Barack Obama is tasking his new economic team with figuring out how to create 2.5 million new jobs in his first two years in office. As Peter Cohan commented, much of this new work will likely involve construction: building (and rebuilding) roads, bridges, schools, and wind farms, among other infrastructure-focused initiatives.I was struck with how this news coincided with news that prices were dropping in American commodity crops -- wheat, corn and soybeans. As I was mulling this over I was chatting with a friend who's on the board of my city's farmer's market. The vendors reported that what they desperately needed was help: workers who understood their products to help sell them in the many local markets, and most of all, more farmers to grow produce and make dairy products and preserves, more farmers to raise and cure meats. And I thought of Michael Pollan, and his call for the President-Elect to encourage millions more Americans to become farmers.
Why not combine these great ideas?
Drop the monoculture subsidies and give incentives for large corporate farms to sell off nice parcels at generous prices to young beginning farmers. Just as returning soldiers were given jobs in the Works Progress Administration, out-of-work families can be given tax credits to become apprentices on farms, and federally-funded farm mentor programs can help new farmers -- or "tilth developers" -- learn sustainable practices. Full-time gardener positions can be created at all public schools, prisons, and military bases (maybe bailout-funded financial institutions and auto plants too?); these gardeners can grow food to supply cafeterias and employees' grocery supplies.
Funding won't be hard, because it will mostly be paid out of existing expenses; food money that's going to private businesses making nutritionally-bereft food for students and government employees, for instance, and wheat and corn subsidies for farmers who are just storing it in silos until someone's willing to pay enough to strip it of its nutritional content and make it into junk food. Payoff will be huge, because America's health will increase as the soil is returned to its abundant heritage, reducing costs and increasing happiness. Let's be "America the Beautiful" once more, and have that beauty be more than skin deep.
Funding won't be hard, because it will mostly be paid out of existing expenses; food money that's going to private businesses making nutritionally-bereft food for students and government employees, for instance, and wheat and corn subsidies for farmers who are just storing it in silos until someone's willing to pay enough to strip it of its nutritional content and make it into junk food. Payoff will be huge, because America's health will increase as the soil is returned to its abundant heritage, reducing costs and increasing happiness. Let's be "America the Beautiful" once more, and have that beauty be more than skin deep.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-24-2008 @ 2:41PM
Kathy said...
Okay, you are getting the hang of it - we can give them cheap lyin' loans with derivatives for the poor just starting up, with no feel for the land, no money to buy equipment, no background in this sector and no financial check!! Wouldn't it be great!! I can't figure out how to keep getting my graft from Monsanto though. That could be a problem, because we'll have to keep the drugs flowing to the Americans. Oh well, I'm only in congress for a little while - why worry about the future. If I say it's for Change, I'm sure no one will say anything about printing another measly trillion to bail them out - heck they bought the "free" mandated insurance scheme and they think that no one has to pay for it.