Government’s Beef with Agriculture

Agriculture continues to bring exceptional value and should not be blamed for Climate Change.

People today understand much less about the value chain that brings food to the kitchen table. As farming operations have increased in size with other industries, food production has become less visible in most communities. In the past, people had direct knowledge of food creation because they grew up on farms or visited the farms of friends and family. As government has expanded its regulatory role, many times in an intrusive fashion, it has brought excessive and unproductive regulatory restrictions. The reduced visibility of agriculture in our communities has left the public unaware of these challenges faced by today’s farmers. Many of these regulatory trends are initiated in Western Europe by special groups, migrate to California, and finally spread to the rest of the U.S. Agriculture in much of Western Europe is no longer self-sufficient due to these pressures.

Adding to this, livestock production has been incorrectly blamed for climate change. It was noted at the American Chemical Society’s national meeting this March 22 in San Francisco that only “2.8% of the U.S. greenhouse emissions (per the EPA) came from animal agriculture in 2007, and this number has remained nearly constant since 1990” (www.feedstuffs.com) This is amazing considering that the U.S. meat production has grown by 50% over the same period! As the global need for safe and affordable food is expected to double over the next 20 years, we must applaud our farmers for the diligent work they do and for the care of the land they demonstrate. We must not condemn them for bringing food to our tables. Twice American is first appreciating the goods and services we need, and second acknowledging that hardworking men and women are behind those goods and services.

Regards,

Lee Byberg

Source: Tim Lundeen, U.N. admits to flaw in climate change report. Feedstuffs, March 25, 2010