(That's big for a general farm, although tiny in comparison to some of the single-crop grain or berry farms in South Jersey).
Another board member is Don Homer, 68, who described himself as "a Bostonian cowboy" and is the general farm manager of Hudson Pines Farm, the Rockefeller property in Pocantico Hills.
Mount Vernon is the centre for an area of general farming (livestock, corn [maize], soybeans) and of oil and natural gas production.
In general, farm holdings are large, highly mechanized, and produce high yields, yet they employ only a very small percentage of the workforce.
Their sons, John and Jamie, help with the ponies and with the general farming, which includes 1,000 Swaledale sheep, a few Berrichon sheep and beef cattle.
"In general, farm people don't give a darn anymore," Mr. Cobb said, "since they're not considered a part of the process".
Pennyrile soils, developed primarily from Mississippian (from about 320 to 360 million years ago) limestone, are excellent for general farming, as are the loessial and alluvial soils of the western regions.
Veronica Nigh, an economist with the American Farm Bureau, the largest general farming industry nonprofit in the US, said farmers and ranchers are increasingly employing a wide range of methods to reduce runoff and sediment buildup.
These advantages can best be discussed in terms of a hypothetical general farm where it may be desirable to produce several different kinds of crops: the question to be answered is whether monoculture can do better than rotational systems in producing these crops while still maintaining productivity.
Lei Jinghua, the farmer in Yuejin, made the point about money by pulling out his pink tax card for 1999, angrily pointing to all the charges: a general farm tax of $47; administration fee, $4.35; public works fund, $5.80; village school construction, $8.25; family planning fee, 50 cents; fees for the civil militia, the village welfare fund and other items, bringing his total obligation to $90.
