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Awhile back a friend asked me if I knew anything of A.V. Krebs.  I had to 
respond that I didn't: I'm not sure if he did either, as he asked me if I 
knew anything of this "guy."  After some quick research I found out that 
Krebs was an overall activist, and an activist for farming in particular.  I 
discovered that he'd written some substantial books.  AND, I discovered that 
he lived right in my backyard!  I couldn't help but feel excited to seek this 
Krebs person out.  I sent out an e-mail but did not receive a response; and 
sadly, I now know why.

Another real hero gone.  I never knew you A.V. Krebs, but I feel that you 
have influenced my life in ways that I have yet to find out...  I'll be 
ordering a copy of "The Corporate Reapers: The Book of Agribusiness" right 
away.


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA

[Note: For anyone reading The Omnivore's Dilema you'll notice the mention of 
George Naylor's name in this article.  Al and George appear to have known 
each other very well.]

[Note2: CounterPunch.org always gets the good stuff!]

Source: http://counterpunch.org/gray10152007.html

Seek the Facts, Agitate, Raise Hell
Al Krebs, a Fighter for Family Farmers

By HEATHER GRAY

I was first aware of Al Krebs in the 1990s at a Farm Aid event. Merle Hansen 
of the North American Farm Alliance was walking everywhere at the meeting 
holding fast to The Corporate Reapers: The Book of Agribusiness. I asked him 
about this. He said the book was his bible-- the magnum opus on the history 
of exploitive corporate agribusiness by Al Krebs. Krebs, I soon learned, was 
the guru, the intellectual and activist genius of the family farmer advocacy 
movement and like everyone else I craved to know him - to sit next to him and 
attempt to absorb his vast knowledge. In subsequent years that's precisely 
what I have tried to do at every opportunity.

On October 9, 2007 this renowned pro-family farmer/anti-corporate 
agribusiness journalist and historian Al Krebs died from liver cancer. He was 
75 years old and what a fighter he was!

Talking with Al was always a unique experience --you would share a thought on 
something agricultural, he would respond and then suddenly launch into a 
discourse of facts and figures and personal experiences about the issue you 
had barely touched upon and barely knew about. I talked with him frequently 
from my Atlanta home, sometimes into the wee hours of the night and was 
usually astonished by his depth of knowledge. You were suddenly being taught 
the history of it all --probably more than you wanted to hear. As John 
Hansen, President of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said this week, "once Al 
learned something it was in his head forever."

Al was born in Santa Monica in 1932 and grew up in California. His former 
wife Margaret tells us that "Al was Jr. to his father Albert Valentine Krebs 
Sr. Krebs Sr. was the chief electrician for a movie studio and was 
responsible for making the birds fly off the phone lines in Alfred 
Hitchcock's "The Birds" and he made a special bit for the talking "Mr. Ed".  
His mother, Ione, owned a handmade (she made them) braided rug shop that was 
frequented by celebrities." He was married to Margaret from September 1958 to 
October 1971. She has since re-married. Al also has two sons, Jonathon and 
David, daughter-in-law Leigh Arevalo married to David and two grandsons 
Alexander and Ryan.

There was a lot that obviously propelled this young genius and honed his 
skills. He was quite involved in the Catholic church which, he told me, 
offered a vast array of speakers on civil rights and other justice issues in 
the 1940's and 1950's that left its mark. In 1957 he received a bachelors 
degree in English from Seattle University, but prior to that he was already 
writing and involved in journalism. Early on his love of sports became 
apparent. It was in high school that Al began his career as a journalist with 
the LA Examiner in the Sports Department. While citing statistics of various 
sorts, Al covered the vast school sports program in Los Angeles.

John Hansen noted that "anyone unfortunate enough to attend baseball games 
with Al got the entire lineup history and current statistics, the ownership 
and management history, and the batting averages with men on base with either 
right or left handed pitching."  Al's good friend Mike Galvin commented that 
though, "A kind and gentle person, Al said he never hated anything but the 
New York Yankees."

