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October 14, 2008 at 23:57:00
Promoted to Headline (H2) on 10/14/08: by Jim Goodman Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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Current farm policies are more about corporate agribusiness and globalization than local food production and shortening the food supply chain. While the farm vote may be viewed as insignificant, the importance of agriculture to the economy, or the food in one's belly is quite significant. Many consider rural America "fly over" country, but the candidates need to verbalize their plans to reshape US agriculture. "At the end of the day." rising food prices and widespread food shortages alone, should make the case for paying more attention to agriculture. Bigger picture issues like water use, high fuel prices and global warming should certainly bring the candidates to focus on rural America, often and in detail. Their simplistic statements that "bio-fuels are the solution" and "we will revitalize rural America" just don't cut it. Energy crops play prominently in the energy policies of both McCain and Obama, yet neither explain how we are supposed to simultaneously grow more food and more fuel. Neither explain why food prices are climbing while farmers cannot make a profit. Neither explain why, with the current high fuel prices the government continues to subsidize corporate oil. The economic crisis and collapse of the credit industry are issues central to both candidates, but I have yet to hear either pay serious attention to the effect tightening credit will have on farmers whose operations depend on credit.
While we have heard precious little discussion of farm policy, both candidates do have farm policies, but neither seem willing to bring them into open forum. Poking around in their websites one can find policy statements on all those "lesser issues", agriculture, urban affairs, transportation etc, issues that are not always part of the stump speech, in spite of their importance.
McCain's farm policy really never mentions food, local production or the rural economy. He never mentions a living wage. His agriculture policy amounts to energy security (bio fuels), deregulation (get the government out of farming, except to dole out subsidies), expanded property rights (more guns and more compliant judges??), increased agriculture exports (more free trade), increased use of new technology (more genetically engineered crops) and securing the borders against those pesky migrant workers. Not much new there.
Obama has at least thought about food and farming in an era of declining oil. He specifically calls for more local, organic and sustainable production, help for new young farmers and strict regulation of the largest industrial farming operations, those that are the least efficient and the most environmentally damaging. Like McCain however, Obama seems to think that bio-fuels will save the farmer and life as we know it. Truth is, farming is not the answer to our energy problems, farmers can produce food efficiently, _not energy.
While policy positions are just that, positions, not necessarily priorities or action plans, Obama has at least struck out new ground in his vision for the future of farming. McCain it seems, looked at the failed policies of the past several administrations and said, you betcha! That looks good.
We can't expect food policies that have failed miserably to do anything other than fail again. Globalization, industrial farming and high tech agriculture have not brought us into a golden age of agriculture, they have given us a food crisis. While Obama has fundamental flaws in his farm policy, he has at least, tried to move beyond the failed policies of Reagan, Clinton and Bush. _ As John Nichols notes, "it is fundamental that when a new administration takes charge we need new farm policies." Come January, we must demand new policies and we must, by continued participation in our democracy, force that change.
As the campaigns mercifully draw to a close, both candidates need to get closer to rural America and talk openly to the heartland. They might be surprised to learn people do care about food, where and how it is produced. William Jennings Bryan once gave a speech while standing in a manure spreader. He lost, but what farmer wouldn't remember a speech like that?
Jim Goodman is a farmer from Wonewoc Wisconsin and a Food and Society Policy Fellow
http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/fellows.cfm?id=101905
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
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Farm Policy
Hitting the rock and the hard place as commodities futures decline in the current crisis. http://www.brownfieldnetwork.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=DE64476E-0444-158E-C1BDFE6D3E745F9E Policy proposals need to be structured and defined for political action. The Nichols article says: "Farm and food policy in the United States can and should be constructed to help small, efficient farmers stay on the land -- in order to ensure that this country has diverse sources of quality, locally produced food products." It seems that a more defined structural change is called for. Help us out here. We are past the point of price supports being able to have a meaningful impact. No? The mechanization of agriculture faces a credit bubble all its own. Globalization of the food market will also shake the rafters of food supply. The budget deficit cannot simply be wished away or disregarded in determining measures that support small and organic farmers. If organic farmers have stable, local markets this will help for sure. But, will price supports do the trick in getting them through the current economic mess? I have long advocated for integration of local economies and developing local industrial development with local agriculture in local markets. The credit situation would seem to restrict even this option at present. States with large agricultural sectors will be facing new budget strains as well. Consider this a toss-up ball that you can take wherever you want. by Matoska (22 articles, 1 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 33 comments) on Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008 at 1:19:48 PM
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