Archbishop calls for return to small farms

thecountrytoday ^ | 10-5-03 | Ann Hansen

[SJackson]

BRACKETT -- Stating that “we no longer know what we are eating,” Archbishop Raymond L. Burke delivered a blistering homily against large-scale agriculture Sept. 24 during the 23rd Annual Rural Life Day of the archdiocese of La Crosse.

Speaking during Mass at the church of St. Raymond of Penafort in Brackett, Archbishop Burke said “through globalization, resulting in the gradual and relentless concentration of agriculture into the hands of a few multinational firms, the sin has become exceedingly grave, with an ineluctable and immense wake of destruction of nature and of death.

“Globalization is not a distant phenomenon. It is seen in the trend which tells farmers that they must become bigger and bigger. Why? To use God’s creation to become wealthier and wealthier. They must become bigger and bigger, so that eventually the kind of farming which they are doing can only be supported economically by large international businesses.

“It is evident in the abandonment of the good farm country of our diocese, while animals and plants are manipulated by artificial means, without respect to the requirements of their nature and of the land and water, to produce, to an unnatural degree, a harvest which is poisonous.”

As a longtime member and past president of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, Archibishop Burke has been a champion of small farms through his career.

In recent years the Catholic Church in Rome has also taken an increasing interest in agricultural issues and their relation to “social justice.” In its 1998 publication “A Time To Act,” the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Rome declared the preservation of small farms and rural communities a moral issue, declaring that “we renew our dedication to the prominence of small farms in the renewal of American communities in the 21st century … it is our resolve that small farms will be stronger and will thrive … providing a cultural and traditional way of life as well as nurturing places to raise families.”

Speaking at the luncheon following Mass, Dale Hennen, director of the Rural Life Office of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said that in the Catholic church “there are serious issues and concerns about the direction our agricultural system is taking.”

He defined that system as “agriculture of astonishing production, with absurdly high hidden costs,” which include a concentration of land ownership and the disintegration of rural communities.

U.S. agriculture, Mr. Hennen said, “generates great wealth from the countryside, and returns poverty and dispossession to the farmers and laborers. Without our concerted thought and action, it is the future.” In his homily, Archbishop Burke concluded by saying “we pray for the reform of the farming economy, and we commit ourselves to work to do all that we can to promote sound agriculture.”

[Rodney King]

Archbishop should stick to things he knows something about - shouldn't call for return to system that would starve millions.

[Support Free Republic]

Hi mom!

[MarkT]

It appears that the Archbishop has confused religion and politics (not uncommon - many bishops have done so and many politicians the reverse.) He is committing his use and definition of morality (and inferentially, at least, the Church) to the political economy to characterize a part of the economy negatively on a moral level - very presumptious on his part.

While not a fan of the NWO, I do see that the economies of scale achieved by farm consolidation have made huge amounts of food available to people all over the world at prices that could never be achieved with "forty acres and a mule."

Also, on a more cynical level, there may be a tad of institutional jealousy here inasmuch as the smaller the farm (and the community (family) associated with it, the less powerful it is and the more susceptible it is to a larger power - in this case, the Church.

[The Electrician]

In a related move, the Archbishop urged people to stop working in specialized trades, and instead to return to their hunter/gatherer roots. He also urged the abandonment of manufactured goods, preferring the use of stone implements. In addition, he urged the dissolution of all political entities, in favor of a return to tribalism or feudalism.

[battlegearboat]

Could the Archbishop recommend a good car repair shop?

[Leisler]

He's a typical leftist who doesn't know, or care, that generations of previous leftist social/economic engineering have snuffed out the small farmer, as they are doing to the small buisnessman. OSHA,EPA,state, federal and local edicts, rules, taxes, fines, fees, permits, have made the administration burden so high that a small farmer neither has the time nore the profits nor enough income to have professionals hacks handle it.

[nightdriver]

The archbishop is either incredibly naive or has a hidden agenda.

There is a very simple reason why the small farm is disappearing - it has become economically unfeasible. Taxes that are imposed on small farms are more than the farm can produce.

There's a popular saying amongst us EX-farmers - "Never have a farm that's too large for your job in town to support!"

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

“Globalization is not a distant phenomenon. It is seen in the trend which tells farmers that they must become bigger and bigger. Why? To use God’s creation to become wealthier and wealthier. They must become bigger and bigger, so that eventually the kind of farming which they are doing can only be supported economically by large international businesses.

