Interview with Charles E. Faulkner, June 29, 1992

Partial Transcript: --izer with the University of Kentucky Family Farm Oral History Project, Cane Creek Study Area.

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner describes some photographs he has, including several of the store his grandmother ran.

Keywords: Cane Creek (Ky.); Smokehouses; Stores; Voting houses

Subjects: Fathers; Grandmothers; Photographs; Pictures

Partial Transcript: Okay, we'll go with, uh, this picture here is my grandparents. Uh, lived up on the right hand fork of Cane Creek.

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner describes some photographs of his family members, including his grandparents, his mother, and his uncles.

Keywords: Cane Creek (Ky.); Farms; Grandmothers; Grandparents; Mothers; Uncles

Subjects: Families.

Partial Transcript: This is aerial photograph of the houses to the right.

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner describes some aerial photographs of the area. Faulkner also talks about his father's airplane and participation in Kentucky Flying Farmers.

Keywords: Cane Creek (Ky.); Kentucky Flying Farmers; Tenant houses

Subjects: Aerial photographs; Airplanes; Fathers; Hangars; Photographs

Partial Transcript: When we had stopped the interview last time, uh, you went out in to the, uh, adjoining field and talked with, uh...

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner discusses renting land to other farmers. Faulkner talks about decisions that he and the farmers make together.

Keywords: Farming; Fertilizer; Renters; Renting; Tobacco farming

Subjects: Farms; Neighbors; Tobacco; Tobacco farms

Partial Transcript: Now when it c, comes time to, uh, to harvest the, uh, the tobacco and sell it, um, do y'all get together then on, on, on selling it? Where, where you're gonna sell it?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner discusses the process of selling tobacco, which he tends to leave up to the farmers. Faulkner also discusses warehouse representatives coming to his farm to talk to him. Faulkner discusses how long he's been leasing the farm out.

Keywords: Leasing; Renting; Warehouse representatives

Subjects: Harvest; Tobacco; Warehouses

Partial Transcript: Now last time I was here, uh, when you were talking with Equilis, you all were talking...

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner discusses drainage and tiling issues with his farm and his plans to eventually re-tile the fields.

Keywords: Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS); Fields; Subsoiling; Tiling

Subjects: Drainage; Soil ripping; United States. Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service.

Partial Transcript: Now do you think you'll be, uh, expanding your, your farm operations beyond that?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner discusses his hopes for the future of his farm, including hopes that he will be able to raise livestock again and that he will be able to go into farming full-time eventually.

Keywords: Farming; Jobs

Subjects: Careers; Cattle; Corn; Cows; Farms; Livestock; Occupations

Partial Transcript: What benefit is it to go into farming?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner discusses the benefit of going into farming if you enjoy the farming lifestyle. Faulkner also discusses EPA regulations and how those have affected small farmers. Faulkner discusses the costs associated with farming, including expensive equipment.

Keywords: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Environmental regulations; Farming; Regulations

Subjects: Children; Income; Lifestyles; Prices; United States. Environmental Protection Agency; Work

Partial Transcript: Do you wanna see any of your children go into farming?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner describes the difficulties facing the small farmers, particularly the high expenses associated with buying equipment and starting a farm. Small farmers like him cannot afford equipment that big farms can. Prices of fertilizers, seeds, and other necessities for farming are going up. He thinks government needs to step in to help. He hopes his children keep the farm, but he knows that it is a risk.

Keywords: Expenses in farming; Farm equipment; Government support in farming; Small farmers

Subjects: Farm equipment; Farms, Small

Partial Transcript: Do you feel you have benefited personally from having grown up--

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner describes some of the benefits of growing up on farms. He thinks that raising children on farms is a good idea.

