Every agriculture professor, producer, reporter I visit with share the following exact same frustrations:
1) The federal government excessively over-regulates us, making it impossible for us to produce.
Then they import from countries that aren't regulated.
They should "leave us alone, and let the consumer decide which products should succeed...and which should die," they tell me; further
explaining, "It's the law of supply and demand. The producer will supply whatever the consumer demands."
2) The federal government messes with the markets - subsidizing certain products like corn - at the demise of other products.
Again, they reiterate the best thing the federal government can do is, "leave us alone, and let the consumer decide which products should
succeed...and which should die."
Then they elaborate, "Creating these false demands disrupts normal marketing."
3) The federal government encourages "free" market instead of implementing "fair" market practices.
They see federal government failure in one of the few areas it's defined to do...under our U.S. Constitution; and that is "International trade."
In summary Steve, agriculture producers produce by the law of supply and demand: "I will grow what consumers buy."
All the federal government has to do, is nothing. Get out of the way. The producers and consumers will handle it just fine.
By Roni Bell Sylvester |