<\/p>\n
For all I know, Parsons places me in the latter camp; but I think he makes good sense here, and the kind of conversation he’s attempting to start would be quite valuable. I am sympathetic with anyone who’s trying to scratch a living off of the land, and recoil when sustainable food advocates demonize large-scale farmers. In the past I’ve argued<\/a>—to the chagrin<\/a> of mainstream green groups—against taking a simplistic anti-subsidy stance on farm policy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And indeed, Parsons may have succeeded in starting just the kind cilvil conversation he set out to. The blog of the National Corn Grower’s Association, a group not normally open to criticisms of Big Ag, welcomed<\/a> Parson’s piece: “You may not like all of the points made in his article, but there are some real gems that make it a worthy read.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I welcome a new, more civil conversation, too. But here’s something that Parsons didn’t mention—and that must be aired out: corporate dominance of the food system. From my view, the main problem faced by the nation’s large-scale farmers isn’t that Michael Pollan writes books critical of corn; it’s that just two buyers, ADM and Cargill, buy and process the great bulk of their product—and siphon off so much of its value. And a few input suppliers like seed giant Monsanto and fertilizer titan Mosaic (majority-owned by Cargill) siphon off much of what’s left.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As long as that situation holds sway—large farms producing input-intensive monocrops for a few buyers with massive market power—the stewards of our nation’s best farmland will remain reliant on direct government payments and rigged up markets, like the one for ethanol<\/a>. And they’ll face pressure to maximize gross output, to the detriment of soil, waterways, and flavor. We as a society have a stake in helping them get out of that trap—and I hope to participate in a civil conversation about how that can happen.<\/p>\n Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Seeking sustainability, finding skeptics at the American Farm Bureau meeting<\/a><\/p>\n Industrial farming head just says ‘no’ to call for civility<\/a><\/p>\n Gates Foundation throws its lot with agribusiness<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/a.rfihub.com\/eus.gif?eui=2223\"\/)
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"