Farmers Feed Cities..
Sun, 03/12/2006 - 03:47 — stuffguy
Ok.. By now, you've heard of the protests, probably seen their banners, and the like. And while "farmers feed cities" has a nice ring to it, are they just complaining about the family farm not being able to compete on the global scale? "Cities give farmers everything other than food" isn't near as catchy, but puts things in perspective. Not too many refrigerators getting made on a farm..
Anyhow, I've met very few stupid farmers in my time, so I figured I'd give them the benefit of the doubt, and ask them what the issue was. Being unable to make money on a global commodity just says they should take up another occupation, and leave this one to the low-cost labour that is gutting all of our jobs. So what's the issue? What justifies a $125 million payout from our pockets, and protests that it's not enough? Is it simple self-preservation, the same as the UAW, or is there more to the story that we don't know?
I dunno yet. I've asked them (Farmersfeedcities.com) - Here's the e-mail I've sent to them:
I've seen your signs scattered around, I've heard of the protests, and I've now just read your website.
However, I feel pretty uninformed. A few of us were discussing this the other day, and it doesn't make any sense to us.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but farmers plant crops, tend them, harvest them, and then sell them on the open commodities market. Supply and demand dictates the price - If it was a bumper year, the prices are low, and if there was some sort of natural disaster, prices are inflated. At least that's the excuse I hear as to the fluctuating price of groceries.
It seems to be the same as any other business.. Oil, Mining, etc. Production of a commodity to sell on the commodities market. Since it isn't really a "value added" item, farmed goods go to who will pay for them, competing on the lowest price. I can understand that.
What I don't understand is where the issue lies. Like any other commodity industry, your product is worth only what you can sell it for. If, like many other commodity producers, can't make expected returns on time and investment, then wouldn't that mean that it makes sense to do something else? I've seen farm consolidation to get costs down, the same way that I've seen consolidation in other industries. You don't see family owned manufacturing these days; the margins are just not there unless you do it in bulk.
Help? To us non-farmers, and former farm-hands, it looks like an attempt to preserve small business in the face of econonomic pressures, at the expense of taxpayers, and to an eventual collapse, anyhow. I see many profitable "agricultural corporations", so it doesn't seem like the business of farming in this country is dead, it has merely consolidated and upscaled in reaction to the global economy.
But the "I can't compete, give me money" argument is a lame band-aid at best, not much different than the automotive buy-outs. The inevidible will still happen. And I'm sure you realize that. As plaid as they are, farmers aren't stupid. They're normally damn good businessmen..
Which is what's puzzling me. If I make/grow/mine/produce X widget, and have to compete globally to sell it, competing only on the lowest price, and I can't make a profit, I'm exiting that business, and moving on to something else. Commodities can only compete on volume and low production costs.
Perhaps you could explain it to me? If this is simply a "I want to keep farming as I've always done" situation, then you have no sympathy from us already dragged through the forces of change. If there's more to the issue, then it's not being effectively communicated, and I'd love to know what it is.
Help me understand.. What is behind this protest? Why does it mean anything to anyone other than the embattled family farmer? What am I missing?
With luck, I'll get an answer, and it will all make sense. Sadly, I think that's probably unlikely, because, personally, I can't see any reason for it other than to cling to income streams of the past. But, as I said, farmers are smart folks. They may suprise me, and I'd be glad to be suprised.
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