I got a grant back in 2008 from the USDA to put in a Heavy Use Area, That consists of a
concrete pad for animals to be fed on and stuff. Anyway the USDA had to come in approve the spot for soil type, perculation and that kind of nonsense.
So these two USDA employees show up, take a look and say, well that level spot looks good. Now I am not too smart, but if I see a house on a 6% hillside, and there is a level spot, I pretty much know that that is probably the leach field. I can drive down the road and spot where the leach field is, it really is not rocket science.
So then these two brainiacs get out their shovels, then he comes over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "You
should have a gravel pit here, there is nothing but gravel there."
I just nod. If these two guys, both soil engineers do not know the difference between rock broken by a mechanical rock crusher, and rock smoothed over by a glacier in the 4 years they went to college, me explaining that in a few sentences will never help. I just nod my head, and say, "yeah there is not much money in sheep farming is there?"
These are the sort of things farmers have to put up with. After awhile you just shake your head and keep your mouth shut.