Inside D.C.
Look homeward…
Commentary
I’ve been wrestling with whether I should rail against President Obama’s seeming desire to make good on every campaign promise he ever made in the first 12 months of his presidency or whether I should take issue with those who believe the world is coming to an end unless we can all go to market and trade our carbon credits like apples for oranges.
Then I received this email from a New England agribusiness executive, pondering the pending acquisition of Pilgrim’s Pride Poultry by JBS out of Brazil:
“I realize we are in a global economy, and food and feed no longer play in just a domestic market, but I really am concerned that our lawmakers have no clue as what is taking place with food production in this country.”
The JBS acquisition notwithstanding, my friend has a point: Do our lawmakers think first of domestic production and its health and vitality or is everything viewed through the prism of global markets?
This is the classic “which-came-first?” conundrum. The U.S. is the world’s biggest food producer. And the reality is the current and future economic health of our industry is predicated on being able to play in the global sandbox that is trade. However, to be able to “go global,” you first need a domestic industry so strong it meets all the needs of its domestic customers, leaving it with the surpluses and the products the world wants and needs. And all of this must be done so that supply, quality, safety and price are not only competitive, but superior.
My New England friend comes at this chicken/egg scenario in a very macro way, and his point is well taken. Do our lawmakers and our regulators actually understand our industry? Do they first consider domestic economic health and competitiveness before thinking globally?
Unfortunately, the number of folks in Congress and this Administration who have a hands-on understanding of farm-to-fork food production is probably at an all-time low. In Congress, it’s the continuing loss of rural members who come from our industry and appreciate what it takes to get animals from birth to shrinkwrap and crops from the ground to the grocery store. Ffor the Administration, it unfortunately appears so far to be all about the “trend” — “small” producers (actually, they’re darn near tiny producers), locovarian, holistic, natural, organic, etc.
What’s needed is a step back. The first priority must be feeding 300 million Americans well and safely and at a cost they can afford. This entails efforts to ensure domestic food production — that means farmers and ranchers — is healthy, happy and competitive. This also means our government looks to the needs and wants of 100% of the population, not just those who shop at the local farmers market.
Then come global markets and the competitiveness and priorities of our U.S.-based multinational corporations, because, say what you will, these companies are the backbone of U.S. marketing at home and abroad. It sure ain’t the U.S. government. Don’t get me wrong — I love U.S.-based multinational corporations. But I also love U.S.-grown companies, and I ache like my friend in New England when I see yet another U.S. family-owned company bite the dust. But in the end, we must suck it up and understanding that underpinning these international companies — most of which do not own cropland or animals — is the economic health and welfare of the individual farmer and rancher.
The message is simple: First, look inward. If you’re happy and satisfied with what you see, if you’ve taken steps to care and foster your own, only then look outward.
Thank you for this timely article. Yes, we must pay close attention to our food supply. I have a sign in fron of my business that says Food is Our National Security. Which means if we don’t protect our farmers and allow them to produce food in the USA we will be dependent on other countries for our food just like we are for oil. The farmers are the golden goose and we should be treated that way. If we get food from other countries we have no control over the quality and if it is safe or not. California has been the bread basket of the world. We are highly regulated from an environmental stand point. We need to have high standards, but time is of an essence. The price of our products in the dairy industry have been cut in half for the last year. This will force some people out of the business sooner than they expected.
I am glad you are having a summit. The processors play a big role in what happens, so I hope alot of them will attend the summitt.
Thank you.
Margo Souza
Pres/Ceo
Circle H Dairy Ranch Inc.
Turlock, CA