I will believe the Saudis don't see any upcoming problems with Ghawar when they cancel one of their projects due to low oil prices. If they continue to be full steam ahead with increasing their capacity then I think they are aware that Ghawar may not be as robust in 5 years time as they would like us to believe.
Joined: Feb 09, 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Venezuela
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:05 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
Thanks guys. It's a lot of fun.
I constructed a couple of nice-sized ponds and am using them for my irrigation system which is a must for about half the year.
The marginal areas will be planted in things like parchita, lechosa, and lemon trees, while most of the rest will be pasture rotated with corn and sorghum.
We've designated the area near the base of the mountain for quick turnaround crops like watermelon, cantelope, tomatoes, bell peppers, etc.
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:13 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
First off, this is not meant to be a political bash....
Having said that. How comfortable are you with the nationalizations that have taken place in your country? Are you worried about your private ownership being taken away in the interests of the collective? Have the industries that have underwent seizure by the government affected you? Are you a native of Venezuela or did you move there? Did you purchase your ranch or was it a family affair handed down to you? _________________ "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the
Abyss, the Abyss gazes also into you."
Ammo at a gunfight is like bubblegum in grade school: If you havent brought enough for everyone, you're in trouble
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:24 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
Not sure you can own your own ranch & be self sufficient in Venezuela any more than you can in Calif*. You can at least pretend. _________________ People first, then things, then dollars.
There will be enslavement, cannibalism, & zombie invasions.
Joined: Sep 25, 2004 Posts: 4667 Location: Boston, MA
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:28 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
I'm afraid I share Mr. Specop's concerns.
Your ranch is gorgeous and I wish you nothing but the best of luck with your endeavors.
But these are dangerous times to be a wealthy land owner in Venezuela.
I would encourage you to be on the alert for any signs of potential land nationalization in Venezuela. _________________ "www.peakoil.com is the Myspace of the Apocalypse."
Joined: Mar 28, 2005 Posts: 399 Location: Northern California, USA
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:33 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
If I were a landowner in one of these countries I would make sure to give regular donations to all the local churches and such to make a good impression on the locals. Things in these countries are far more informal and based much more on personal relationships on the local level.
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:33 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
heroineworshipper wrote:
Not sure you can own your own ranch & be self sufficient in Venezuela any more than you can in Calif*. You can at least pretend.
I figure that idea probably holds true for most places.
Its not where you are, its what you know and what you do. crap, people survived and thrived in Alaska long before the first oil well was drilled.
I figure if the human spirit can live in Alaska it can make it anywhere! _________________ "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the
Abyss, the Abyss gazes also into you."
Ammo at a gunfight is like bubblegum in grade school: If you havent brought enough for everyone, you're in trouble
Joined: Feb 09, 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Venezuela
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:35 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
Specop_007 wrote:
First off, this is not meant to be a political bash....
Having said that. How comfortable are you with the nationalizations that have taken place in your country? Are you worried about your private ownership being taken away in the interests of the collective? Have the industries that have underwent seizure by the government affected you? Are you a native of Venezuela or did you move there? Did you purchase your ranch or was it a family affair handed down to you?
Thanks for the questions, valid ones all!
Nationalization: My personal view is that this topic, on average, is way over-hyped by the western media with an axe to grind against Chavez. Having said that, there are many things for which Chavez should be taken to task.
The farm nationalizations that have taken place have been almost exclusively limited to huge tracks of land....often 50,000 hectares or more.......that are owned by foreign corporations with nothing more than a local care-taker and absolutely no agricultural production whatsoever. And most of them also were of questionable title as well.....which is quite common here.
My private ownership: No, I'm actually not worried about it. In a nutshell, I'm doing exactly what the Venezuelan government is asking its farmers to do.....become productive. Many farms are either idle or way underutilized. Mine is growing, employing locals, and bringing produce in various forms to market.
Other industry seizures: None have affected me in any way that I can discern. I'm not happy about Chavez' crackdown on the free press and freedom of speech, and believe that he will try to gain more and more control over all aspects of the government, but I'm also seeing some real opposition forming at the local and state levels to some of his plans. Last December's election losses were a significant setback to him.
Citizenship: I'm not a native of Venezuela, I'm actually from the U.S. but I now hold dual citizenship. I've lived here for a number of years and plan to die here.......just not soon, hopefully.
Ranch ownership: I bought the place in Oct 2005 for about $30,000. Right now it's about 250 hectares or bit over 600 acres. I'm in the process of buying out a couple of neighbors which will bring the total to about 350 hectares. The place was originally badly neglected as the former owner just didn't have the money nor the foresight to develop the place fully. Farming here can be outrageously profitable if one watches one's expenses. On last year's corn corp I doubled my investment within 6 months.
Joined: Feb 09, 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Venezuela
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:40 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
abelardlindsay wrote:
If I were a landowner in one of these countries I would make sure to give regular donations to all the local churches and such to make a good impression on the locals. Things in these countries are far more informal and based much more on personal relationships on the local level.
Not just the churches, but the local school system as well, which is something I do on a regular basis.
And just for the record, I also work for the National Guard and help the local court system extensively investigating important cases.
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:11 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
cudabachi wrote:
abelardlindsay wrote:
If I were a landowner in one of these countries I would make sure to give regular donations to all the local churches and such to make a good impression on the locals. Things in these countries are far more informal and based much more on personal relationships on the local level.
Not just the churches, but the local school system as well, which is something I do on a regular basis.
And just for the record, I also work for the National Guard and help the local court system extensively investigating important cases.
You're right, here, it's all about contacts.
Gee, it sounds like you are a practicing capitalist behaving in a traditional conservative fashion. Being a responsible citizen and participating and contributing to the local economy. _________________ Gravity is not a force, it is a boundary layer.
Everything is coincident.
Love: the state of suspended anticipation.
To get any appreciable distance from the Earth in
a sensible amount of time, you must lie.
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:14 pm Post subject: Re: A few pics of my ranch under development in Venezuela
Interesting, and thanks for thw answers!
Why did you choose Venezuela? Do you use the traditional farming tecniques found in American farms? In that sense I mean tractor, combine, crop rotation type stuff. What type of farming technique do you use to make money like you are? Where did you find out about the property for sale? Do you have any type of local taxes? Do you farm it yourself, or hire locals to do the manual labor? What are equipment prices down there as compared to equipment prices here? How is dealer support? What crops could you not grow there that you could grow here? I see corn, what about wheat, barley, millet and things like that? How much of your operation is self sustaining and how much would you estimate you depend on outside support?
EDIT
How old are you now? Did you buy this as a retirement place, or as a new beginning to your career type of place? _________________ "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the
Abyss, the Abyss gazes also into you."
Ammo at a gunfight is like bubblegum in grade school: If you havent brought enough for everyone, you're in trouble
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