Profit and Words
by Ed Fashing in the Missouri Newsletter
What do you mean farmers don’t make money? According to the NFFC, 38 boxes of
Corn Flakes @ $5 apiece come from a corn bushel of 56 lb. yielding farmers less
than $3. Farmers and the government give corporate welfare to ADM, CARGILL, NCBA,
factory farms, subsidized corporate businesses, and other greedy farmers’
enemies. Leo Hopper says there have been over 400 farmer suicides in Oklahoma;
Mona Lee Brock says over 500 suicides. They work on farmers’ suicide lines at
opposite sides of Oklahoma and are really too busy helping to count. In Kansas,
there have been about 300 farmer suicides. Farmers living on a 4th generation
family farm have that farm in their blood. Farmers and ranchers must get our
message to the consumer, congress, labor, churches, media, and civic groups
about the continuing crisis. Some farm organizations with leaders who have
probably never had manure on their hands or blood on their shoes seem
embarrassed we still use the terms, farm crisis and parity.
Profit
Of 15 farm commodities the average is 34.7%. Parity is a term used to describe
the per cent of the price for a farm product adjusted for inflation that once
brought a fair return when prices in most of the economy’s sectors were balanced
from 1910-1914. The June parity prices for 15 commodities range from 15% for
rice to 49% for oats. Median percent was 34% so the average of 34.7% is
meaningful; the mode was 30% for corn, and wheat. Soybeans brought 34% of parity
and cattle brought 40% of parity.
Of the $869.3 billion in the farm bill for 6 years, $626.8 billion is for food
assistance, food stamps, and school lunches—or 72%. About another 4% goes to the
U.S. Forest Service, part of the USDA; the Forest Service that turned on farmers
and ranchers with econut extremist policies. Only about $230 billion goes to Ag
spending over 6 years. So about 3/4 of the money does not go to farmers and
indeed is at least partially used AGAINST family farmers and ranchers. I would
estimate that a majority of Forest Service (under USDA Secretary Ann Veneman)
and Bureau of Land Management (under the Secretary of Interior Gale Norton)
workers follow their bosses every wish just to keep tranquility in their jobs or
not getting moved to Isle Royal or Alaska. They may not realize essentially that
they cannot be fired.