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.)
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.
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