Say Farmer Spud grows potatoes that eventually end up at McDonalds as French fries but due to an economic downturn, Farmer Spud has to give up potato farming.
Gee that’s too bad, people say, and they don’t think any more about it…if they think about it at all.
They don’t think about the other people who will lose either some income or a job because Farmer Spud is no longer growing potatoes.
Like the seed salesman, the agronomist, the implement dealership, the mechanic, the fuel company, the insurance company. Being a farmer myself, I also know that there is an accountant and a lawyer in there somewhere. And a banker.
Then there is the trucker who hauls the potatoes from the farm to the processing plant, they guy who fixes his truck, and the fuel company HE buys diesel from. There are the people who work in the processing plant and the people who maintain the equipment in the processing plant. Hell…what about the people who designed and manufactured the equipment in the processing plant?
There is the marketing expert who had to come up with the packaging for the French fries. There is another trucker who takes it from the processing plant to McDonalds.
At McDonalds there are workers who depend on selling French fries for their paycheck. There are the people who design and manufacture the equipment to cook French fries. There is the company that makes and distributes the oil used to cook the French fries.
If I were to use a livestock operation as an example, we could then add in the vet, the feed salesman, the guy who mixes the feed at the elevator, the trucker who delivers the feed, the trucker who hauls the milk to the processing plant…and so on.
Then there are the jobs or industries that are impacted when farmers have to tighten their budgets due to crappy market prices. Believe me, farmers on a budget don’t go to the movies, buy new vehicles, update wardrobes, remodel homes, take long vacations, or go out to eat…all things that provide a living for the people who provide those services.
People need to know not only where their food comes from and how safe it is but how many people it takes to get it from the farm to the grocery store or restaurant for them to buy.
The fact that people just don’t seem to care about the loss of production agriculture infuriates me. I saw a T-shirt one time that I wish I knew where to buy because I would wear it every damn day. It said Don’t criticize farmers with your mouth full. ‘Nuff said.
No, it’s not ‘nuff. I’ll say this. Farmers bust their asses so the rest of the world can sit on theirs and eat safe, economical, healthy food.
Now I’m done. For now.
Images used:
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http://www.biotech-now.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Ag-Employment-2014.png
https://antarisconsulting.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/food-traceability.png?w=640
https://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/WHO-EARNS-WHAT-Business-4.jpeg
https://vangogh.teespring.com/shirt_pic/10765765/12518437/2/2122/480x9999/back.jpg?v=2016-12-06-01-14
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