Keywords: City life; Farm life; Growing up in farms; Work in farms

Subjects: Childhood; Farm life

Partial Transcript: Well how do you view Cane Creek?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner thinks that there is still as much farming going on right now in Cane Creek as was before. There is more grain farming now, whereas before people had livestock and other things. In the past fifteen years, things have remained much the same - people have farmed the same grains. He and others used to have hogs and cows before, but now they focus on grains.

Keywords: Commercial crops; Farmlands in Cane Creek; Livestock; Tobacco farming

Subjects: Farms; Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well I noticed, uh, along the road now, looks as though they're, they're putting in some kind of water lines or utility lines.

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner describes the various developments in the past few years. They are getting a city water supply, which will get them a fire hydrants. The presence of fire hydrants reduced insurance costs. They also had new roads and bridges built recently. He also talks about keeping the current water source (wells) he has.

Keywords: Benefits of water supply in farms; Bridges; Farm insurance costs; Fire hydrants; Fire hydrants in rural areas; Roads; Water supply in farms

Subjects: Infrastructure; Roads; Water-supply

Partial Transcript: Are property values--are going up now as a result of these improvements, or?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner talks about the effects of new roads, water supply, and other development on demographic changes in his locality. He hopes that the farmers are not pushed out. Though many people have come to settle in the area, he thinks that he still has good neighbors, which is what matters. He also talks about property values.

Keywords: Demographic changes; Property values

Subjects: Demographics; Real property

Partial Transcript: Okay, a moment ago we were talking about, you know, the, the fate of, of tobacco farming.

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner talks about the various reasons why tobacco farming may be suffering. Though there is international competition, he thinks the primary reason is the lack of interest in tobacco within the United States. Government regulations on tobacco are hurting tobacco farming. He thinks that if tobacco is not profitable for farmers, marijuana might be the next viable crop in case it becomes legal. He talks about other alternatives to tobacco. He also thinks international competition is hurting American farmers.

Keywords: Future of tobacco; Government regulations; International competition for farmers; Small farmers; Tobacco farming

Subjects: Tobacco farms

Partial Transcript: How about truck farming as an alternative?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner talks about truck farming as an alternative in case tobacco farming does not have a viable future. He expresses his views on government and its support of agriculture. He thinks there is help from county officers though their ability is limited. He gives his opinion on the change from acreage allotment to poundage allotment.

Keywords: Government support for farming; Horticulture; Poundage allotments; Small farmers

Subjects: Acreage allotments; Farms, Small; Truck farming

Partial Transcript: How much, uh, did you, like, spend in, uh, fertilizer last year?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner talks about fertilizers used on his fields - the kind used, how much it costs, and where he gets it from. He talks about profits from the farm and the kinds of bank accounts he has. The kind of farm account he has allows him to see how much profit he is making every year. He describes the different tax situations depending on the profit or losses on tobacco farming.

Keywords: Farm bank accounts; Profits in tobacco farming; Tax on small farmers

Subjects: Fertilizers; Tax deductions; Taxes

Partial Transcript: Now is there any chance, uh, have you heard anything about if they'll be bringing, uh, sewer into Cane Creek?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner talks about how he doesn't think there will be a sewage facility coming to his town anytime soon, even if other amenities like cable and water supply might arrive.

Keywords: Cable in farmlands; Care Creek (Ky.); Sewers

Subjects: Infrastructure; Refuse and refuse disposal; Sewerage

Partial Transcript: I, I recall now, uh, last time we were talking, uh, we went out and talked to Equilis. He had mentioned, mentioned seeing wildcats out here?

Segment Synopsis: Faulkner talks about the different wild animals that are seen in Cane Creek (Ky.), including bobcats, bears, and different kinds of snakes. He describes the problem he has had with groundhogs. He has to shoot and kill them often.

Keywords: Bears; Bobcats; Foxes; Groundhogs; Killing groundhogs; Panthers; Rabbits; Snakes; Squirrels; Turkey; Wildcats; Wildlife in Cane Creek (Ky.); Wildlife in rural America

Subjects: Wildlife