| TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- We heard lots of frustration with the
state of American agriculture recently, as Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, made
his way across Idaho gathering input on reauthorizing the farm bill.
But frustration alone changes little. Farmers need to accept certain
realities and go from there.
For those who want to scrap trade agreements such as GATT and NAFTA, we
say think again. That's not going to happen. Besides, for all the problems
associated with trade agreements, it is a two-way street. American
agriculture really would be in a fix if we suddenly could not export the
30 percent of ag products we do.
Where to start
Granted there are inequities, ... producer said, "We can give them
all the environment they want, but let's get paid for it." The
American people want safe food, clean air and water. Agriculture actually
can use this to its benefit, just as the organic movement has. Figure it
in as a cost of production, charge more for those environmentally friendly
products, promote them and push Congress for monetary incentives for being
good stewards.
Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles facing agriculture, and one of the
hardest to balance, is parity. Parity across the globe in this new global
marketplace is a tough one. The strength of the dollar might be good for
American tourists headed for other landscapes, but it is crippling
American agriculture.
American ag exports aren't going to be a whole lot cheaper for foreign
buyers in the short term, and that just reinforces the tendency of other
countries to build their own agriculture industries rather than depend on
American imports.
Still, over the long term, the prospects are better. By almost any
measure, American farmers are the most efficient producers in the world
and population pressure alone will keep American farm products on many
nations' shopping lists.
In the same vein, many goods coming in are cheaper than American
products and gaining market share. But there are a few things farmers can
do to even the playing field: One, they can push for equalizing tariffs
and quotas on all incoming goods. Two, they can insist that the goods
coming in meet the same cost-incurring standards of American goods. And
three, they can do a better job of selling Americans on the high quality
of U.S. products and push for labeling laws that give American consumers
an informed choice.
The bottom line is: Frustration only will get you so far. Solutions
will make the difference. |