Posted on 02/27/2009 2:07:46 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
As our government enacts a stimulus package and President Barack 0bama announces bold initiatives to stem home mortgage foreclosures, disaster threatens family farmers and their communities.
The government's response to plummeting commodity prices and tightening credit markets leads to the basic question: Who will produce our food? This is a worldwide crisis. U.S. policy and the demand for deregulation at all levels -- from food production to financial markets -- contribute greatly to the global collapse. The solution must be grounded in food sovereignty so that all farmers and their communities can regain control over their food supply. This response makes sense here in Wisconsin and was the global message from the 500+ farmer leaders at the Via Campesina conference in Mozambique in October.
Many U.S. farmers are going out of business because they receive prices equal to about one half their cost to produce our food. How long could any enterprise receiving half the amount of its input costs stay in business? As an example, dairy farmers in the Northeast and Midwest must be paid between 30 and 35 cents per pound for their milk to pay production costs and provide basic living expenses. Until 1980, farmers received a price equal to 80 percent of parity, meaning that farmers' purchasing power kept up with the rest of the economy. Unfortunately, a 1981 political decision discontinued parity, and today the dairy farmers' share is below 40 percent.
"Free trade" and other regressive agricultural policies have decimated farms. We are now a food deficit nation dependent on food imports, often of questionable quality.
Our food system is nearly broke, which is almost as serious as our country's financial meltdown. With fair farm policies, farmers would get fair prices that would not require higher consumers prices. The Canadian dairy pricing system is the best example that proves fair farmer prices can and often do bring lower consumer prices and a healthier rural economy. In addition, excessive middleman profits are taking advantage of both consumers and producers.
As more farmers face bankruptcy, we all face a food emergency. European farmers speak from thousands of years of experience on the importance of family farms when they warn us, "Any time a country neglects its family farm base and allows it to become financially bankrupt, the entire economy of that country will soon collapse. It may take generations to rebuild the farm economy and that of the country."
Despite the magnitude of this food emergency, the "farm crisis" does not appear in headlines, so politicians are not compelled to provide political or financial assistance to something that would likely fail to bring votes. As farmers, we are now only about 1 percent of the U.S. population, and have little power to expose and prevent our demise. However, our urban and rural friends could be vital voices and advocates.
Bailing out the financial giants will not solve the financial crisis in the country, but the right policies and stimulus dollars could prevent a severe food crisis by saving farmers and workers. Furthermore, farm income dollars remain in and multiply at least two to four times in the local economy.
Family farmers have proposed fair food and farm policies that can be implemented at a fraction of the present multibillion-dollar policies destroying us. As the Treasury Department develops plans to distribute the bailout funds, the National Family Farm Coalition and others urge it to require banks receiving funds to treat their borrowers fairly by providing debt restructuring as an alternate to home or farm foreclosure or bankruptcy.
Concerned citizens can call the White House, 202-456-1111, or your members of Congress, 202-224-3121, to urge them to support policies that enable farmers to earn a fair market price; request an emergency milk price at $17.50 per hundred weight; provide price stability through government grain reserves and effective supply management; support the TRADE Act to be reintroduced in Congress; increase direct and guaranteed loans to family farmers; and ensure that the food we raise can be marketed to local schools and institutions, providing a better food supply at a fair price. We need these immediate changes in our food and farm policy.
(John Kinsman, a dairy farmer from La Valle, is president of Family Farm Defenders, based in Madison.)
That fixes that ‘obese’ problem the socialist worry about.
Does the mental midget who wrote this article understand that we do not get our food from the U.S. Govt????
Is thinking outlawed?
The dogs & I will be moving in with you.
Soon.
;)
My advice to friends and family is, Buy Local, Buy Often. Better yet, learn to grow much of it themselves.
Nations food system....another area Zero will take over!
You’re more than welcome, Gramma!
Let the wealthy and great
Roll in splendor and state,
I envy them not, I declare it;
I eat my own lamb,
My own chicken and ham,
I shear my own fleece,
And I wear it!
I have lawns,
I have bowers,
I have fruits,
I have flowers,
The lark is my morning alarm.
So, jolly boys now,
Here’s Godspeed the plow.
Long life and success
To the Farmer!
(I’m pretty sure that’s an old, too-long drinking poem, LOL!)
When Obama decides to pay up on that “40 acres and an Escalade” promise, we may have a problem with crop production.
Don’t worry....
The More-Equal-Than-You Democrat Political class will ALWAYS make sure THEY have enough to eat, even if they have to take it from you, by FORCE.
From each according to his ability, for the common good, yada, yada, and all that.
On the bright side, the massive starvation will put less pressure on the environment, and help to stem global warming!!!
So, you see...
It’s really a win/win. After all, they would have just been baked to death by globo’ warmin’, anyway!
Agreed! But still buy a few things you need from my family, OK? :)
What, you’ve never heard of collective farms?
You do get a lot of food from the Communist Chinese government
“Free trade” and other regressive agricultural policies have decimated farms. We are now a food deficit nation dependent on food imports, often of questionable quality.”
There is a major problem when we have to import food, when we have the capability to grow our own.
Even more telling, traditionally farmers are the biggest proponents of free trade....but not any more after all these bad trade deals
I believe FDR had a solution that zero will soon discover; shoot your livestock. It’s a socialists solution to oversupply. Of course when people start starving you just apply the same concept on the demand end. It all balances eventually.
“...we may have a problem with crop production.”
FOOD crops will drop off, drastically.
But, Man. Dealin’ with ‘the munchies’ is gonna be a real beotch, LOL!
I grew up there....come on. Picture a local bar. Ya think ANYONE could recite that? Even PRIOR to their first swig of beer?
