I spend a good bit of my time reading and paying attention to the trends of the today with my head on a swivel looking at the past and into the future. As a Christian, I find great comfort in the fact that God is in control of all outcomes. What I find even more powerful and encouraging to me is Psalm 19:1 "1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." I spend a good bit of my time on food, fertilizer, and farming and all things associated with that. Sounds pretty vague, and some days it is. Other days it comes into sharp focus. Lately, I have been looking at farming, past present, and future and have come up with a couple conclusions. Limited thinking leads to limited outcomes We hear a lot about the 9 billion people by 2050 and how are we going to handle it. In some circles, it almost sounds like Chicken Little and the Falling Sky, while others have got this well laid out plan that involves things that I don't think have been quite so self-sustaining. Come on, we talk about needing to have all this food and how we need to treat soil, water, and plants a whole lot better and yet we go stripping off corn stalks and crop residue for biofuels. Oh, and we the taxpayer in the United States will fund companies to do this. See the slight disconnect here? Anyone ever hear of that thing called The Dust Bowl....come on, how smart is that? In the meantime, we are shown that no-till farming practices, keeping corn stalks and crop residue in the field, helps us reduce water loss(kind of big these days) by up to 70% and helps increase earthworm populations up to half a million per acre! (really important for crops and been around a lot longer than you and me) Is it really so wise to strip the land that feeds you? Can we not do any better than that? I think we can. The thing that gives me comfort in all of this is that God was and is so creative that he shared some of his ability with men. In Genesis 1:27 it says: "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." And we see time and again how God imparted his creativity and curiosity into men. The creativity of God shows itself in the everyday decisions and discoveries of man. Take Exodus 31:1-11 as it shows how God called out specific people to be the artisans of his temple. Wow, how cool is that? But should that not surprise us? Does it not say in 1 Corinthians: "18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body." Perhaps it's time to let a farmer be a farmer. I know, shocking isn't it. I use to think that the American Farmer was an endangered species. Now I'm not so sure. I think that needs to be made broader to include other nations. They farm differently and have different soils and social structures. Yet they, too, are having their options for food production limited and restricted. You know the old saying, "Too many cooks in the kitchen." The farmer and all things farming have gotten way off base and the call of farming is the big loser. Funny thing is that no one in the Untied States wants to farm, but everyone wants to become an expert on how to farm, or control what products are available to use. Maybe the reason for that is because everyone knows that farming is hard work and doesn't pay so well for the "traditional" family farm anymore. In the United States, we value our farmers so much that 17 cents out of every food dollar goes to the farmer. The other 83 cents goes some place else. Remember that the next time you go through the "Drive Thru". He pays all his bills, including those illegal immigrants we don't like. Have you ever picked strawberries in the middle of a 50-acre field and get paid piece rate for each tray you pick? A curious fact is that the median income of these undocumented workers is $7,500 annually. Kind of shows us how much we value food and farming. But this is the really great part, we are endowed with the talents to deal with this. Perhaps we should allow those who God called to be farmers to be just that, our farmers. They don't become some companies "captive audience" to only use their products, they don't become your "cheap food" supplier. No, let our churches, civic organizations, and others that God has called to help be the ones who help those in need when they can't afford to buy food. The United States farmer can't live much longer on 17 cents. The power of creativity is coming out in fascinating ways. Perhaps God is calling out a new generation of farmers. Ones that do not live in rural areas, but instead, live down you street, or in your neighborhood. They are getting involved in local food hubs or into some sort of hydroponic or aquaponic farming. Now we don't have as much federal money to help get you started in this as we do for biofuels, but hey, it is still a great idea! I am in connection with many different Food Hubs, CSA's, and other localized efforts. And, (kudos to modern technology and our state agencies) we are able to use federal food subsidies, like SNAP, at many of these venues for those who want to buy such foods here in the United States. Now to me, nothing is more satisfying than seeing your customer smile when you say, "thanks for shopping". Perhaps it is through the help of these up and coming "agventures" like Freight Farms and others who bring farming to the urban dweller, restaurant, and chef that man will find his way back to farming. At the end of the day, we need to let the farmer get back to being what God called him to be, a farmer. For what it's worth. I thank you for reading!
Taxonomy
- Agriculture & Forestry
- Biotechnology