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Letters from readers

By Staff | Oct 26, 2018

To the editor:

Thank you Farm News editors for printing the Sept. 7th letter by Mr. George Naylor. George spoke truth to power when he exposed the Farm Bureau, Commodity groups as lackeys for multinational corporations he included Congress who since 1953 have genuflected to the dictates of agribusiness power house Cargill, Monsanto and vertical integrators like Prestige farms and Smithfield. Now I would include The World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and giant U.S. Banks with their dictorial structural adjustment programs that keep nations big and small in debt.

George was right when he said “Today’s farm crisis is not the product of a misguided trade war”. The U.S. Has been under pricing our grain ever since 1953 when Congress and President Eisenhower dismantled the parity price floor mechanism. Today, Trump’s very cruel response to 65 years of farm gate theft is reflected in his shamefully inadequate bailout from his goofy trade embargo.

No one should blame China for being able to buy U.S. Grain cheap blame U.S. Policy makers. If someone handed me an economic windfall like the U.S. Dumping it’s cheap grain on the world market I would be laughing all the way to the bank. No wonder we have a huge trade embalance with China. Stupid is as stupid does I guess.

The only real winners in Trump’s bailout are the agribusiness conglomerates in the livestock industry. Those vertical integrators have been getting underpriced grain all the while independent family farm hog producers have been losing money on the grain they raise and feed. With Trump and his political appointees waging war on the EPA and the relaxing of pollution standards those vertical integrators can pollute with impunity.

If I had the power I would tell the World Trade Organization the U.S. Is a sovereign nation and we will not stand for unelected foreign bureaucrats and lawyers dictating how we conduct our farm policy. Then I would inform the world we are going to monetize our raw resources (grains) to the parity price index and institute a grain reserve and a supply management plan. I would inform our trading partners we are no longer selling cheap grain on the world market and immediately send trade representatives to negotiate agriculture trade that will sustain and respect farmers, workers and communities throughout the world

Larry Ginter

Rhodes, Iowa

Letters from readers

By Staff | Oct 26, 2018

To the editor:

As a fourth generation livestock and grain farmer working the land my great-grandfather bought in 1921, I am greatly worried about the state of our farm economy.

I’ve had the same inefficient representative in Steve King for 16 years. So far as I know, he’s done nothing for farmers. We have fewer seed companies and buyers for our livestock because of mega mergers. My input costs are going up while corn and soybean prices are going down thanks to the Trump Administration’s failure to enforce the RFS and their boneheaded trade war with China.

Meanwhile, many farms, factories and grain elevators can’t secure the workforce they need thanks to our outdated approach to immigration. What has Steve King done to help us with any of this? Nothing! He isn’t on the Farm Bill conference committee anymore and we remember his endorsement of Ted Cruz for president, the man who wants to destroy the ethanol industry to please his Big Oil backers.

King’s extreme racist views have divided our state. Worst of all, he refuses to be held accountable because he can’t be bothered to do public events or town halls or debates where questions could be asked of his record. He definitely does not represent me!

I believe J.D. Scholten is the breath of fresh air we need. Like Senator Grassley, he’s committed to being accessible to all and doing town hall tours in every county. He is someone who will listen to everyone, who will put the interests of farmers and the people of Iowa first ahead of his own political agenda. I usually vote for the person and JD Scholten is a informed and decent person. We need someone who will truly work for us in the U.S. Congress.

Rick Schultes

Templeton

Letters from readers

By Staff | Oct 26, 2018

To the editor:

In every term since he went to Washington almost sixteen years ago Steve King has been ranked among the LEAST effective members of Congress (see thelawmakers.org). We have a choice. We can continue to elect a fear-filled man whose only talent is making divisive statements for the evening news or we can vote for a young man who has experience in working with others to solve common problems. J.D. Scholten is more interested in the future of Iowa than the past. He wants to help craft solutions to problems like health care, immigration reform, and an economy that works for farmers and rural Iowans. The choice is ours.

Bob Uetz

Boone