How are farmers doing today?
How are farmers doing today?
When we text, phone, email or zoom the ones we love today, we ask: How are you doing? Maybe you don’t know a farmer, and among your loved ones there may be no farmers. But, who doesn’t love a farmer when you walk into a grocery store and find what you need on the shelves?
So, we know you want to know: How are farmers doing today?
They are busy, worried, a bit confused and overall hopeful.
They are busy. Busy producing food as they do every day 365 days a year. Right now, as the spring enters its full bloom many are in their fields planting, pruning and preparing for another harvest. While many non-farmers look at the four walls of their apartments or homes after binging on Tiger King, farmers are glad to be in their barns, offices, and fields doing what they do best.
Worried? Yes. The present is very difficult for many, the future uncertain. With 7% of the nation’s milk production dumped and multiple millions of pounds of fresh produce plowed under and with the price of many products at record lows, farmers have lots to be worried about. Cheese is at a 20 year low. Milk prices are well below the cost of production. Swine farmers find their processing facilities shut down. Eggs are being smashed by the millions even while sales of baby chicks have gone through the roof.
Confused? Well, who isn’t these days. But farmers have some additional reasons other than why the facts about the pandemic seem to change every day. Why, when they are dumping milk are stores rationing to one gallon per customer? Why, when millions of workers have lost jobs and are fearful of not being able to buy groceries, are we dumping so much valuable food? Yes, there are reasons — like the fact that Americans more on food from restaurants than grocery stores and now over half of the retail food distribution system is shutdown. And that the virus has upended the logistics of getting food from farms to markets. But there are other confusing issues. Like why do major media outlets promote the lies coming from farm worker unions about the lack of care of farm workers? Why do they show no interest in what farm workers themselves have to say? Why do our legislators and courts continue to allow greedy lawyers to earn millions while putting our farms out of business when our governments have decreed farms as “essential”?
But farmers remain hopeful. Some are simply hoping they can weather the loss of crops and crash of prices. Most are hoping that when things go back to the new normal, those now thankful that our store shelves remain mostly filled that they will do what they can in the future to help keep farmers in business. They hope today’s gratitude will result in tomorrow’s action. Farmers are resilient lot, self-reliant and optimistic by nature. You can’t be a farmer without those qualities. And it is those qualities that will carry them through to a better day to come.
