Mike wrote an interesting article recently questioning how “300 million Americans – all addicted to eating – have become disconnected from the people who provide our food?”
“If we’re not interested in food production what new priorities have captured our attention? But what’s more important than eating? What’s more important than feeding a hungry planet and supporting the people who grow our food?”
Even as an outsider to agriculture Mike can see that there is a huge need for people to get educated about the realities of feeding a growing population. How are we going to increase food production when environmental groups fiercely oppose biotechnical & chemical breakthroughs that could dramatically increase crop yeilds? How are we going to produce more beef, pork or chicken when animal rights groups are determined to eliminate not only intensive animal production but animal-based agriculture altogether? Do these groups realise that once animal agriculture is eliminated from nations like the US & Australia that we will become reliant on countries such as China & Brazil to produce our protein? Do they like this idea? Mike emphasizes that people are arguing about the food debate without keeping the big issue in mind, “this is our food supply we’re talking about – not the size of a chicken’s cage”.
“Every tangible thing our society needs is either pulled from the ground, or grown from the ground. Without these fundamental industries there would be no jobs of any kind. There would be no economy. Civilization begins with farmers, and polite society is only possible when skilled workers transform those raw materials into something useful or edible”.
“Every year we demand more & more from our farmers. More food from less land. More food from less energy. More food from less labor. And every year our farmers deliver. Modern agriculture is more efficient than ever but no-one outside the farm seems to realize. No-one seems to care”.
As a country Australia hasn’t made it very easy for farmers. We provide the rest of the country with all the food they need, yet many behave as though it’s their birthright. It seems that as a country we could do a much better job of supporting the people who feed us, and we could start by acknowledging the incredible challenges facing The Australian Farmer.