Watch America’s farmers slowly disappear from this map

[RiverLover]

Watch America’s farmers slowly disappear from this map

http://grist.org/living/watch-americas-farmers-slowly-disappear-from-this-map/

"In a time span of less than 40 years, America has gone from being a nation of farmers and secretaries to one of truck drivers and the occasional software developer. Yesterday, NPR released an interactive map of the most common job in every state from 1978 to 2014, based on data from the Census Bureau."...


1978


1996


2014


And now, along with selling Mexican produce here in the USA with Americans trucking it around, the United States of Corporations is allowing Mexican trucking companies in to steal those jobs too.

Thanks NAFTA!

Jan 9,2015
Mexican truckers allowed U.S. trips

“Opening the door to a safe cross-border trucking system with Mexico is a major step forward in strengthening our relationship with the nation’s third-largest trading partner, and in meeting our obligations under NAFTA,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
http://www.dallasnews.com/business/headlines/20150109-mexican-truckers-allowed-u.s.-trips.ece

[RiverLover]

1. ALSO SEE - "NAFTA at 20: State of the North American Farmer"

In the United States and throughout North America, NAFTA has accelerated the industrial consolidation of agriculture and pushed out smaller, more sustainable food producers.

By Karen Hansen-Kuhn, December 20, 2013

But while Mexican farmers, especially small-scale farmers, undoubtedly lost from the deal, that doesn’t mean that U.S. farmers have won. Prices for agricultural goods have been on a roller coaster of extreme price volatility — caused by unfair agriculture policies and recklessly unregulated speculation on commodity markets, as well as by increasing droughts and other climate chaos. Each time prices take their terrifying ride back down, more small- and medium-scale farmers are forced into bankruptcy, concentrating land ownership and agricultural production into ever fewer hands.

Corporate Consolidation

It’s hard to separate the impacts of NAFTA from another big change in U.S. farm policy: the 1996 Farm Bill. That legislation set in place a shift from supply management and regulated markets to a policy of “get big or get out.” Farmers were encouraged to increase production with the promise of expanded export markets — including to Mexico. But almost immediately, commodity prices dropped like a stone, and Congress turned to “emergency” payments — later codified as farm subsidies — to clean up the mess and keep rural economies afloat.

Then, as new demand for biofuels increased the demand for corn, and as investors turned away from failing mortgage markets to speculate on grains, energy, and other commodities, prices soared. It wasn’t only the prices of farm goods that rose, however. Prices also increased for land, fuel, fertilizers, and other petrochemical-based agrochemicals. As a result, net farm incomes became much more erratic....

http://fpif.org/nafta-20-state-north-american-farmer/

[Sunlei]

2. That's right. No longer will USA truckers have the border pick-ups of loads of built & grown in...

Mexico products. Products those truckers would deliver to American consumers. Those jobs are gone.

About bringing back LOCAL agriculture IN America.

In addition for example I have a couple acres just outside of Houston. The land can be planted or used for pretty much any use.

However if I plant a crop, I have to pay my yearly property tax as commercial land. I am not allowed to switch to agriculture tax base.

Any agriculture land must be planted every single year. First year there is no crop, the land taxes revert and a 'small farmer' can never get agriculture tax base again.

It is at the most local of levels small business & small farms are blocked from even starting up again in America.

I could start-up as a political charity or a church and pay no property taxes.

[RiverLover]

3. What BS! I wasn't aware of these obstacles in place now to prevent small farming start ups

Thanks for the info. Though this corporate takeover of the US with eyes wide shut is seriously getting depressing.