans understand just how big is the US. The EU countries are really states in the US sense. The difference is in size AND population density is a big part of a countries identity. Australia is about the same size as the Continental US but the US has 14 times more people. Even with the higher US population, the US is hardly population dense, 86 people per square mile, compared to say the UK which has 694 people per square mile. Belgium has a population of just under 1,000 people per square mile while Canada and Australia are only 9 and 8 people per square mile. These size and density difference have to affect the culture of a country in subtle yet significant ways.
The Republic of Ireland has 176 people per square mile and is a small country compared to the US. We traveled to Ireland and Scotland last year but we needed to get on a boat somewhere in Scotland from which we would travel to Ireland and eventually fly home from Dublin. One plan was to fly into Dublin and travel by bus/train to a small port in Northern Ireland to take the ferry to Scotland. When I was looking at this idea, it became apparent that from Dublin we could get to anywhere else in Ireland or in Northern Ireland with about 4-5 hours worth of travel. :shocked: Heck, it takes us 2-3 hours to get to the closest NC beach towns and 4-5 hours to get to the southern NC mountains.
I used to work for a European company here in the US and many of my coworker were from Europe. Some of them stayed in the US permanently. What is funny/sad is that they think they know the US because they have lived in Florida for years with maybe a period of time in New York City.
Later,
Dan
mltaylo3
New member
It's funny you should say that; I had the same feeling. It was the way "the American dream" was mentioned. I haven't heard that in a while, but it seems like it used to mean something different than it does now... and our friend might have the wrong expectation coming over here. Realize "America" is more than just the US, but I can only speak for the US as I say this... Long ago, with enough hard work and a little luck, a man could strike out on his own, earn a decent living, own some land, provide for his family, and die more or less prosperous and fulfilled. It was a land of opportunity. Now, times are different. People are not what they used to be, overall less reliable. The government is more intrusive than it once was. With the expectation set too high, I'm afraid Mr. Zimbo may be in for a bit of a disappointment. The journey across the ocean is simply a new beginning; not a destination.
That being said, if we take a look at South Africa, any of the places mentioned might offer more opportunity. Their President Zuma has led a corrupt government, and was nearly impeached for misusing state funds--$16M to renovate his house! The man himself faced numerous criminal charges, abusing his political position for personal gain not the least among them. Crime, unemployment, and disease are very high, relatively speaking, across the nation. Education suffers from corrupt school officials, again stealing money. No hope of change for S Africans until the next general election in 2019, and even then Zuma's party runs the political machine. I suppose I'd want to get out of Dodge too, but to bring it back around--the "American dream" has transformed over the years, and corruption just disguises itself a little differently over here...