His Seattle University experience offered for Al the mixture of journalism 
and activism that continued for the rest of his life. Galvin notes "Al worked 
on the Seattle University Spectator as an editor and writer. He was very 
active in school activities including Catholic social activism, politics and 
the intellectual discussions and debate during a time leading up to Vatican 
2. He also was an assistant drama critic to Lou Guzzo at the Seattle Times 
before moving to San Francisco where he pursued a career in teaching and 
writing. His concern for the poor went so far as to help establish soup 
kitchens for the homeless in connection with the Catholic Worker movement."

The next phase of Al's life and work is a line up of the most profound 
activists and organizations in contemporary American family farmer and farm 
worker activism. In the early 1960's he was a free-lance journalist and 
contributor to the National Catholic Reporter. This was when Al encountered 
Caesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers. I have tried to imagine the 
spirited conversations these two must have had --I would love to have been 
the infamous fly on the wall!! It was during this period in 1964 that Chavez 
had Al break the news about the Mexican and Filipino Grape Workers Strike in 
California's Central Valley.

Here's the listing of his work in the 1960's to the present: National 
Sharecroppers Fund (1969-70) --New York; Jim Hightower's Agribusiness 
Accountability Project (1971-75); Consumer Action-San Francisco (1975-76); 
San Francisco Study Center (1977-1989); California Food Policy Project 
(1978-1980); Rural America (1979-1983); Ralph Nader's Center for the Study of 
Responsive Law (1989-1992); PrairieFire Rural Action (1993-95); Director of 
the Corporate Agribusiness Research Project (1995-2007) which was devoted to 
monitoring the activities of corporate agribusiness from a public interest 
perspective which included weekly email updates "The Agribusiness Examiner" 
to over 1,000 subscribers. He also distributed weekly the "Calamity Howler" 
which was filled with articles and information he wanted all of us to know 
about such as the non-agricultural corporate and government abuses from Karl 
Rove to the Iraq War fiasco to the concern for the safety of miners, etc.

He served on the Board of Directors or volunteered for the: North American 
Farm Alliance; National Family Farm Coalition; Organic Consumers Association 
Policy Advisory; Family Farm Defenders. He was featured significantly at Farm 
Aid events. He was asked to speak on the shenanigans of corporate agriculture 
at events in India and Europe.

In the midst of his agriculture research, he got to know the likes of 
anthropologist Walter Goldschmidt (author of "As You Sow") who, during the 
1930's and 40's New Deal period, engaged in research on the harmful effects 
of corporate agribusiness and large acreage ownership in rural America and 
the disastrous consequences of industrial agriculture on the workers and 
communities alike. He occasionally talked with noted economist John Kenneth 
Galbriath who, he told me, stressed the importance of federal assistance to 
farmers based, of course, on empirical research. In a 1954 controversial 
speech to USDA graduates Galbraith said that the Eisenhower administration's 
contrary opinion on farmer assistance was "sonorous boondoggling" and an 
"evil viewpoint."

The views and research of Goldschmidt and Galbraith resonated throughout Al's 
agricultural philosophy, research and commentary.

What was it like to work with Al? Here's what John Hansen had to say: "Al was 
a close friend of mine.  We met in 1972 when we both worked for the 
Agribusiness Accountability Project in Washington, D.C.  Al taught me how to 
do agribusiness research.  His journalistic background and the research 
standards he brought to every issue were impeccable.  His research and 
writing on agribusiness and family farm issues changed the course of more 
than one public policy battle over the many years.   

"You had to be glad that Al was on our side.  Anyone unfortunate enough to go 
grocery shopping with Al got the "rest of the story" on who owns what brands 
and the "illusion of choice" in the supermarket aisle.  The passion of his 
life was family farm agriculture.  He had more institutional memory on who 
the agribusiness conglomerates were than any other person I have ever met or 
known.   

"He was a walking family farm agriculture historian who chose to defend our 
traditional system of family farmer and rancher owned and operated 
agriculture.  His research skills, and standards were remarkable.  When you 
got the facts from Al, you knew they were solid, or he would not have used 
them."  

