Many American Farmers are Struggling to Stay A Float
Photo Credit: Civil Eats – Young worker of kettlefarm with bucket and hayfork walking along two stables with dairy cows
It is largely an untold story, but many farmers in America are struggling to stay open, and make a living. The price of commodity crops has gone down a lot in recent years. Something farmers are especially aware of since President Trump’s recent “trade war” with China. In the 1970’s many farmers were encouraged to start growing only one or two major crops. At the time this was the most lucrative way to survive, (though as we have found it is not the best for our health or the environment). Now, as the Farm Bill Conference Committee works on a version of the Farm Bill that both the House and the Senate agree on, many farmers are declaring bankruptcy and barely getting by. Although the Senate version of the Farm Bill is far from perfect, and may not be able to help the farmers who are already at the end of their rope, it could help future farmers.
“As early as February 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicted a decline in net farm income to its lowest level since 2002 (adjusted for inflation), with median farm income projected at negative $1,316. For well over a year, worries about a new farm crisis have rippled across rural America. The very term is synonymous with the 1980s, when the bottom dropped out of the agricultural economy, sending thousands of farms into foreclosure and shuttering businesses.
Grain and dairy farmers were beginning to see a repeat of the ‘80s as their prices dropped this spring—and then President Trump started a trade war. Retaliatory agricultural tariffs have kicked this new farm crisis into high gear. The president is offering $12 billion in farm aid to ease the pain, but neither those payments nor the farm bill being hammered out in Congress will substantially change the outlook for farm country. Ever since federal farm policy told farmers to “get big or get out” in the ‘70s, the push toward consolidation has created decades of slow-burning crisis for many farmers. The problem has some rural residents re-envisioning rural policy from the ground up.”
Another resource for farmers is the Farmer’s Resource Network, which advocates for farmers as well as physically helps them.
The best way to help the farmer’s though is by the changing of laws, and hopefully the passing of the senate farm bill. Find out about how to help take action here.
Activist Group Wins in Ruling Throwing out Subpoena From Monsanto
On September 6th, the activist group Avaaz won in court against Monsanto. Monsanto had sent them a subpoena requesting all documents and written materials the organization had pertaining to Monsanto and the chemical glyphosate. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice, Shlomo S. Hagler, passed a motion to deny Monsanto the right to the subpoena and any documents. He event went so far as to remind the organization about the freedom of speech!
According to a representative from Avazz who was there: “The judge said the subpoena would have a “tremendous chilling effect”, saying “no member would want to have their privacy and their activity known” and actually gave Monsanto a lecture on democracy and free speech!!” The organization wrote a well thought out take down of Monsanto’s subpoena request you can read here.
This comes after the company lost in a case this summer against a California school groundskeeper who developed Cancer from exposure to glyphosate in Roundup products.
To read more about the case and the verdict click here.
You can watch a video from right after the decision here:
Some McDonalds Workers Decided to Strike This Week Over Sexual Harassment
Photo Credit: Vox.com
For the first time since the #MeToo movement started last year, fast-food workers have decided to take a stand against sexual harassment in the workplace. McDonalds workers across the country decided to stage a walk-out strike today at lunchtime to protest against the harassment that they have had to deal with in the work place. This comes right as the sexual assault allegations have come out against Brett Kavanaugh as well. Bringing this issue to the forefront is important to ensure a future where people can feel safe in their workspace. Though McDonalds denies allegations and says that they have policies in place to prevent workspace sexual harassment, workers have a different view.
According to the AP the workers involved in the walkout, who are part of a union organization hope that the walk out will: “…improve procedures for receiving and responding to harassment complaints, and require anti-harassment training for managers and employees. Another demand will be formation of a national committee to address sexual harassment, comprised of workers, representatives from corporate and franchise stores, and leaders of national women’s groups.”
To read more on this issue from vox.com click here.
California Climate Summit Happened Last Week, Where Do We Go From Here?
Photo Credit: AP Photo / Eric Risberg
Last week across the US people came out and protested to raise awareness for Climate Change as part of the People’s Climate March. This kicked off the Global Action Climate Summit in San Francisco. To read more about it click here. The Climate Summit had a new approach, it focused on locality. In the past Climate Summit’s have been based at the United Nations and included tons of different representatives from different countries. This year the Summit was organized by the California government officials, and included many local and statewide politicians. The focus was on how you can do things in your own backyard to ma
ke a change. This is really a great way to try and make a difference on an issue that can sometimes seem daunting.
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