Comments on: Fairness, Farmers, and Faxes http://www.one.org/blog/2007/07/24/fairness-farmers-and-faxes/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:15:07 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Ed http://www.one.org/blog/2007/07/24/fairness-farmers-and-faxes/#comment-523176 Ed Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 #comment-523176 The reason most of the government payments in the U.S. go to a subset of farms is the payments are linked to acres and crop production. These farmers are taking bigger risk and need proportional protection. Farms are not big because of the existing farm program - the problem is the government support is not high enough to allow farmers to survive without taking on large operations in order to derive a full-time income from farm production. Large farms have the ability to be more efficient. Equipment and operating cost are spread over larger acres. Professional agronomists and entomologists are employed to make expert management decisions on crop needs and inputs. To me it seems a flawed strategy to make food so expensive that a farmer can make a living from a small number of acres. Expensive food means the non-farm population then goes hungry. Poverty is a difficult issue, but supporting small farmers is likely not the answer. Rural poverty was greater in the United States 100 years ago when a majority of the population was employed in agriculture. We did not make tremendous strides in raising the standard of living and quality of life in this country by keeping the majority of our population hand harvesting and enduring back breaking weeding. There are challenges for small farmers around the world, but punishing our established farm industry is not the answer. The reason most of the government payments in the U.S. go to a subset of farms is the payments are linked to acres and crop production. These farmers are taking bigger risk and need proportional protection.

Farms are not big because of the existing farm program – the problem is the government support is not high enough to allow farmers to survive without taking on large operations in order to derive a full-time income from farm production.

Large farms have the ability to be more efficient. Equipment and operating cost are spread over larger acres. Professional agronomists and entomologists are employed to make expert management decisions on crop needs and inputs.

To me it seems a flawed strategy to make food so expensive that a farmer can make a living from a small number of acres. Expensive food means the non-farm population then goes hungry. Poverty is a difficult issue, but supporting small farmers is likely not the answer.

Rural poverty was greater in the United States 100 years ago when a majority of the population was employed in agriculture. We did not make tremendous strides in raising the standard of living and quality of life in this country by keeping the majority of our population hand harvesting and enduring back breaking weeding.

There are challenges for small farmers around the world, but punishing our established farm industry is not the answer.

]]> By: Debbie K http://www.one.org/blog/2007/07/24/fairness-farmers-and-faxes/#comment-523334 Debbie K Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 #comment-523334 Thanks Peter (the Intern - smile) for posting this about the Farm Bill. After the support from the Washington Post editorial today regarding the fact that the present Farm Bill does NOT go far enough in reforming U.S. farm policy for the benefits of family farmers in the U.S. and small farmers around the world due to inflated subsidies paid to agri-business in the USA (all of which ultimately adversely affects the average consumer with increased food prices), I think that we have a VERY STRONG LEG TO STAND ON in demanding that our Congresspeople support The Fairness in Farm and Food Policy Amendment to the Farm Bill. I will make my phone call to my Congressman's (McCaul - TX) DC office tomorrow morning before I go to work and I'll report back here to let y'all know what their response was. All we can do is to stand up for what is right. ~ Take very good care, my friends. Blessings - not just for those who kneel. ALWAYS FOREVER, ONE - debbie :) Thanks Peter (the Intern – smile) for posting this about the Farm Bill.

After the support from the Washington Post editorial today regarding the fact that the present Farm Bill does NOT go far enough in reforming U.S. farm policy for the benefits of family farmers in the U.S. and small farmers around the world due to inflated subsidies paid to agri-business in the USA (all of which ultimately adversely affects the average consumer with increased food prices), I think that we have a VERY STRONG LEG TO STAND ON in demanding that our Congresspeople support The Fairness in Farm and Food Policy Amendment to the Farm Bill.

I will make my phone call to my Congressman’s (McCaul – TX) DC office tomorrow morning before I go to work and I’ll report back here to let y’all know what their response was.

All we can do is to stand up for what is right. ~

Take very good care, my friends. Blessings – not just for those who kneel.

ALWAYS FOREVER, ONE – debbie :)

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