Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - RE: [Market-farming] Globalization / Food Quality / What to do?

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Brigette Leach" <avalonfarmshomegrown AT earthlink.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Globalization / Food Quality / What to do?
  • Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 21:41:59 -0400

Hello to all...
I feel compelled to chime in on this discussion regarding
Globalization/food quality/what to do. I appreciate that the topic is being
discussed and yes, these are highly complex issues. On the surface the
"villains" are easy to identify, as easy to find as the simplified
solutions.

Having been actively involved in advocating for production agriculture and
farmers for more than 30 years, I know first hand that what may seem on
first glance a simple matter to correct, isn't. I would offer COOL as an
example. County of Origin Labeling has been discussed for more than 15
years as a way for US consumers to identify food products grown in the US,
assuming that those consumers would prefer to buy 'American', and reasoning
that informed consumers would realize that imported products can be raised
and handled under very different standards and practices than what is
permitted in the US (Chinese apple juice concentrate, for example). Sounds
simple enough to label food products with the source, until you have to be
the one who is held accountable for being able to trace back every
ingredient, from every source, whether organic or conventionally grown. And
until someone figured out what the cost of doing so would be. No one even
considered what the impact would be on trade agreements.

I would also like to help those on the list understand better a couple of
notions that come up again and again. First, please understand that fruit
and vegetable crops are not, I repeat not, federally subsidized. This
misinformation continues to be put forth. Not all US farm production is
subsidized. If you want a real challenge, after you are competent to
formulate an opinion on the farm program, start looking at international
trade issues...green box, amber box, this subsidy, that subsidy.

Secondly, would someone kindly define these terms: corporate farm, factory
farm, industrialized production, small farm, family farm? It's a challenge
to do so...I know this first hand as well, since I spent fourteen years of
service on a township planning commission that couldn't define "farm" for
the ordinance text. It is particularly challenging to define farms in
states like Michigan, with very diverse crop production (more than 125
commercially produced crops...organic and conventional). For example, 40
acres of blueberries will produce sufficient income for a family to live
on, but 1200 acres of grains would barely provide the same level of income.
Farms, like all businesses, can be organized under a number of legal
structures...sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, and the big bad
"corporation". Corporation has nothing to do with size, it is merely a
structure for taxation and liability purposes. A "family farm" can also be
a corporate farm, the corporation being held by members of the same family.
And a family farm, whether a sole proprietorship or partnership, can
consist of several thousand acres, 10's of thousands of hogs, a few million
chickens, hundreds of parcels of land, etc. I hope that you're starting to
get the picture.

I think it is also important to note that stockholders in companies expect
profitability. After all, investors purchase shares expecting the price of
shares to increase and that dividends be paid. Publicly held businesses are
vitally important to the US economy.

Production agriculture is certainly not the only industry in the US that
has undergone considerable consolidation and structural change. I'm not
about to suggest that the situation is healthy for our economy long term, I
simply don't know enough about economics to have an opinion in that regard.
Perhaps someone on the list with a background in economics can help the
rest of us understand. But I am well aware of the changes that
consolidation has had on the structure of production agriculture, on the
communities where the local economy is dependant on agriculture, and the
fragmentation that is occurring in the agricultural infrastructure
nationwide. Why should we expect that the size of farms remain the same as
it was 50 years ago? In case you haven't noticed, the $100,000 plus combine
still costs $100,000 plus, whether it harvests 100 acres or 5000 acres. I
now have to grow at least 4 times more corn than I did 30 years ago just to
pay the property taxes. What else, if anything, has stayed the same size?
Certainly not our grocery stores, not our lumber companies, not our
petroleum companies, not our auto manufacturing companies. Personally,
after traveling in countries where subsistence farming is the norm, I'd
rather not have to live that way. I consider it to be our good fortune to
have the "choice" of raising our own gardens if we care to..

Once again it seems that our schizophrenic national cultural behavior is
peeking through...kind of like when we expect more governmental services
but don't want to pay any taxes. We do tend to want our cake and eat it,
too.

