>Subject changed for clarity. > >murdoch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: ><snip> > > > > > What I wanted to add was even a bit more offbeat. I was thinking the > > other day of some of the excellent farming-related and rural-related > > posts that we sometimes see here and elsewhere. And I was asking > > myself why we see relatively little coverage of such matters in major > > press-areas. And I think it's in part because city-folks, including > > many journalists, have little but city-issues in front of their faces. > > So, even though they may want to take some interest in other issues, > > they go with the lifestyle and issues that present themselves readily > > rather than issues that might make a more well-rounded presentation > > and might appeal to a broader range of readers. This is not to say > > this can't be changed in part.... just to try to figure out why there > > is (in my view) this disconnect where some challenging rural issues > > don't seem to get as much 4th estate coverage as I would have thought > > they warranted.
Like this? The Agribusiness Examiner March 16, 2004, Issue #331 "Efficient" U.S. Farmers Earning $100 Per Month In Annual Farm Income Larry Mitchell, American Corn Growers Association: As we enter National Agriculture Week, celebrated this year from March 14 to March 20, we need to pause to say thank you to the men, women and families of American agriculture by drawing attention to the important role they play in our society. We should also take time to reflect upon the productivity of America's farm families. I think you will agree with me that it is worth much more than $100 a month. According to USDA's definition, there are about two million farmers left in the U.S. But that definition --- and I would never suggest changing it -- includes all producers that can sell $1,000 of agriculture production or more. Now if we were to raise the threshold to $10,000 we would eliminate over half of those two million farmers. In the land of Jefferson, we are now approaching the sad fact that farmers may not qualify as a demographic large enough to be counted by the U.S. Census. But the assumption I usually use --- and I am told by many I am too liberal in the assumption --- is that there are about 750,000 farmers left in the U.S. Did you know that there are 150,000 grocery stores in the nation? Simple math then reveals that only five farmers are responsible for all of the food that crosses the scanner at your local grocery store, each and every day, 365 days a year. But we also export about 20% of our production, so now we are down to only four farmers supplying the needs of your local grocery store. We also know that USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) has now determined that Americans eat just over half of their meals away from home, and that production would not be sold in your local grocery store, but would find other channels for distribution. That leaves only two farmers supplying everything that crosses the scanner of your local grocery store, each and every day, 365 days of every year. The most amazing fact is that USDA has reported that the earnings for the entire year in 2004 for farm operator households from their farming activities are only $1,226, or about $100 per month. My question is this --- how much more efficient must farmers become before they can get paid a decent return for the fruits of their labor? ---- Not quite right - the US is also the world's biggest ever food importer, or agricultural commodities importer anyway (not quite the same thing). >In my experience, mass media coverage is about selling advertising >space, so the >objective is to cover topics with the biggest audience appeal. That's what the ads managers used to tell us - the "content" as such is just that stuff that fills the space between the ads. "Advertising pays your salaries!" they'd crow, shortly before fleeing for their lives... >So long as the >majority of consumers are urban, urban topics will win out. >Increasingly, I find >that urban and suburban dwellers have less and less comprehension of how rural >issues affect them. There is some sort of blinders in effect - they >think food >comes from a store, and seem to have no perception of the industries that hide >behind the loading dock of the local grocery store. (In more or less reverse >order) Transportation, meat packing, slaughtering, animal husbandry, >animal feed, >rendering(!), growing crops, food preservation, storage, harvesting, >planting, land >and facilities preparation, planning, the fisheries, fish farming, etc. > >It's one of the reasons I grow some food plants for harvest, and >encourage others >to do the same. It isn't any expectation of becoming >self-sufficient, but rather >it's the awareness of the seasons, cycles, nature, the environment and our >connection to all of that. Plus, a sense of independence, an >empathy for our food >producers, the opportunity to explore crops that may not be >available at the local >grocer (especially "heirloom" varieties), and just generally an opportunity to >continue learning (goodness knows I still have plenty of that to do), push >boundaries, and exposure to a time-cycle other than 9-5, Monday to Friday. > >I think it's going to take a lot of education before the urban >majority sees beyond >their chemically-produced lawns, and I don't expect the mass media to be an >educational force in this area as much as a market follower. Yes... first dis-education then re-education (sorry if that sounds a bit Maoist - hopefully we can avoid Pol Pot's somewhat abysmal results). Reconnecting people can mean that first they have to become aware that what they've been disconnected from is there in the first place. Potentially at least, it's there all around them, not just way out in the sticks. As you're showing. City farming and community gardens, community greening projects, school gardens especially, have a major role to play in this. There are excellent projects in the US and Canada, but too often they get no official support, sometimes quite the opposite, though the benefits are widespread and well-researched. I'm quite often a bit surprised at finding fairly good rural-issues articles in the mainstream US press. It's patchy, but it is there. Michael Pollan does good work for the NYT, for instance. The "Oil We Eat" piece came from Harpers, which isn't far off mainstream. >Case in point. A few years ago, I grew some ornamental flowers on the "city" >property between mine and the road. Never managed to pick one >myself (my plan was >to give my wife a bouquet on occasion during the flowering season). >Other folks >helped themselves. Last year, I planted the same area in beets, >carrots and radish >(all root crops). Never saw any evidence of any looting of those vegetables. >After conversations with my neighbours (one of whom sent city by-law >officers to >visit me because I had destroyed my lawn), I have concluded that the root >vegetables are safe because very few of my neighbours recognize what >they are in >their natural form (before they are harvested, frozen or canned or >bagged and put >on store shelves, forms they will recognize). > >Hmmm, I think I'm going to start a few extra cherry tomato plants >this year, just >to give away to other folks, to see if I can encourage them to start their own >"box" gardens. I'm hoping to get some "failures" from a friend who >is getting back >into pottery to use as plant pots, so that would make a good >combination. Thanks, >MM, for triggering the thought. > >Darryl McMahon Nice, Darryl - guerrilla gardening. You are aware of all this stuff, are you? http://journeytoforever.org/farm.html Small farms Small farm resources Community-supported farms Farming with trees Farming with animals Pasture Pigs for small farms Poultry for small farms Aquaculture for small farms Composting for small farms Controlling weeds and pests Small farms library City farms Organic gardening Building a square foot garden Plant spacing guides No ground? Use containers When to sow what Seeds Garden pond Gardening resources Composting Making compost Composting resources Composting indoors Vermicomposting Humanure Composting for small farms ----- Regards Keith Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! 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