I have a
great fear for our local farmers. They are getting hammered in a one-two punch
that will only become more of a problem in our local economy as we move towards
the end of the year.
Hundreds of
acres are not being planted because we have been drenched in 40-plus inches of
rain in the first six months of 2019. That’s an almost unprecedented amount of
rainfall turning bottom ground into swamp land. In fact it exceeds the total
amount of precipitation we get in entire years. We don’t grow rice around here.
Nature is a powerful and uncontrollable force.
But you
throw in low prices because of a trade war with some of our richest partners,
and you have a double whammy. Farm families are at great risk at this moment in
time and I fear for their future.
Let’s be
clear. Farm income equates to dollars that get spent in our downtown areas. A
bad year means that new farm equipment doesn’t get bought and that means the
jobs supported by those purchases are also at risk. This isn’t just an Ag
problem….this is a problem for everyone doing business in places like
Fairfield, Albion and McLeansboro.
In
Fairfield, there were manufacturing and energy jobs to supplant downturns in
agriculture in the past. That isn’t the case anymore. We rise and fall on the
productivity of the crop. And I only have to take a ride around the region to
see un-plowed, un-seeded and un-fertilized acreage.
I’m not
trying to be the voice of doom. I’m trying to be the voice of reality. Our
family farms deserve our prayers. They also deserve our political support in
demanding fair markets around the world.
The same
world which we feed.
I'm astounded you can get through that whole comment without mentioning the CAUSE of the trade wars that are hurting our farmers. Donald Trump's arbitrary actions have caused tremendous losses to our farmers. He's also a climate science denier. Ask a farmer "Can corn pollinate well once the temperature stays consistently above 86 degrees?" Or "Are changing weather patterns disrupting planting schedules?" Trump appointed a guy to lead the USDA who is busy scrubbing climate science from the USDA. Does this make sense? Don't farmers need to know climate trends to plan for their futures?
ReplyDeleteThoughts and prayers are no good when the family farm is on the auction block.
Farmers who were unable to plant don't qualify for crop insurance or the MFP. They are being forced into predatory loans to keep the family farm. Big ag corporate farms are getting the lion's share of subsidy and other payments. The soybean market share for US farmers is lost, as China and other major buyers are going to other countries. Tariffs on steel have driven prices of equipment through the roof.
Donald Trump calling farmers "patriotic" is a sop he throws ot them while his erratic actions are killing them.
So please, no genteel hand-wringing and "thoughts and prayers". It's time to remove the source of the problem in the next election, and get our farmers back on their feet.