Crop prices are down 58%, bankruptcies are up 60%, and farmers on both sides of the Atlantic are questioning whether planting in 2026 is even rational.
I am genuinely curious: wouldnt leaving the ground alone for a bit, be a good thing? Sure, economically it seems counter intuitive, but from a ecological perspective, it could be a good thing, no?
"....they watch emergency aid funds flow straight through them and on to big corporate seed, fertilizer, machinery, and grain giants."
Reader: hell yeah we need to break up these corporations. Tax them out of existence and give the power back to the farmer.
Author: actually the real problem is you the consumer. Now listen to this ad from an "entrepreneur" who's mad they're not making enough money since starting their business in 2021.
I keep seeing more and more of this. So called writers pointing out a real problem just to ultimately ignore it and instead advertise a business.
I’m a 4th generation farmer/rancher and I’m losing my backside on every crop I can raise in my area. The one and only bright spot has been cattle prices and DT is doing his best to make sure I don’t make any money on my cattle by bringing in a bunch of foreign exports.
Unfortunately for us who eat real food I see all too much the consequences of health in my friends. Heirloom vegetables grown organic is very labor intensive and you have to devote ton of time. I am 70 and can outrun and work more than 99% of 70 year Olds. I also don't eat white sugar alcohol or smoke. The problem is young people are not educated enough to really learn life In the real world. They think phones and texting is communicating. Wrong. We use to actually listen to music played by real musicians together. There you would talk and communicate. Now young people live a vapid and lonely life. I worked in the fresh fruit and vegetables industry for 40 years. Today without a doubt our food is almost all fertilizer not ground nutrients. We put fertilizer directly on the plants with black tube buried directly underneath the plant. Poor nutrition over many years causes obesity diabetes heart problems and a host of other problems. You cannot fix 25 years of sugar carbs and farm raise fish and shrimp in 2 -3 months.
We are a nation committing suicide or being slowly murdered. One way or the other we cannot fix what we don't know
What is crazy is there are protests in Mexico over the price of corn farmers are receiving. They are protesting over only receiving TWICE what American farmers average. This really shows how we value food in this country vs Mexico when you consider the cost to produce corn in the US is significantly higher!
I see this as to do with ponzi-finance warping the market. They consolidated at retail level. So profits that should be available along the supply chain are funnelled to the big retailers. This is an obvious dead end for wealth creation since retail is where wealth goes to die.
Also cheap finance goes only to buy land. This bids land prices up. But the now indebted farmer finds that when he wants to improve land out comes the loan sharks.
The whole thing is a catastrophe. And we know how to fix it but no-one is interested.
I’m old enough to have watched the Syrian 5 yr drought before the 2011 “Arab Spring” where the farmers moved into the cities.
We already have moved most of the ‘farmers’ into towns by leaving our poorest 1% of the population attempting to produce food using cheap labor and machinery. Either that or Corporate oligarch extracting from local penury.
By in large, our average population doesn’t have the intellectual capital to grow plants. Sure, millennials and the rest of urbanites do succulents just fine, but they don’t know the numbers for personal labor, time, materials, nor ratios of all them to get a crop and share fertility.
Forcing the 1% of our farmers into indentured slavery can be again compared to the wealth hoarding by the 1% billionaires keeping the income. None of the rest of us benefit and now we starve.
There is no good answer. Could we support the food needs of the world on small scale farming? Not really. We have an almost complete elimination of famine just in my lifetime. Yes, it is not perfect and we have had unintended consequences.
We have also had predatory companies that abuse the system. Agribusiness, farming implement companies, biotech companies, chemical companies, and more.
Many of the problems are caused by governments providing subsidies, protective tariffs, and environmental regulation. Not to mention farming for ethanol production.
Yes, it is luxurious that we have the disposable income to be able to have fresh produce year round. It is great to be able to buy the finest goods from boutique growers. That is just not reality for the majority of the world.
The only way it works is for large scale farming. Smaller farms are not able to take advantage of the economy of scale of the big producers. Some have found niche products that will work for them. Those who fail to do that, just can't compete. It is just the harsh reality of the economics of farming.
I'm still eating whole foods, which I prepare at home. Most of the restaurants I used to support don't support me.... as a conservative, on a budget, with a preference for well made foods instead of packaged food, with offerings that are not full of sugar, salt, msg and other unnecessary unhealthy additives.
I live in a small coastal community in the northwestern states. We have local farmer's markets and a co-op grocery store that supports organic farming. I don't understand people that choose Safeway, Fred Meyer, Walmart to buy their food from. Is it more convenient, less expensive? Yes, but the local, organic produce tastes so much better, is far healthier and supports the local farmer and the community. Why do we even need to discuss the options? It's obvious which way to go.
Totally agreed Kyra. But sadly, for many people, it still really is not obvious. How do we change their opinions. I tried one thing, in a video link I've since added to my comment here. Keep shopping the way you do, and keep telling people about it!
I watched your video, well done, Matthew. I will never stop buying the highest quality local food, and will always promote it. I believe change for the better is coming.
I might amend this: "described how they operate at losses of $150 to $350 per acre while they watch emergency aid funds flow straight through them and on to big corporate seed, fertilizer, machinery, and grain giants." to: while we all watched OUR tax dollars flow to Somalian grift in MN and elsewhere."
https://open.substack.com/pub/exploringhumans/p/from-a-leaf-to-the-unborn-child?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
I am genuinely curious: wouldnt leaving the ground alone for a bit, be a good thing? Sure, economically it seems counter intuitive, but from a ecological perspective, it could be a good thing, no?
