Market Farming

["Rick Williams" <mrfarm AT frontiernet.net>]

 paul & barb - on the continental divide
> But I have
> yet to see any actual reports of small independents having any success
> against giant corporate agribusiness and lobbies. It would help to keep in
> mind that FB does not legislate agricultural or consumer policy, but is
> only a small influence on the Big Picture.

It is possible that you are not aware of our extensive Washington lobby
efforts. The influence of the FB is huge on farm policy in the U.S. No other
group has the clout that we have. Especially when we team up with other farm
groups, in particular the NFU.

I am going to share with you what has often been asked of our farm leaders
by the congresspersons who are attempting to draft farm legislation. They
will ask us to develope a policy that all the farmers support and they will
then support that. As you can imagine, that is a tall order since there are
many competing interests with farmers. But they do a very good job to try
and work out the best programs they can to benefit the widest number of
farmers. FB has been supportive of Green Box rules with WTO.

Some have criticized farm organizations for going for the maximum possibly
subsidy under the Yellow Box rules of WTO but there is a method here to push
the EU as hard as possible to reduce their tariffs against the U.S. farmers.
That is the strategy. Don't forget that market farmers are going to be
affected long term (some good and some bad) by the shifting markets in
agriculture. We are not insulated from them like some suggest.

> Our sphere of influence is
> basically limited to the level of marketing that the big boys
> can't do much
> to regulate or stamp out, the buying and selling of local produce to local
> consumers who want it.

What markets do you see as been regulated or "stamped out" by large farms or
large vertically integrated producer/processor/distributors?

The FB in many states, actually PROMOTES marketing farming, right? Here in
Wisconsin, any member of the FB can submit their farm information and
products and it goes out annually in a printed flyer to all members of the
FB. In addition, the last few years they also have it available at all times
on the FB web site. Our farm is listed as well as others such as CSA's and
many market farms. Check it out at:

http://www.wfbf.com/Farm%20Fresh.htm and click on Vernon County to find our
farm.

Note the promo of the "freshest food and fiber" etc.

You don't see the FB doing something on the same scale for the commodity
farms. So one could say that the FB is not making a level playing field
because they appear to overly favor the market farmers:)

> I read that motorists in England have been arrested
> for using vegetable oil in personal diesel vehicles, supposedly for
> avoiding the gasoline tax. I don't know if the day will come when the Food
> Police here beat down doors over remors that people are swapping veggies
> over the back fence instead of buying from the chain stores, but the more
> our local market farming expands the better I'll feel about it.

Folks, another good example why you need the FB. Who else is doing as much
as we are for the promotion of alternate energy in the U.S. using renewable
resources? Particularly, farm produced alcohol and vegetable diesel?

We have stiff opposition to this from the manufacturers of competing
products. But I predict that we are going to keep winning this fight.

Sincerely,

Rick Williams
Misty Ridge Farm
Dairy heifers and dairy beef graziers
Viroqua, WI

www.mistyridgefarm.com