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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] NY Times Opinion Today

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  • From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] NY Times Opinion Today
  • Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 08:36:29 -0500

It's important to recognize that farm labor expenses are much greater in the
US because we expect farmers to make a decent living and so should farm
workers. But that's not true in many countries. That's why China can flood
the American market with cheap garlic, cheap apple juice concentrate, etc.
Their farmers/farm workers barely subsist. Many of our farm policies are in
place to protect a decent standard of living for farmers and to avoid the
extreme peaks and valleys of income that most commodity farmers would
otherwise experience. When you examine the investments commodity farmers
must make, the risks they can normally expect and the narrow margins they
work with, you'll understand why most farm kids choose another life. I grew
up with lots of them and not very many stayed on the farm. Of those that
did, only about half are still making a living from it. But the average
consumer benefits greatly from having a stable, diverse and inexpensive food
supply in the US. Not that it's problem free. I like many of the changes
coming to American ag, like diversification, market farming,
direct-marketing, focuing on quality, restoring economic and environmental
sustainability. But I don't think government will get out of ag for a long
time. It's a homeland security issue, believe me.

Bill Shoemaker
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
Univ of Illinois - St Charles Hort Research Center



>I have to agree with Bob, here.
>
>Farm subsidies haven't really altered the competitive marketplace as
>much as overproduction - and cheaper production - have overseas and in
>Mexico. Global trade - NAFTA, GATT, et all - is really the culprit
>here.
>
>What farm subsidies have done is to support the spead of agri-business,
>to the detriment of not only the small farmer, but those of us who eat,
>as well! Through being enriched by subsidies, agri-business has been
>able to produce more poor quality, less nutritious food. And to lock-up
>production markets (beef comes to mind), as well.
>
>Finally, anything the WTO supports must immediately be called into
>question. Along with the IMF, the WTO is one of the worst
>multi-national governing bodies.
>
>The only way to fight it - more small farms, selling locally.
>Globalization be damned!!!
>
>--
>Robert Farr
>The Chile Man
>(540) 668-7160






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