Enough, maybe more than enough, for now...
Brigette

Brigette Leach
avalonfarmshomegrown AT earthlink.net
Avalon Farms Premium Homegrown
Climax MI 49034
Have you checked out our "Share of the Farm"? Contact us for more
information.




> [Original Message]
> From: Jill Bussiere <jdt AT itol.com>
> To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: 4/14/2004 5:32:47 PM
> Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Globalization / Food Quality / What to do?
>
> I am glad to see you are continuing the discussion, Matt. Responses
below,
> with stars next to them...
>
>
> IMO, any government involvement in trying to improve the situation will
> only make it worse and is a recipe for disaster. Asking for government
> (i.e., taxpayer funded) help is the wrong road. Plus, IMO it's not
> morally right for small farmers to be supported with any kind of public
> money. If a grower can't afford their own costs throught either on or
> off-farm income, then they're too big for their own britches and need to
> get smaller for a while.
>
> ******Matt, then perhaps you would be willing to work to get government
> subsidies cut to corporate farms - then, it would be more of a "free
market"
> system, if that is what you favor. But currently, the largest percentage
of
> subsidies by far go to corporate farms, which makes it a bit unfair for
> folks such as yourself when you try to sell your vegetables.
>
> > Protest if any relevant protest marches are held near you.
> > Organize a protest if you can.
>
> The best protest I can give to industrial veggie production etc is having
> my 'Vegetables' stand up and running every week, or more often if I have
> the stuff to sell. Yelling and chanting in a protest march is
> grandstanding and misdirected.
>
> ****I agree that growing a garden, and making the fruits of your labor is
a
> revolutionary act all in itself today, and worth while. However,
protesting
> can help too - when your legislators are beholden to corporate money -
> protesting is one way that you can get their and the media's attention. I
> have seen the effectiveness of such marches. If it isn't your cup of tea
-
> then you can sit them out - but I support any and all means of grass roots
> expression that could possibly result in change.
>
> It's my understanding that local supermarkets aren't in control of what
> veggies they get. A big truck rolls in, they unload, and that's it. I
> haven't talked to my local supermarket, but maybe in smaller towns the
> produce mangers can get away with having *some* local stuff. Smaller
> stores, like health food stores and co-ops seem to be a more likely
> clients.
>
> *****Our store, which is local, does indeed buy local produce - but the
> prices they pay for it are very low, and of course, influenced by the
> subsidized bigger farms, etc. and also because they have to resell.
>
> > It all comes back to 'globalization' and control of our
> > economy and our government by giant multi-national
> > corporations. This is especially easy to see in the field
> > of agriculture.
>
> IMO, consumers are ALWAYS in control. There is no point where we're not.
> It's our dollar. Part of the problem is that we've abdicated that
> control. I'm not saying that companies don't try to "trick" us becuase
> they certainly do (pretty much every commercial on TV has some kind of
> disclaimer, which is their way of trying to get out of a lie or a
> half-truth). What I'm saying is that the solution to our food problem is
> literally in our backyards.
>
> ****Yes, its our dollar - and our individual choices have influence, I
agree
> with you - but those who have many, many dollars have more influence. I
> think it is a mix of consumers' dollars, and corporate dollars - our
> legislators must listen to both the people they represent and to the
> corporate dollar - in our current system, as they need both to get
> reelected. Most times, the people are not aware of how and why decisions
> are made - when they are, and take action - by buying appropriate foods,
by
> writing to their legislators, by writing letters to the editor, by holding
> public demonstrations, by holding public educational events - they can
have
> a great influence. At the same time, corporations work hard to lobby, and
> to write legislation, or influence others to write it, that favors their
> interests.
>
> If I'm misguided or saying something stupid, please let me know. These
> discussions are very helpful and educational to me (and I hope to others).
>
> *****Jill Bussiere, Wisconsin
>
> Matt Cheselka
> Cosmic Lettuce
>
> _______________________________________________
> Market-farming mailing list
> Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
>
> Get the list FAQ at: http://www.marketfarming.net/mflistfaq.htm
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Market-farming mailing list
> Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
>
> Get the list FAQ at: http://www.marketfarming.net/mflistfaq.htm






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page