Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Mark Nagel <activism98201@verizon.net>]

I'm not looking to promote an argument, only to point out the pressures that 
are being applied (and the politics that drive them).

It's not just property prices that put pressure on landowners, but also 
property taxes.  If the elite want your property they'll work to crank up the 
property taxes until you say "uncle" :-(  (Hmm, they don't refer to the 
entity as Uncle Sam for nothing!) Sad, but true.  It's how it works in the 
rest of the world.  For those of us in the US we're now only just beginning 
to understand what's been happening elsewhere and what's starting to (or has 
been) happening here.


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA


=====================
From: Barbara Fischer <cen12205@centurytel.net>

My crop will not go to biofuels.  And I can't be "enticed" so easily.  We
have a big FritoLay plant near my farm.  I don't give a fig what the land
prices go to.....I will never sell.  I am praying my 4 sons feel the same or
I guess I will have to live forever!  We used to have 320 acres but the
parts that went to my cousins have of course, been sold off.  I am more
stubborn than that. Can't be bribed with money.   I still have the original
80 acres with the house which is over 150 years old and I just spent $40,000
over the last two years to refurish it.....really nice now.  I love it.  I
have tenants up there, but go up for a few days each year.

Barbara
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Nagel" <activism98201@verizon.net>
To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing"
<livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] CORN FARMS REPLACE NEW YORK LOFTSAS
HOTTESTPROPERTY


> But Barbara, this is a new phenomena.  Unless the profit levels go up on
foods farmers will start jumping on the biofuels bandwagon.
>
> Here in Snohomish County the politicians are touting how great biofuels
will be for farmers.  Farmers will be enticed by greater profit margins,
ending up switching over to biofuel crops (just like is done in all those
other countries).  And once things are switched the big AG/Oil companies
will put them out of business, buying up the land lock-stock and barrel: the
small farmers won't be able to out-competed the big boys.  The end result is
that the farm land will no longer be locally owned.
>
> I look around in my county and see that there's no way that the available
crop land can sustain the [huge] local population.  This won't improve with
the push toward biofuels.
>
>
> -Mark Nagel
> Everett, WA
>
> =====================
> From: Barbara Fischer <cen12205@centurytel.net>
>
> I can't say that I agree with many of you.  I do own one of those farms in
central Illinois that grow corn and soybeans.  We have been doing that for
150 years.  I don't see things have changed much.  Land prices are higher
and the houses from the city are enqoaching, but not yet near me.  Most of
ouir produce goes to companies who grow food products.  Biggest change is we
have gone to no-till. Barbara
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