"....they watch emergency aid funds flow straight through them and on to big corporate seed, fertilizer, machinery, and grain giants."
Reader: hell yeah we need to break up these corporations. Tax them out of existence and give the power back to the farmer.
Author: actually the real problem is you the consumer. Now listen to this ad from an "entrepreneur" who's mad they're not making enough money since starting their business in 2021.
I keep seeing more and more of this. So called writers pointing out a real problem just to ultimately ignore it and instead advertise a business.
I’m a 4th generation farmer/rancher and I’m losing my backside on every crop I can raise in my area. The one and only bright spot has been cattle prices and DT is doing his best to make sure I don’t make any money on my cattle by bringing in a bunch of foreign exports.
Unfortunately for us who eat real food I see all too much the consequences of health in my friends. Heirloom vegetables grown organic is very labor intensive and you have to devote ton of time. I am 70 and can outrun and work more than 99% of 70 year Olds. I also don't eat white sugar alcohol or smoke. The problem is young people are not educated enough to really learn life In the real world. They think phones and texting is communicating. Wrong. We use to actually listen to music played by real musicians together. There you would talk and communicate. Now young people live a vapid and lonely life. I worked in the fresh fruit and vegetables industry for 40 years. Today without a doubt our food is almost all fertilizer not ground nutrients. We put fertilizer directly on the plants with black tube buried directly underneath the plant. Poor nutrition over many years causes obesity diabetes heart problems and a host of other problems. You cannot fix 25 years of sugar carbs and farm raise fish and shrimp in 2 -3 months.
We are a nation committing suicide or being slowly murdered. One way or the other we cannot fix what we don't know
Victim blaming nonsense. Capitalism maximises externalities.
What is crazy is there are protests in Mexico over the price of corn farmers are receiving. They are protesting over only receiving TWICE what American farmers average. This really shows how we value food in this country vs Mexico when you consider the cost to produce corn in the US is significantly higher!
I see this as to do with ponzi-finance warping the market. They consolidated at retail level. So profits that should be available along the supply chain are funnelled to the big retailers. This is an obvious dead end for wealth creation since retail is where wealth goes to die.
Also cheap finance goes only to buy land. This bids land prices up. But the now indebted farmer finds that when he wants to improve land out comes the loan sharks.
The whole thing is a catastrophe. And we know how to fix it but no-one is interested.
so important, thank you for sharing <3 I just posted an interview with a regenerative farmer in California, I’d love for you to stop by!
I’m old enough to have watched the Syrian 5 yr drought before the 2011 “Arab Spring” where the farmers moved into the cities.
We already have moved most of the ‘farmers’ into towns by leaving our poorest 1% of the population attempting to produce food using cheap labor and machinery. Either that or Corporate oligarch extracting from local penury.
By in large, our average population doesn’t have the intellectual capital to grow plants. Sure, millennials and the rest of urbanites do succulents just fine, but they don’t know the numbers for personal labor, time, materials, nor ratios of all them to get a crop and share fertility.
Forcing the 1% of our farmers into indentured slavery can be again compared to the wealth hoarding by the 1% billionaires keeping the income. None of the rest of us benefit and now we starve.
There is no good answer. Could we support the food needs of the world on small scale farming? Not really. We have an almost complete elimination of famine just in my lifetime. Yes, it is not perfect and we have had unintended consequences.
We have also had predatory companies that abuse the system. Agribusiness, farming implement companies, biotech companies, chemical companies, and more.
Many of the problems are caused by governments providing subsidies, protective tariffs, and environmental regulation. Not to mention farming for ethanol production.
Yes, it is luxurious that we have the disposable income to be able to have fresh produce year round. It is great to be able to buy the finest goods from boutique growers. That is just not reality for the majority of the world.
The only way it works is for large scale farming. Smaller farms are not able to take advantage of the economy of scale of the big producers. Some have found niche products that will work for them. Those who fail to do that, just can't compete. It is just the harsh reality of the economics of farming.
I'm still eating whole foods, which I prepare at home. Most of the restaurants I used to support don't support me.... as a conservative, on a budget, with a preference for well made foods instead of packaged food, with offerings that are not full of sugar, salt, msg and other unnecessary unhealthy additives.
Last time I looked it was Wall Street that fixes grain prices. Fix that first
The grain industry is very important in the food chain. If this collapses our diets will change drastically.
I live in a small coastal community in the northwestern states. We have local farmer's markets and a co-op grocery store that supports organic farming. I don't understand people that choose Safeway, Fred Meyer, Walmart to buy their food from. Is it more convenient, less expensive? Yes, but the local, organic produce tastes so much better, is far healthier and supports the local farmer and the community. Why do we even need to discuss the options? It's obvious which way to go.
Totally agreed Kyra. But sadly, for many people, it still really is not obvious. How do we change their opinions. I tried one thing, in a video link I've since added to my comment here. Keep shopping the way you do, and keep telling people about it!
I watched your video, well done, Matthew. I will never stop buying the highest quality local food, and will always promote it. I believe change for the better is coming.
Much appreciated Kyra, thank you!
I might amend this: "described how they operate at losses of $150 to $350 per acre while they watch emergency aid funds flow straight through them and on to big corporate seed, fertilizer, machinery, and grain giants." to: while we all watched OUR tax dollars flow to Somalian grift in MN and elsewhere."