As I've mentioned before, I grew up across the street from my grandparents, just steps away from their sizable backyard garden planted with corn, tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, squash, zucchini, strawberries, garlic, onions, potatoes, cilantro, and more. Our own yard produced apples, cherries, and the occasional apricot. I know well the taste of food picked fresh from the garden.
I live in New York City now, so I don't have a garden, but I'm a
regular at the Union Square Farmers' Market. It seems that every day
more and more people are turning towards locally-grown fruits and
vegetables. Farmers' markets are springing up all over the country at a
rapid pace. The trend is reflected in books, magazines, television, and
newspapers. So I was surprised, today, to read this:
"Consumers who would like to be able to buy local fruits and vegetables not just at farmers' markets, but also in the produce aisle of their supermarket, will be dismayed to learn that the federal government works deliberately and forcefully to prevent the local food movement from expanding. And the barriers that the United States Department of Agriculture has put in place will be extended when the farm bill that House and Senate negotiators are working on now goes into effect." - from My Forbidden Fruits (And Vegetables), Jack Hedin, New York Times, Op-Ed, March 1, 2008
Jack Hedin, a Minnesotan farmer, was unable to meet the local demand for his produce and in the article he goes on to describe how the commodity farmers he rented land from were penalized by the office of the Farm Service Administration, the Agriculture Department branch that runs the commodity farm program.
Basically, the government demands that commodity farmers grow subsidized commodities or nothing at all. Any farmer growing other fruits and vegetables has to give up his subsidy for one year, is penalized the market value of the forbidden crops, and faces the possibility of being ineligible for subsidies in the future.
One could argue against the practices of the Agriculture Department from a number of directions, but I take the approach of a someone who just enjoys eating fresh-picked, locally-grown fruits and vegetables. I don't want to have to fight for them. I don't want farmers to be penalized for growing them. It would seem so basic, but it's apparent that it won't be basic unless the federal government enacts some policy changes.
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