All of his work prepared him for what most consider his major achievement 
--The Corporate Reapers: The Book on Agribusiness published in 1992 by 
Essential Books.  Al described to me the process of writing this mammoth 
history and how thankful he was to have had friends with whom he could 
discuss the book as well as the supportive community that offered him 
financial assistance and space to concentrate. It is said to have taken 10 
years to write The Corporate Reapers in various phases. Ralph Nader was one 
of those who helped fund the project.

The Corporate Reapers is a remarkably detailed 600 page history of American 
agriculture from the 1700's to the 1990's. Al describes the struggles and 
movements of family farmers and rural communities to hold on to their 
livelihood, their land, their economic independence and integrity while 
constantly being challenged by corporate agribusiness and corrupt 
politicians. Al explained at length that the corporate agribusiness control 
is at the expense of consumers, the environment, our health and our 
democracy.  Ralph Nader writes "A veritable almanac of information, The 
Corporate Reapers details how multinational agribusiness has worked to 
destroy the family farm. Krebs explains that the decline of the family farm 
is not a result of the interplay of market forces, but rather of the 
price-fixing and anti-competitive policies of Cargill, Continental and 
ConAgra and the allies."

In the introduction Al provides an overview of the philosophy behind the 
takeover by corporate agribusiness the past century and it's anti-competitive 
thrust described by Nader above. The rest of the book is the history of it 
all and what folly it is to destroy our family farm tradition and that all of 
us --farmers and non-farmers alike - are threatened by this. First he defines 
agribusiness, which goes beyond the production of food to the ownership of 
seeds, wholesaling and distribution of machinery, fertilizer, packaging, 
processing and marketing food --in other words everything. Then the 
philosophy of takeover --going in for the kill: imposing free enterprise - 
this is anything but free as it's based on no competition and government 
policies that serve the corporate agribusiness conglomerates; the disposal of 
excess human resources --in other words the farmers --get rid of the farmers 
and millions of others off productive land in the interest of the powerful 
elite; the bigger is better efficiency philosophy - which is absolute 
nonsense in agriculture --the family farmer is by far the most efficient and 
best steward of the land; the implementation by agribusiness of SOCO (single 
overriding corporate philosophy):  (1) substituting capital for efficiency 
and technology for labor (2) the standardization of our food supply, and (3) 
the creation of manufactured, synthetic food --in other words destroy our 
family farmer system and healthy foods for the bottom line.

Al says, "what is the meaning of economic and political democracy when 
corporate power so often is able to impose its own will and narrow interests 
on a government originally designed of, by and for the people, and thus 
thwarts the will of those very same people?"

Al appropriately dedicated his book to the "stewards of the land: those men, 
women and children who plant, nurture and harvest nature's bounty of food." 
On December 13, 1992, He wrote the following in Ralph Paige's (Executive 
Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives) copy of The Corporate 
Reapers  "Ralph: Seek the facts, Agitate, Raise hell, Reap the harvest, and 
share the bounty. In Solidarity, Al Krebs."

Lessons from Al Krebs? There are so many for me! Here are a few.

(1) If you want to challenge corporate America, he told me, one effective way 
is to purchase shares, attend shareholder meetings and raise hell.

He did that years ago in a concerted effort on behalf farm worker rights in 
the US and American corporate agribusiness abusive treatment of workers in 
other countries.

(2) Don't let anyone get away with not speaking out about injustices --even 
and especially if they are your friends.

When Bush's buddies were first occupying Iraq and Bush appointed former 
Cargill executive Daniel Amstutz as the head of "Agriculture Reconstruction," 
Al was furious. Why were American agriculture organizations and activists not 
speaking out on behalf of Iraqi farmers? Al knew that with Cargill having the 
reputation of being one the worst violators of the rights and independence of 
family farmers throughout the world, the Iraqi farmers were doomed. Al, 
George Naylor (President of the National Family Farm Coalition) and I 
discussed what could be done about this. My contribution was an article, that 
Al helped me write, with reference to Amstutz, entitled "Home Grown Axis of 
Evil: Corporate Agribusiness, the Occupation of Iraq and the Dred Scott 
Decision."

