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.)
I didn’t have much luck last year, so I’m hoping things will be better this year.
Deer are my major problem, we seem to have rid ourselves of the ‘coon problems and the cats have dealt with the voles and mice and tthat in turn seems to have rid us of snakes.
Ping
“why do we have $75 billion govt subsidy farm bills to subsidize corporate farms?”
Lobbyists?
I suppose that next youll be complaining about all those shiny yellow rocks and the black ooze seeping up out in your garden?
Excellent, and true article.
Nah, I'm not THAT bad ;^)
Grate minds think alike!
Check your ph before adding peat moss. We don’t recommend it here because our soil is very acidic already. if you’re not sure, go with black kow or something similiar. :)
Dealin’ with ‘the munchies’ **
LOL You got that right! Choc will only last so long, and around me, that’s not long at all! You can grow/hunt a lot of things, but snacks aren’t on the list.
Grin Glad you got your seeds! Have fun! I figured if you didn’t want to use all of them, maybe you could trade for something you wanted.
We’ve got tons of stuff going in the greenhouse. Busy, busy. Only reason I’m online today is because it’s raining and sposed to be in the low 20’s by Mon nite. 70 yest, and beautiful. Sigh
Hey granny! LOL Not ignoring you, just gearing up to working my ass off full time. Halfway there already! Greenhouse is full of cole crops and we’re waiting for the weather to straighten out so we can put them outside and really get going on the warm season stuff.
I’ve got a REALLY dumb question.........cole crops
I kinda sorta know what they are, like I know’em when I see’em kinda thing —— but what exactly are they and why the name “cole” and not colD?
Farmers will be forced to use “no till” (not profit) methods
because plowing releases massive amounts of “deadly” Co2 into the atmosphere. They will also be forced to install emissions scrubbers on all their tractors, combines, etc and be required to keep detailed records to be overseen by this new branch of government that will rival the IRS, in scope and power.
I am sure glad to be living in the country and can feed myself and my family.
Hubby got the little greenhouse fixed up with heat lamps and a misting system this past week. 19 baby roses are living in there and loving it. They’ll be ready to plant in the ground after last frost and the (seemingly required) Mother’s Day hailstorm. Tomato seeds planted, other seeds ordered. Its raining, so turning up garden space will have to wait. The neighbors will share with us. We have to fence because of the deer.
My parents did this all their lives. I always helped with the canning and freezing but ignored the gardening part. Now I wish I had paid more attention. I’ve been ornamental gardening for years, but veggies is a new thing. We’ve had “learning experiences” with tomatos now for two seasons. At least herbs are easy in this climate.
Temps are still bouncing around wildly - almost 70 during the day yeasterday, but went down to 22 last night.
“Cole” must’ve ended up being a shorthand term for ‘Cruciferae’ the Latin for cole crops, all in the mustard family, if you can believe it.
Broccoli, mustard greens, Brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, turnips and watercress all fit under that title. And they ALL come from a wild cabbage from the Mediterranean way back when.
And yes, they all grow well in cool spring and cool late fall conditions.
And that’s your cole crop lesson for the day. I’m off the schlep seeds this morning. :)
plant of the Brassica or Cabbage genus**
Not a dumb question at all. :)
I hear you. We’re fortunate to not only live out in the country and have a garden/woods to hunt, but we live near the sound/ocean so we can fish.
Did you see the article posted here the other day about the EPA to start cracking down on farmers because of the “dust” from plowing?
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