Farmers from Nebraska and Alabama along with the Organization for Competitive Markets a national, non-profit public policy research and advocacy organization headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, filed a lawsuit to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the illegal rollback of the Farmer Fair Practice Rule on December 14. The Farmer Fair Practice Rule offered critical protections intended to shield family farmers and ranchers from predatory and retaliatory practices by big agribusiness corporations. The lawsuit seeks to reinstate rules that prohibit major meat and poultry producers who contract with farmers from engaging in unfair and deceptive practices. In October, USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration withdrew
this notion of stable supply and demand affected prices of farm commodities. “Low prices on
During the 2008 campaign trail, president Obama was quite instrumental in condemning agricultural corporations and their various regulatory bodies. More specifically, Obama was quoted saying that, once he assumed office, his administration would tell ConAgra that their main area of operation is not Agribusiness but rather Agriculture. However, upon election, Obama changed his tone, possibly due to influence by the biotech industry. The appointment of Tom Vilsack, who was a pro-biotech former Iowa governor, into the position of the USDA Secretary signaled to the bio-tech conglomerates that they could influence regulatory frameworks. Following this appointment, other Monsanto executives were poached into the administration, including Michael Taylor, who was the Vice President of Monsanto, Roger Beachy, who was a former director of Danforth Plant Science Center that was ...
During World War I, England’s agricultural economy was badly damaged. This inconvenience for the English was a blessing to American farmers. Since the invention of the combine, and various other mechanical harvesting machines, American farmers could increase their crop yield. In turn they could export the extra crops to England for more money. Once England got back on it’s feet, American farmers could not find any exports for their crops. As they continued to produce more than the American people could consume, the prices of agricultural goods dramatically dropped. By the 1930’s many farmers were in serious need of help, with heavy farm loans and mortgages hanging over their head’s. Nothing had been done to help the farmer’s during The Hoover Administration. So in 1933 as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, the Secretary of Agriculture, Henry Wallace devised a plan to limit production and increase prices. Which came to be known as the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, also known as the AAA. The AAA was established on May 12, 1933 it was the New Deal idea to assist farmers during the Great Depression. It was the first widespread effort to raise and stabilize farm prices and income. The law created and authorized the Agricultural Adjustment Administration to: Enter into voluntary agreements to pay farmers to reduce production of basic commodities ( cotton, wheat, corn, rice, tobacco, hogs, milk, etc..), to make advanced payments to farmers who stored crops on the farm, create marketing agreements between farmers and middlemen, and to levy processing taxes to pay for production adjustments and market development. Basically the AAA paid farmers to destroy their crops and livestock in return for cash. In 1933 alone cotton farmers were paid $100 million to plow over their cotton crop. Six million piglets were slaughtered by the government after they bought them from farmers. The meat was canned and given to people without jobs. In order for this new bill to work there needed to be money to pay the farmers, this money came from the companies that bought farm products in the form of taxes. While it seemed like a good idea to pay farmers to cut back on crops to lowering the surplus and boost the economy, The Supreme Court found the Act unconstitutional in 1936.
A. “Farm Policy.” CQ Researcher 10 Aug. 2012: 693-716. Web. The Web. The Web.
As of February 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture agreed to pay the plaintiffs in the Pigford II case 1.25 billion dollars. The plaintiffs were a group of African-American farmers alleging discrimination in farm loans, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency.
"The FSA, Farm Security Administration Helps Tenant Farmers." The FSA, Farm Security Administration Helps Tenant Farmers. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
Imagine owning the perfect farm, perfect home, perfect pasture, and outstanding prosperous crops. What about when it floods, or there is a fire? Suddenly everything changes. You no longer have that perfect farm. You may no longer even have you home, much less a means to provide for yourself and your family. Who is supposed to protect you then and everything you had?
Farmer’s discontent during the period 1870 – 1900 had an impact on their attitudes and actions towards politics. During this period manufacturing had a growth spurt and agricultural started to decline. This made it harder for the farmers to make a decent living. For example in document G it shows how much manufacturing increased between the 50 years. America could no longer dream to be a nation of small freehold farms. Manufacturers and people living in big cities depended on farmers to supply everything. Many people didn’t realize how much of an affect farmers had on their lives. If somebody was to take farms away, everything would have completely crashed.
As you walk to the other end of the stage and look out into the sea of blue and gold corduroy, you realize this it! This is the moment you’ve worked toward for the last four years. You’ve stayed long hours after school working on you record book, spent grueling hours memorizing speeches, experienced the joy of winning first place at a state CDE contest, and best of all you met so many amazing people and doors were opened to opportunities you never imagined. Finally, after all of your hard work, you’re receiving your State FFA Degree! All of this from making one simple decision your freshman year of high school, signing up for the FFA. What you didn’t realize at the time was that this wonderful organization would help you build leadership skills and teach life skills that you are going to need in the coming years.
Monsanto scrutinizes neighboring farms, practicing their right to enforce their patent and contract. What they take into account and chose to ignore is that their genetic product is natural and cannot be controlled completely. Monsanto’s patent allows them to prosecute neighboring farms for any concentration of their patented genetic code in their crops, regardless of whether a farmer knowingly involved themselves in infringement or was the victim of natural pollination. Barlett and Steele cite the increasing number of legal cases and settlements as means of pressuring contracted farmers to follow procedure and of allegedly pressuring uncontracted farmers to sign with Monsanto to avoid
New York Times, p. 1. Riedl, M. (2011, March 30). Farm subsidies ripe for reform?
Old MacDonald had a farm, S-A-F-E-T-Y. While these are not the tradional lyrics of the popular nursery rhyme that is sung today, had that iconic farmer been a better speller, it very well could have been. Old MacDonald was a wise, experienced soul, and in his latter years of life, he created the song to remind young farmers of the importance of safety on a farm. However, are safety procedures on a farm really necessary? According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the average fatality rate for agricultural workers is seven times higher than the average rate of workers, and in 2011, 570 workers died while they were working on a farm (“Agricultural”). Farmers work very hard to provide food for the nation; they also put themselves in dangerous situations when they use heavy equipment. Therefore, farmers need to be aware of the many hazards they may encounter while working on a farm and the steps they can take to ensure their safety.
Tom Regan, “The Case for Animal Rights,” in In Defense of Animals, ed. Peter Singer (Oxford: Blackwell, 1985), 21. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistical Services, Livestock Slaughter. 2005 Summary, March 2006: USDA, NASS, Poultry Slaughter: 2005
"Monsanto uses patent law to control most of U.S. corn, soy seed market." Cleveland National News. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2009. .
Sitting in the back seat between two towering piles of clothes and snacks we drive up the abandoned streets of Adell. I see vast open fields of corn and dense wooded forest filled with life, along with the occasional, towering grain house. We pull into a dry, dusty, driveway of rock and thriving, overgrown weeds. We come up to an aged log cabin with a massive crab apple tree with its sharp thorns like claws. The ancient weeping willow provides, with is huge sagging arms, shade from the intense rays of the sun. Near the back of the house there is a rotten, wobbly dock slowly rotting in the dark blue, cool water. Near that we store our old rusted canoes, to which the desperate frogs hop for shelter. When I venture out to the water I feel the thick gooey mud squish through my toes and the fish mindlessly try to escape but instead swim into my legs. On the lively river banks I see great blue herring and there attempt to catch a fish for their dinner. They gracefully fly with their beautiful wings arching in the sun to silvery points.