Wednesday evening I was one of seven Commissioner candidates (and the only Democrat) who visited with the Jackson County Farm Bureau over an informal dinner. What became clearer is the goal of bringing different-thinking people together, even if they do share dedication to the valley and concern for the future, is a lot easier to say than do. I don't blame those who wonder if it's possible. I knew a few of these farmers from the old days, both the early 70s when I lived in Sams Valley and as a Commissioner in the 80s. The ones I know are good people, reliable, straightforward, generous to the community, hardworking as they come, largely separate from the multinational agribusiness matrix you saw in "Food, Inc." These folks want to feed us, and make a living and live a certain way as they do it. We're lucky to have them.
And....their anger at any environmental limitation gets close to rage. Wednesday night their heads nodded up and down enthusiastically as candidates got up and promised to fight to end statewide land-use planning, federal regulation of the forest, reduction of any irrigation allotments (against the extremists who "think fish are way more important than people!"). When I shared my experience of hearing from farmers with different views on whether or not use of ag lands should be restricted by the state, another candidate got up and said "Well, maybe there's some grower of something-or-other out there in Birkenstocks and a ponytail who says different, but real farmers feel the same [that the state should get out of the way of their right to develop their land just as they choose]."
From an Ashland perspective it's not hard to dismiss all this as extreme, overly self-interested, whatever. But think for a minute what it would feel like to work as hard as farmers do their whole lives (my experience with bucking hay in the 1970s cured me for a lifetime), have so much trouble making a living or even holding on to their farms, and watch three decades of more and more and more regulation. I happen to believe that their troubles stem a lot more from globalization policies and the perverse economic impacts of the big U.S. Farm Bills than from environmental rules, but in their shoes I might not feel much differently than they do; a new proposal to create a Siskiyou Crest National Monument (which they hate) is a much more conspicuous target for them than Cargill's pricing policies or Monsanto's monopoly seed strategy.
As a candidate, I'm going to listen hard, and be willing to have my own beliefs tested. Some aren't going to change -- sorry, I don't believe that reducing the huge federal subsidy of water for Klamath Basin potato farmers so that salmon can survive is "putting fish before people," and I'm not going to repeal land use laws so that farmers can sell off or build on prime ag lands, no matter how much heat there is about trampled individual property rights. But neither am I going to write local farmers off as dense people who care nothing about their kids' future. They're not.
What I'd like from anyone paying attention are the best ideas on narrowing the gap between these folks and the ag people & policies that are figuring out how to farm, and farm in economically realistic ways, in the world as it is -- particularly those dedicated to making us more self-reliant in the face of a global food system that is not doing us any big favors. I'd really value concise statements of good ideas....
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteThank you, for coming to dinner with the Jackson County Farm Bureau. This is a concerned group regarding the future of the county and state.
I also remember the summer you were bucking hay, I was a heavy equipment mechanic at the Allis Chalmers tractor dealership in Medford, a business long gone.
This was an important time in local and state history as the long discussion regarding land use, the environment, endangered species, and the nature of the State of Oregon started. Earth Day and land use, very new in Oregon and the Nation at that time.
Looking back, at the decisions and discussions, all of us made some mistakes and had a lot to learn. All of us are a lot better educated today on the issues.
Land use; we saved a lot of land, but lost the farmers and ranchers. We have come up very short on people and investments in local agriculture. Currently, we have some growth in small operations, but the total production is very small.
As we continue to make decisions in land use planning, we seem to miss the fact that we started out to save farms, forestry, and other resource lands to maintain jobs. This is the big failure in land use planning, and the farmers and ranchers know it.
The environment; those of us who have spent most of our lives outdoors have a very different view of the environment. I listen to some who tell me that we have a great shortage of wildlife, healthy land, clean useable water, and the day is coming that all will be lost due to a lack of regulation and enforcement. Yet, over time I have watched the great threats to the environment become forgotten as people realized that things where not as bad as they thought.
Today, based on the current “Great Threats” we as a group of people are considering setting aside vast areas of land, removing dams, taking irrigation water from farms, and agreeing to more regulation and enforcement.
A price will be paid for these moves and we need to really think this over before we take permanent steps that will be hard to reverse, like removing dams.
Endangered species; A great concern amongst many people, especially fish, salmon, trout and others have become the point of conflict between the public vs. agriculture, forest products, and mining.
Unfortunately, this has evolved into a no discussion issue; you are for or against, no compromise. Currently, the natural resource industries are flatly losing the debate.
If the fish win all, which is at hand, consider some economics about Southern Oregon. We produce very little of what we use, food, energy, fiber, manufactured goods, and other critical goods and services.
What will be the economic plan be if we take the “Fish win All “approach? Will we continue to hope the rest of the world delivers all we need? We tried the retirement / tourism / housing route, and the subprime mortgage crisis taught us a lesson.
We need to open up the fish discussion in Jackson County and make some decisions, quickly!
I hope to hear from some folks willing to do the hard work of quickly building a plan around the issues of land use, the environment, endangered species, and our state.
Right now I need to stand up, go outside and began the irrigation season, pasture and hay for 300 hundred sheep, keep up the barns and fences, keep the equipment moving and get my huge gardens of corn, pumpkins, squash, and sunflowers planted.
I really need some help, not with farming, but hard decision making.
Glenn R Archambault
Jackson County Farm Bureau