Brazilian crop boom threatens U.S. farms

AzStarNet ^ | 05.22.2005 | COX NEWS SERVICE

[hedgetrimmer]

Virtually every U.S. commodity farmer fears the Brazilian agricultural revolution that threatens to hollow out the domestic industry the way the Asians gutted manufacturing. "I see agriculture being taken away from us by Brazil. It's very scary," says cotton and peanut farmer Don Wood of Rochelle, Ga., after visiting Brazil. "We can keep doing what we're doing for two years. But after that, it looks like we'll stop planting cotton. There's no way we can compete with those guys."

***

Especially when our own government is working against us with "free trade" deals and overregulation and overtaxation.

[hedgetrimmer]

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[hedgetrimmer]

PING

[spetznaz]

Read later

[Clemenza]

Better free trade than ag subsidies to protect agribusiness.

Until we recognize farming for what it is (A BUSINESS!) we will remain committed to counterproductive agrisocialism.

A few years ago, Washington State farmers were getting killed by the import of apples from China and New Zealand. They started planting grapes and cherries and now export both in large numbers to Asia (and make some fine wine as well).

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

"Brazil, the world's No. 2 agricultural power, might displace the United States as the top food producer within a decade."

What a POS article, Brazil already is the number one world exporter of agriculture products.

When Brazil started clearing the rain forests, the pundits said the land was not fit for grazing cattle. American chemical companies went down, rode to the rescue by developing fertilizers and soil conditioners to turn it into a bonanza.

Being in the tropics, Brazil has no one growing season or fear of crop loss due to frost damages vis a vi the US, down there it is 365 days a year to plant and harvest. In the very near future much cheaper Brazilian soy bean production will wipe out US farmers.

When it comes to manufacturing, technology and agriculture our past governments had a penchant for the adage of teaching a man to fish, well we did, they did, and it has now come full circle to bite America in the ass.

[Iowa Granny]

ping

[Clemenza]

Brazil is the largest exporter of Oranges and Orange juice in the world.

[southland]

ping

[endthematrix]

Re: Washington State farmers

The asparagus industry is going south too.

[EternalVigilance]

Ag and manufacturing gutted.

Mining and energy production thwarted by the enviros.

That don't leave much of substance...

[Soliton]

Wow, whatever happened to the population explosion and not enough food?

[Leisler]

Nah, there's plenty of jobs.

Environmental wardens.
Environmental Cops.
Environmental Lawyers.
Environmental Writers.
Environmental Grant Seekers.
Welfare Advocate.
Welfare Clerk
Welfare Assistant.
Welfare Agent.
Welfare Lawyer
Welfare Writer
Code Enforcer
Code Writer.
Tax Investigator.
Tax, Armed Physical Seizure Agent.
....Thousands more...

[Koblenz]

Maybe they'll get their own Mugabe to kill their ag industry.

[Tom D.]

You are absolutely right. To a very large extent, the USA put Brazil in business with our Ag subsidies. Those subsidies allowed American Farmers to pay higher costs than the market would dictate. That does at least two bad things:

1) It removes market discipline from an industry, thus American agriculture does not focus on ways to cut costs; and,

2) It causes such things as land costs and rents to go to artificially high levels, thus cutting out competitiveness in places like Brazil.

[kittymyrib]

When the USA becomes food dependent, as it is oil dependent now, speculators can run up the price of milk and bread like they are running up the price on petroleum now. Our obesity problems will be a thing of the past as the average family goes back to growing their own food because it can't afford to buy it.

[bert]

It could be worse..... what if you were a Frog farmer and could work only 35 hours per week on a postage stamp farm.

How would you compete?

[hispanichoosier]

When it comes to manufacturing, technology and agriculture our past governments had a penchant for the adage of teaching a man to fish, well we did, they did, and it has now come full circle to bite America in the ass.

Yeah, God forbid that we help another nation's economy, thereby helping it to raise the standard of living of its citizens. We should keep them all dependent and unable to manufacture or grow anything! /sarcasm

[Guillermo]

No, you mean come to bite the farmers in the ass.

It will be a boon to the CONSUMER.

I have no sympathy for our socialist farmers, who demand more and more taxpayer money every year.

Everytime I hear about the "Plight of the American Farmer" I feel like puking.

[neutrino]

Well, that should help increase the trade deficit. I wonder when it will hit the 1 trillion dollar per year level? At the present rate of growth, it won't be long.

Eventually, the house of cards will fall. I will take considerable pleasure in mocking those who whined about "lower prices for consumers."