Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - [Market-farming] The numbers are wrong/ Economics- sustainable ag?

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost AT gilanet.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] The numbers are wrong/ Economics- sustainable ag?
  • Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 09:40:29 -0700


Sad yes, but more like an engineered extermination.

Agribusiness pundits are fond of pointing out how much more productive big
farms are now with all the machinery, chemicals, improved seed varieties,
etc, and how few people it take now to produce our food. But the numbers are
simply wrong. What has happened is, most food processing that used to be done
on the farm or close by decades ago is now done in corporate factories, and
all the low wage employees in food factories aren't being counted as part of
the whole process. Nothing gained.

For decades the powerful corporate agribusiness interests have told us to
"get big or get out". That bad advice deceived millions of farm families into
bankruptcy where they were gobbled up by the banks and corporate growers on
contract to middlemen and processors, Cargill, Kraft, General Foods, Nestle,
Tyson, and on and on.

Meanwhile produce quality and nutrition continued to decline under big
agribusiness. Topsoil loss has continued despite "conservation" programs
that mostly benefit big agribusiness. Ongoing depletion of soil organic
matter continues to accelerate erosion and compaction, breaking down healthy
soil structure by excessive tillage and chemical quick fixes. Every new
chemical seems to breed a new strain of pest.

Many of our family farms left now have to rely on land that's been degraded
by decades of taking expert advice from agribusiness and its shills in
colleges and extension offices. Production isn't what it would be from good
land. Their fossil fuel inputs and other costs are controlled by the same
"get big or get out" interests that have done them so many favors already.
They're left listening to USDA pushing niche markets and value added products
just to stay on the farm.

That's not good enough. Sooner or later we'll have to relearn the lessons of
Albert Howard and other soil science pioneers, and start rebuilding our soil
to make small family farms highly profitable again. Or go under with the
rest of our kin.

paul tradingpost AT gilanet.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Soilmakers/

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 12/21/2005 at 9:06 AM Wiediger, Alison wrote:

>Ah, you could be right. Either way, sad news for farmers. I guess the
>good
>news is that there are a lot of us farming anyway because we love it!
>
>Alison
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
>[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of JOHN A
>HENDRICKSON
>Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 9:04 AM
>To: Market Farming
>Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Economics- sustainable ag?
>
>Alison,
>
>Excellent point. It is not just market growers who struggle to make a
>living from farming. There is also the factor of government programs
>that contribute to supporting conventional crop and livestock farms. I
>could be wrong but I think the statistic is that 90% of farms rely on
>some off-farm income (rather than 90% of farm household income coming
>from off farm, as you stated). In other words, only 10% of farm
>households earn 100% of their income from their farm. I too, however,
>am not sure about this "factoid"...so don't quote me.
>
>-John






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page