Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Farm Income

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Farm Income
  • Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:38:43 -0500

Not really. Thanks for the link though.

I lived through that era and remember well the disaster it became for many farmers. There were many lives, homes and dreams that were destroyed by that "economic fluctuation".

Bill Shoemaker, Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
University of Illinois - St Charles Horticulture Research Center
www.nres.uiuc.edu/faculty/directory/shoemaker_wh.html


Bill,
Are you familiar with Ken Meter's work? http://www.crcworks.org/rural.html
His studies follow the impact which subsidies have had on exporting wealth
out our rural communities. The growth of the Ethanol industry today and
it's impact on farm income is very similar to the hyperinflated bubble of
the 1970's. During that time prices were way up due to a small period of
time where there was a shortage of grain in the Soviet Union and that market
opened up to the U.S. During this time when prices were way up, farmers in
the U.S. started borrowing huge amounts of money from the banks who were
more than eager to lend to them. This lead to the collapse of many farmers
in the 1980s when prices leveled off again (because, of course the Soviet
Union could grow their own grain) and these farmers found themselves
strapped with too much debt.
If you have never read Ken Meter's studies I recommend them.
He actually spoke last year at Collin Peterson's local food dinner in
Morris. It's unfortunate that Peterson isn't advised in his decision making
by such minds as Ken's instead of the CEO's of Cargill and ADM.
--Gary Brever


_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page