2007-01-29

Farmer Tom on The Risks and Rewards of Farming

Our own Farmer Tom Philpott is featured on Six String Slinger's favorite lefty opinion site, Alternet.

If you're going to subsidize farms, wouldn't it make common sense to fund the little guys who must rely on a second income from a spouse who often works elsewhere? Instead in a "free market system", our government doles out the cash to big Ag. This to the detriment of family farmers in the US and small farmers who export goods to the US. It is also detrimental to our health as recent food scares have demonstrated.

Agriculture has been touted as a possible solution for Detroit as well. With plenty of land and plenty of poor people looking for work, the ruralization of Detroit's urban center might not be a bad idea. Fresh food, jobs, land improvement...

Another good idea that may languish on the Grand Blvd. of broken dreams.

1 comment:

Paul Hue said...

I'm with you on this one, Nadir, all the way. I seek zero subsidies, but if we are to have some, give them only to the little guys (though even that will lead to absurd wastes and various unforeseen negative consequences).