How would you handle this?

[RGR]

Okay, this is not a Biblical discussion, but something I need a Christian standpoint from besides my own.

We live in the country on an acre of ground, but as comes with being in the country, we're surrounded by farm land around us. The last 3 years, they have planted rice right beside us on 3 sides adjacent right to our property. The last 2 years, it's been a "seasoned" farmer doing things who didn't let grass and weeds get outa control on the rice levy (rice fields get flooded in case you didn't know). However, this year, a new more inexperienced guy has taken over and has absolutely let weeds and grass grow out of control and they're spreading over to our property. All I have are push mowers for this yard and push mowers don't hold up long going through tough weeds and grass.

A friend from church, who worked on a farm, suggested I could call the EPA and they would hit the guy with a huge fine. I decided not to do that, but to let him think I might be going to. I asked our local country store owner if she knew who was farming it and she told me his name and then who owned the land, etc. Well, I just "happened" to "casually" mention the fact I had thought about calling the EPA on the situation. The next day, they were out with a disk plowing up the top part of the levy to kill off the grass and weeds. However, they didn't touch the side part, which still allowed stuff to spread over. Then, a few weeks later, they came back out and disked it under again, but not the side part. Since then, nothing has happened.

They'll soon be out to harvest the rice and I want to catch the farmer and speak with him, but I want to do it in Christian love, but I also want to be firm. I don't want to go threatening lawsuits and the EPA, but it is getting ridiculous as it is ruining our land and push mowers! How should I go about this in a Christian way w/o sounding threatening? I know there are many on here who've loved the Lord longer than I've been alive, so advice is appreciated!

[Guest LadyC]

Hi Ronald,

I'm brand new here, so I guess you're the first member I will "meet"

Your heart is in the right spot here, wanting to catch the farmer and talk to him regarding the matter personally. I believe that you are probably worrying over nothing in regards to what his reaction will be. It's entirely possible that the store owner never mentioned it to him, and that he had already planned to plow up the weeds... and did not feel comfortable doing the side nearest you for fear of trespassing.

I believe that if you will lay this concern at the foot of the cross with prayer, and ask God to help you to display a Christian attitude when you are able to confront the farmer, you'll be able to resolve the problem.

[Fewarechosen7F]

Hi Ronald,

I'm brand new here, so I guess you're the first member I will "meet"

Your heart is in the right spot here, wanting to catch the farmer and talk to him regarding the matter personally. I believe that you are probably worrying over nothing in regards to what his reaction will be. It's entirely possible that the store owner never mentioned it to him, and that he had already planned to plow up the weeds... and did not feel comfortable doing the side nearest you for fear of trespassing.

I believe that if you will lay this concern at the foot of the cross with prayer, and ask God to help you to display a Christian attitude when you are able to confront the farmer, you'll be able to resolve the problem.

You could also let him know that the noise of the tractors wouldn't bother you, if that is why they did not cut closer to you, and in fact it would help you if they had cut the fence row.

[Guest shadow2b]

-------GREAT advice RON---wish I could be of some help BUT me-thinketh thou hast already received

the very best help there is --putting this before the LORD IN prayer & WAIT for the answer----

"THAT" just might be the hardest part{waiting} UNless this is causing real problems for you----

JUST ASK---THEN--WAIT FOR THE ANSWER------

MAY THE LORD-JESUS-YESHUA- GUIDE YOU BROTHER------GOD-BLESS-------------Gary--

[Guest Trusting Him]

I expect the land is now being rented out to the new man. The man who was tilling the field was careful to keep his hedge rows mowed down. I bet he would tell the new man to do the same if he knew there was a problem.

I would give him a phone call and let him know your concerns.

[Catsmeow]

I believe that if you will lay this concern at the foot of the cross with prayer, and ask God to help you to display a Christian attitude when you are able to confront the farmer, you'll be able to resolve the problem.

I stand with LadyC ...that's exactly what came to my mind. This is a matter that I'd entrust to the Lord. I'd simply ask the Lord to move in this man's heart and mind to do the right thing...then, trust Him to answer your prayers.

I had a problem with someone and my response was to ask the Lord to bring conviction in their heart about a matter. Evidently, He did just that.

I believe that if we entrust problems like these to the Lord, He'll move in a person's heart to help them come to an 'inner' decision to change.

Perhaps, this unfortunate event might give you an opportunity to meet this man one on one and even speak to him about the Lord. Perhaps God's arranging this whole incident so that you can meet and He can speak through you to this man.

I know it's frustrating. We have next door neighbors who bring down the value of our lovely home and it's pretty frustrating, so I feel for you.

I'd just take it to the Lord in prayer.

[Ovedya]

I don't know much about farming, but it seems to me that you should go to this man in a nice way and ask him to take care of the weeds. If he is nice he'll have no problem with it. If he gives you 'tude, then suggest to him - again, in a nice way - that you would not want to ruin any of his crops by spraying Roundup along the property line, which you could reasonably charge him for doing.

[Guest dove2]

God-man that is exactly what I was going to say. You beat me to the punch.

[RGR]

Well, I actually feel sorry for the guy to be honest. I was in line behind him one day (didn't know it was him at the time) at the country store and he was doing a lot of complaining to a buddy about how that he wasn't making money at this little rice venture and was going on about how he had been up a good while the night before trying to make figures meet, that the owner of the land told him he would be making more than this, etc. So, a little while later, I was talking to the store owner about him and she told me what is going on. The land is, of course, simply leased by him. I assume that he pays a lease fee on it, but I don't know. What I do know is the owner demands a payment of 1/3 of the rice crop win, lose, or draw. The first guy who was farming it for the 2 years before this year said he couldn't make it on that type of a deal and gave up. Now, to top it off, this year the owner wants not only 1/3 of the crop, but 1/3 of any government subsidy money the farmer is getting! Now, personally, that's greed to me. My father-in-law works on a rice farm and he told me there is no way this guy is making any money on that deal, which I don't doubt. I reasonably suspect that he won't plant again next year, but I do want to talk to him just in case he does. We already have a field that is adjacent to one of the rice fields that was just allowed to go unplanted this year that has been a rice field the last two years, so I figure it has the same owner. So, I guess time will tell.

[Guest idolsmasher]

Invite him over for coffee or a sandwich or something or bring it over to him and see if you can befriend him and eventually let him know about the problem and chances are he'll decide to do something about it on his own.