Globalization is not a past phenomenon. It is seen in the trend, which tells priests they must reach out and proselytize the Universal Truth, Catholicism. Why? To use God’s creation to make the Church wealthier leading to a pampered life in the upper echelons of the Church. They must become bigger, so that eventually the only kind of religion is them and only able to be supported by large congregation donations. We must return to our Glory of the Medieval Ages.

If Catholics find this offensive, that’s too bad. I’m so sick of the constant carping against Capitalism that runs through the Catholic Church from Pope down to the Revolutionary Theologists.

[ventana]

I don't think he is naive or has a hidden agenda. If globalization marches unremittingly forward and we, as people, cannot survive in a general way and are entirely dependent upon the state, that could be dangerous. One needn't be a farmer of immense proportions to maintain a decent amount of vegetables, for example, for one's family. Besides, around my neck of the woods, even the small roadside farmer is selling hybridized junk: the Jersey tomatoes are tough skinned tasteless things designed to ship. My heirlooms were sweet and tasty; next year I am growing heirlooms exclusively. I raised my tomatoes from seed, same with my lettuces and basil and beans. V's wife.

[Eala]

In a related move, the Archbishop urged people to stop working in specialized trades, and instead to return to their hunter/gatherer roots. He also urged the abandonment of manufactured goods, preferring the use of stone implements. In addition, he urged the dissolution of all political entities, in favor of a return to tribalism or feudalism.

He then urged the dismantling of all religious entities, to be followed by a return to tribal shamanism.

[MarMema]

The archbishop is wise beyond his years.

[Jason Kauppinen]

"In a related move, the Archbishop urged people to stop working in specialized trades, and instead to return to their hunter/gatherer roots. He also urged the abandonment of manufactured goods, preferring the use of stone implements. In addition, he urged the dissolution of all political entities, in favor of a return to tribalism or feudalism.

He then urged the dismantling of all religious entities, to be followed by a return to tribal shamanism."

....and human sacrifice.

[sinkspur]

The archbishop is wise beyond his years.

The archbishop is a luddite. I suspect he despises Wal-Mart for the same reasons.

[muir_redwoods]

Still awaiting the report out from the theological agronomy society.

I wonder how it fits in with his Christian mission to feed the hungry that food prices would soar and shortages would be wide-spread.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Farming is a sin, too.

Being a hunter-gatherer is the only way to go.

[virgil]

I can imagine a "food cartel" controlling prices and distribution. I can imagine them having one bad year and people going hungry. Right now their product is "fair" quality. They have to store the food for months just in case they have a bad year. It's usually too rotten or too green at the grocery. Sometimes you can taste the mold. It used to be you crack open an egg and you saw a yellow yoke and a clear white. Now the white has "parts" in it. I don't even want to handle chicken anymore. It's so gross now. I see people flocking to farmer's markets in search of fresher tasting food only to find that the "farmer's market" is getting it's produce from the same distributors as the grocery store and charging the same prices. I don't think that is what consumers want. I think small farmers are much better at responding to consumer demand. The naive people are the ones who still think we are capitalists.

[narses]

Is corporate farming a SIN?

[nightdriver]

"One needn't be a farmer of immense proportions to maintain a decent amount of vegetables...."

Yes, but that's not the point I was trying to make.

Can you sell the vegetables and other things you raise on your property for enough to pay its taxes and still have enough to live on?

I agree that it's a tragedy that the small family farm has disappeared, but it's the greedy government that is the problem, not the big agribusinesses.

[First Amendment]

People seem to think that only giant agribusiness can grow enough to feed people. That's only true if part of the equation is that no one work on farms. Small farms grow enough to feed people, it just requires that more people work on farms. Which is good for the food production, (locally grown food is healthier, fresher, and can be grown with less pesticides etc) and is good for people, since a lot of people would be better off working on farms. There is a need for honorable labor in this country. Small farms is really a good answer.

If taxes were lower, then people would be more encouraged to keep or start family farms. Small farmers have a tendency to be more independent minded, that is why the government does not encourage them. I am surprised that most of the resonses I've read to this thread are mocking or derogatory. The truth is the truth, even if someone you don't agree with in other areas says it.