On May 13, 2009 a group of Congressional Representatives from the Northeast headed by Michael A. Arcuri of New York wrote to Agricultural Secretary Vilsack regarding the devastatingly farm milk price. The letter was signed by a number of representatives, including Vermont’s lone congressional representative, Peter Welch.
On June 5, 2009 Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, wrote to Secretary Vilsack requesting field hearings in Ohio on low farm milk price. Senator Brown wrote, “If nothing is done to address the profitability of our nation’s dairy farms, I am concerned that a staggering number of them will be forced to shut down.”
There is one member of congress who has more clout on dairy than any other – Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Senator Leahy has mostly taken credit for the MILC program. Senator Leahy would do well to read Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 25-37. This is the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The question of the lawyer is “And who is my neighbor?”
The dairy farmers of Vermont and the entire country have fallen among thieves and been left half dead.
Aside from any spiritual lesson the parable is about neighbors and neighborliness.
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Maybe what we need is a good advertising firm? An ad campaign to let the entire country know that farmers don't want government payments or Rube Goldberg type pricing systems.
ReplyDeleteBeing experts in our line of work, we don't want, or need, anyone to tell us through regulation how big our cages, pens or stalls need to be. We can decide for ourselves if we should or shouldn't dock tails, ring noses, or use other managment techniques for the betterment of our flocks and herds.
Yes, farmers need someone to run a "shock campaign" and shout from the hill-tops (not to mention, print-ads, TV and radio) that many parts of this nations food supply chain are dangerously close to ruins. Somneone to tell the folks that one bad natural disaster or man made calmity, could bring hunger to millions of Americans.
We can tell the world that we don't want it's dairy imports and that we don't care if it takes our exports either (without imports there genreally would be much less need for exports).
We'll tell everyone about the corruption in our markets, the Fascist type control that is ever growing over our industry, and about the poor, over-trusting, pacifist farmers that continue on, waiting to be saved, like a devote follower of Jimmy Jones.
Considering all of the fallacies that have been sold the the gerneral populace with great success and fanfare(ozone hole, global wamring, DDT, hemp etc....), this campaign should be successful in a very short period of time. Best thing is; we're already paying for the needed advertising with the mandatory beef, pork, and dairy check-offs - did I mention the Fascist part?
Jeff Suehring