As Big Ag Reports Record Earnings, Farmers Report Record Suicide Rates
We’ve highlighted the work of Rick Friday here before, the renegade cartoonist who was fired from a newspaper for speaking truth to power. Thankfully, for all of us (except the multinational ag corporations), he got his job back.
This morning, he posted this on his Facebook page. What happens when there are no farmers left? And if less than 1% of our farmland is organic, we end up importing the food that Americans want to eat. Food security starts with farmer security. And right now, as big ag reports record earnings, farmer are killing themselves in record numbers. The suicide rates of farmers is more than double that of our veterans, and an opioid epidemic is running rampant on farms.
Something is going to give, and Rick Friday chimes in with this take:
“Monsanto marks record sales and gross profit in seeds and genomics segment in fiscal year 2017.
U.S. meat processor Tyson Foods Inc. reported higher earnings for the fourth quarter on Monday, November 13, 2017, as lower costs to buy cattle feed boosted profit margins in its beef and chicken businesses.
Cargill’s earnings were up across four segments—meat, food ingredients, grain and oilseeds, and financial services. 2017 earnings up 50 percent year-on-year on broad gains.
Land O’Lakes, Inc. announced increased third quarter 2017 financial results with quarterly net earnings of $47.5 million, up from third quarter net earnings in 2016 of $8.1 million.
Meanwhile, down on the farm…….”
And he attached the image above.
It’s food for thought. We have to #rethinkfood and protect our farmers. Our food system and health depends on them.
