November 5, 2009

In the year 2010
If dairy farms are still alive
If farm families can survive
They may find

In the year 2010
Dairy prices at historic lows, no lie
Everything you drink and eat today
Comes from test tubes far away

In the year 2010
You ain’t gonna need your farms, won’t need your barns
Cows won't find a thing to chew
“Cheese” and “milk” made from soy-based goo

In the year 2010
Rural families struggling to survive
Competition from all sides
What does that foreign milk product hide

In the year 2010
Farmers losing money every day
Production costs get in the way
Mortgaged cows and farms in hock

In the year 2010
Farm bills ain’t doing nothing for you
Big corporations are taking the market from you
Farm families will have nothing to do

In the year 2010
Cheap food is the price we pay
For a way of life that is slipping away
What is a farmer to do,

And now its been an awful year
The future’s bleak the winter draws near
What is rural America to do
The folks in Washington all talk themselves blue

City slickers complain of price at the store
And forget the costs at the barn
Caring more about the number of cows
Than the number of farms

With apologies to Zager and Evans, the 1969 song warning of a technology-based future readily applies to what farm families face in the near future.
On one side farm families are being buffeted by increasing production costs and on the other side they are being kept down by low milk prices. Consolidation of farms continues to be a concern as the family operations attempt to compete in a marketplace increasingly dominated by giants. Throw in the constant challenge from foreign markets and the recent reports of mainstream food manufacturers that what is being called “cheese” in our products may have nothing to do with cows, and things are getting bleak.
Dairy crises are nothing new and unfortunately, the cycle of these crises is growing closer and closer together, the plight of farmers continues to be a struggle with a very uncertain future.
In the past, dairy farmers have adopted the red shield Real Cheese logo to combat non-dairy cheese-like materials from being touted as the real thing. This effort is still going strong and shoppers should look for it when making purchases.
The real challenge for farm families rests in the hands of consumers. Americans have made a political choice to guarantee low-cost quality food products. Now, bottoming market prices are crippling the farming infrastructure.
Food security is national security and the way you protect your food production capabilities is to keep your farm families and the rural communities that support them strong. Just as we can not afford as a country to allow our auto-making infrastructure to disappear we can ill afford a loss in our agriculture industry especially in our Wisconsin dairy farm families. Our leaders in Washington and the state house need to move with all speed to turn back the attacks on farm families and help keep America’s family farming infrastructure strong.

Read recent editorials

October 29

October 22

October 15

October 8

October 1
September 24
September 17
September 10
September 3
August 27
August 20
August 13
August 6
July 30
July 23
July 16
July 9
July 2
June 25
June 18
June 11
June 4
May 21
May 14
May 7
April 30
April 23
April 16
April 9
April 2
March 26, 2009
March 19, 2009
March 12 2009
March 5, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 19, 2009
February 12, 2009
February 5, 2009
January 29, 2009
January 22, 2009
January 15, 2009
January 8, 2009
December 25, 2008
December 18, 2008
December 11, 2008
December 4, 2008
November 27, 2008