(3) You can't be effective in your organizing work unless you can it back up 
with facts and history --so know them!!!

Probably more than any contemporary writer I know, Al would incorporate his 
dialogue and writing with historical quotes and treatises. His book The 
Corporate Reapers is a feast of these.

He was an inspiration and always there in 2006 when we at the Federation of 
Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, where I work, were researching 
farm subsidies and the impact on Black cotton farmers should the Congress end 
the program. I spent hours talking with him about farm subsidies to 
understand the program itself and its history. Al agreed with one of the 
Alabama Black cotton farmers we interviewed who warned that "if the 
government gets out of agriculture, both farmers and consumers are doomed. 
All of us will have to serve at the behest and control of corporate America." 
The farmer inferred that all of us might starve if that's what corporate 
America wanted.

(4) Everyone must stand prepared to move forward for justice no matter your 
circumstances --money or otherwise --just do it!! Be vigilant!

Toward the end of his life Al was prepared to fight the battle for the 2007 
Farm Bill. He was never able to get the financial support he needed for his 
newsletter but nevertheless he made sure his newsletter was published 
regardless. In one of his last newsletters on June 11 of this year, Al said: 
With the 2007 Farm Bill on the horizon and most likely a new Democratic Party 
administration in charge THE AGRIBUSINESS EXAMINER has no intention in 
relenting its demand for full accountability from not only government policy 
makers and officials but also from farm organizations."

When USDA Secretary Mike Johans retired in September 2007 to run for the 
Nebraska Senate seat being vacated by Chuck Hagel, from his bed Al called 
Kathy Ozer, Director of the National Family Farm Coalition, to discuss what 
this meant. In recent conversations with Al, Kathy also asked him if he would 
like the recent biography of Senator Russ Feingold and, of course, he did. 
"He was political to the end," Kathy said.

I have just touched on the history of Al Krebs. Importantly, however, his 
legacy will be profound as he taught and mentored so many in the agriculture 
movement. Mark Ritchie, now Minnesota's Secretary of State with whom Al had 
been associated for years, told me that Al managed to bridge and bring 
together the west, mid-west and eastern agriculture family farm and farm 
worker movements because he knew them all. Ritchie also said that he was 
instrumental in bridging the generations of farm movement advocacy work, 
which was a major and important achievement and contribution.

I will finish this with words directly from Al. He was so prolific that it's 
difficult to choose something appropriate from his vast work.  But I decided 
it best to choose a passage from the last chapter of The Corporate Reapers 
which is a challenge to us all. The chapter is appropriately entitled 
"Bringing the Corporate State under Democratic Control." Written in the early 
1990's his challenge is, unfortunately, as relevant today as in the 1990's.

    "As the United States confronts the economic and political morass of the 
1990's and keeping in mind that the early 1990's also marks the centennial of 
the agrarian populist movement, the time has come to disengage ourselves from 
the endless fratricide debates that have existed in the past among farmers, 
farm workers, labor, consumers and environmentalists. Rather, this period 
should be viewed as that one propitious 'democratic moment' in our lifetimes 
that we begin to seriously put together a progressive populist movement.

    "It is time to be bold in our vision if we are going to be about the 
business of reviving the agrarian populist spirit of the 1880's and 1890's, 
we need to both think and act "globally," but act locally.

    "Yes, Joe Hill. We need to quit mourning and start organizing!

    "Rural Americans and family farmers in particular have traditionally 
associated themselves with the ideals of American democracy as enunciated by 
Thomas Jefferson and embodied in the rich historical tradition of agrarian 
populism. They should not be ignored for the leadership they can and should 
provide in our nation's continuing struggle for economic and political 
democracy."

Heather Gray produces "Just Peace" on WRFG-Atlanta 89.3 FM covering local, 
regional, national and international news. She can be reached at 
hmcgray@earthlink.net