;)
..... I tell you that the great cities rest upon these broad and fertile prairies. Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.....
True then....true today
Is thinking outlawed?"
Not yet, but soon!
On a related note: Perhaps if we weren't required to use food for 10% of the fuel for our vehicles, but what do I know?
There’s a world drought underway and this guy thinks commodity prices are crashing ~ he should wait a few weeks.
Garden Ping..........sort of.
I wonder what the outcome would be if you put colonial restoration to a vote of the people in Zimbabwe today.
Family farms are a much better idea than the corporate farms.
If corporate farms are so good...why do we have $75 billion govt subsidy farm bills to subsidize corporate farms?
The corporate farm is no different than a Soviet collective farm...except that the corporate farm can sell stock. Every else is the same
They'd have to eat the ballot to get the nourishment to have the strength to mark the ballot.
You do have a point...as Communist China is suffering a major drought. They will have to reduce their food exports....or they will turn parts of China into 1930’s Ukraine.
But will that be enough to market-raise prices on US agri products? Not sure...with demand reduced
Yawn...another crisis. Next...
Comrade farmer!
Don’t despair!!
Good news from the bureau of public pleasure planning:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195753/posts
Just wondering if I should incorporate some sphagnum peat moss and how much? I will be using a landscaping material over the rows this year also.
Gardening ping
Many years ago, when I was growing up, that poem was on the wall in our house, and yes, my Dad was “into” farming!
I have never been able to track it down, and I am so grateful that you posted it!
That’s probably why most of us just sing the “The Bears Still Suck” Polka when we’re out drinking. ;)
(We recite that poem at the Thanksgiving Table, which is usually *groaning* with food we’ve all grown or hunted ourselves.)
100% true! :)
Hi, Gabz! :)
Um...that’s MY post, too, LOL!
No tilling here yet, though hubby did put in 3 grape vines that the Pastor had him dig out of her yard this afternoon.
We reached 70 this afternoon, but only going to be 45 tomorrow, and they’re calling for 4-8 inches of snow on Monday :(
Oh, Goody. I have it clipped from some old ‘Country Living’ mag or some such thing. It’s a keeper. :)
My other favorite is on a plate that used to belong to my Grandma Anita. It hangs on my kitchen wall:
“Thank God for dirty dishes,
They have a tale to tell.
While others may go hungry,
We are eating very well.”
So true!
Seems to me that farmers would be better off if the government got OUT of the agriculture business.
But hey, that’s just me wanting a capitalistic system.
I thought that Willy Nelson had already taken care of this ?
We’re going to hit the 50’s next week. I will be so GLAD to see this ice go...it poured BUCKETS of rain yesterday...then froze. Grrrr!
I tested out my light racks today. Told Hub that he needs to have me ‘on line’ by March 15th.
Now that he works from home, he’s stolen every spare INCH of this place to make money; I hate it when that happens, LOL!
It interferes with ME making money as I’ve now been banished to the basement for seed starting. I think we need separate houses and conjugal visits. ;)
“I thought that Willy Nelson had already taken care of this?”
LOL! He can’t even keep his OWN house in order. They STILL did this in September 2008!
John Mellon-Head Cougar-Camp. (Ha.) Willie. Dave Matthews. Neil Young.
Oy!
I saw it on TV. All the cows left Wisconsin and are now happily living in California.
what better excuse for martial law than food riots?
Even a few years ago, my cousin was only making money in 3 of 5 years growing corn. When this happens, at some point, the corporate farmers move in a buy up the land. The family farm is sadly going away.
Reminds me of the old Bloom County cartoon:
Senator Befellow: A farmer! A man of the earth! My heart bleeds for good folks like you. Going through hard times, are you?
Farmer: Nope, doin dandy.
Senator Bedfellow: Good! This is an excellent batch of corn you have here...
Farmer: 'Taint corn. It's dope.
Senator Bedfellow: Pardon?
Farmer: Here, take some home to the wife.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0JWekEqFdM
Remember this old one? The cows are the Hippies and the Army comes in and saves the day, LOL!
I saw this one as a kid in the 60’s. It made perfect sense to me then, as it does now.
Farming is one long, never-ending nightmare for farmers.
The very best thing that can happen to a farmer is to have a bumper crop when all of his neighbors crops are wiped out. If everybody has a bad crop, farmers probably make more than if everybody has a good crop.
Many family farms have to be organized as corporations, and when their crops are finally sold, they may earn several million dollars, almost all of which immediately goes to paying off machine rental, seed, fertilizer, pesticide, labor, etc. With several million dollars gross, they are lucky to pull down $30k a year as their net income.
Then add on everything that can afflict farms and ruin their crops, as well as having one of the highest employment accident rates out there and it’s just amazing that more farmers don’t go starkers.
Oh, and I forgot to mention back breaking work and living out in the boonies.
We have our family farm in a Trust. But it’s going to be VERY interesting when Dad dies and his Oldest Son thinks he’s running the show.
The farm is split equally, legally between ALL of the adult children with two of us SILs as Executors.
I’m expecting a Battle Royale. Girding my loins, already. *Rolleyes*
You thought the book and movie ‘A Thousand Acres’ was a battle of wills? LOL!
Really? Tell me something new.
I’ve been ‘living the dream’ for 15 years now, LOL!
“The solution must be grounded in food sovereignty so that all farmers and their communities can regain control over their food supply.”
I like it. Get our food ‘local’ again. We’re human and yes, the USA has always had some food ‘quality’ problems...but they used to be ‘local’ and didn’t infest thousands in dozens of states before we knew it or get imported by some 3rd world cesspool where you have no recourse.
Bigger isn’t always better.
I saw a great bumpersticker.....”God bless America and the Farmer that feeds your fat a$$”...So true.
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