In a newsletter Jan. 21, the Manitoba Pork Council said it will hold a special meeting Feb. 12 in Portage la Prairie to discuss and vote on the jump.

WHY IT MATTERS: Manitoba’s pork sector will decide on whether to increase farmer levies next month.

The proposed increase would raise the hog levy by 10 cents, from 80 cents to 90 cents per hog. Weanling levies would go up two cents per animal, from 19 cents to 21.

“Manitoba currently has the lowest levy rates in Canada,” the newsletter reads. “The current rates have been in place since 2004, when they were reduced from the rates set in 1998 of $0.85 per hog and $0.20 per weanling.”

Registered farmers can choose a proxy to vote for them, Manitoba Pork says, but farmers who wish to do so must submit notice to them prior to Feb. 12. Those notices can be sent to the council by email.

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“Our new leadership group represents the many bright faces of regen ag in Manitoba in many ways,” said Duncan Morrison, executive director of the association, in a press release.

“Their farming peers and networks are always well represented within the audience at the annual MFGA regenerative agriculture conference and are similarly aligned to the MFGA executive trio in age, mindset, farming preferences, family focus and information gathering.”

The board approved the new leaders at their recent meeting at Manitoba Agriculture’s Food and Development Centre in Portage la Prairie. Koscielny, Grossart, and McNish will serve in their roles for the next two years. They’ll be working under Mike Duguid, who will be serving as past chair for one year. Duguid was recently inducted to the MFGA’s Wall of Fame.

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The organization’s recently released sustainability framework, titled Building a Sustainable Future, puts forward five sustainability pillars — economy and innovation, environment, people and culture, animal care and food safety and sector engagement. Manitoba Pork has made a number of commitments under those categories.

WHY IT MATTERS: The pork sector has been pushing hard over a number of years to build a more environment-positive reputation among Manitobans.

The plan is currently posted on the Manitoba Pork website.

The framework will dovetail with the Canadian Pork Council’s national efforts, the site notes. The site also points to Manitoba Pork-funded research into pork production greenhouse gas benchmarking, land use and water use.

“Each of Manitoba Pork’s five sustainability pillars is supported by clear goals and commitments that guide our efforts and communicate progress to producers, stakeholders and the public,” reads the framework document.

“The framework outlines Manitoba Pork’s role, potential targets, impacts on producers and areas where collaboration with partners is essential for driving meaningful change.”

The document boosts the council’s transparency efforts, says Grant Melnychuk, the group’s director of sustainable development, research and data management.

“What’s new is this transparently identifies all these efforts and initiatives and puts them in one place where producers or stakeholders or the public can can view them,” he says.

It also directs the group to regularly update producers, stakeholders and the public on activities it’s engaging in.

”It fits nicely under our organization’s strategic plan to ensure that all our efforts don’t go off on a tangent somewhere. What we’re doing is working towards the overall goals of our organization,” Melnychuck says.

It is designed as an evergreen document, but the Manitoba Pork director notes that there is flexibility baked in.

“We can add new (activities or targets) or we can refine the existing ones as necessary going forward,” he says.

“If, for example, new information or new technology becomes available or a new commitment becomes prioritized, we can certainly add or refine as needed so no new approvals are needed. What’s there right now is not etched in stone.”

Previous environmental work

No particular event or topic triggered the development of the framework, Melnychuk says. Rather, he calls it an “evolution” of ongoing and existing sustainability initiatives, including a previous document that followed the same basic principle.

“Back in 2011 we released a document called Embracing a Sustainable Future. It outlined a number of goals and priorities for the sector and for Manitoba Pork and where it saw itself going in the future with respect to sustainability as an organization,” he says.

However, around 2020-21 it was becoming clear the document needed a refresh.

“And that’s what we’ve been doing — probably for the past three or four years — is articulating where we are now with sustainability leaders, where we see ourselves going.”

Provincial-national alignment

The Canadian Pork Council is also undergoing a multi-year, multi-phase sustainability project. The Manitoba group wants their document to be in concert with that.

“Some of the current baseline data that’s being developed for the Canadian Pork Council on the sector’s environmental footprint will help Manitoba Pork identify some of our future initiatives or opportunities for collaboration where we might be able to move the needle within Manitoba,” Melnychuk says.

Getting on the same page as complementary and like-minded organizations is a prevailing theme in the framework.

Several examples can be found under the economy and innovation pillar.

The second commitment under that category calls for Manitoba Pork to “be a leader in research and development for growth in the value of pork production to Manitoba’s economy.”

This means several recommendations for collaborative alignment, such as “amplifying” partnerships with research institutions to communicate activities and results, participating in the establishment of national research priorities and seeking opportunities with other jurisdictions “to find synergies and share results.”

The council will “continue building on successful collaborations and partnerships within various units of Manitoba Agriculture with the common goal of building and strengthening Manitoba’s hog sector,” reads the framework.

It also implores Manitoba Pork to partner with external collaborators “that can provide on-farm value to pork producers such as Protein MB, lean management experts, trainers of emerging technologies and others.”

The old environmental snag

Where the extra nutrient comes from in waterways and water bodies (Lake Winnipeg especially) is a well-worn argument in Manitoba. Agriculture has often been a target in that debate, with the pork sector in particular absorbing accusations around nutrient run-off from manure. Farmers, meanwhile, often point to raw sewage coming out of the city of Winnipeg after heavy rain events.

In a June 2024 Co-operator story, Alexis Kanu, executive director of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation, points out a spacial correlation between highly-concentrated animal agriculture on Lake Winnipeg’s southeast side and the area’s phosphorus hot spots.

She says the organization was not pointing a definite blaming finger on agriculture, but did say, in general terms, that it was important to prevent livestock manure from contributing to phosphorus loading in the lake.

Manitoba Pork, meanwhile, says the manure from their industry provides key nutrient for Manitoba crops, and points to the adoption of better nutrient management, such as application based on soil testing and injecting fertilizer to keep it in the ground, rather than running off down a river. In a May 2024 opinion piece submitted to the Co-operator, the pork council’s general manager, Cam Dahl, estimates that more 90 per cent of applied hog manure in the province was now injected or incorporated right after being applied.

The second commitment under the new framework’s environment pillar calls for Manitoba Pork to “continue to protect the quality and availability of local water sources.”

Melnychuk denies the commitment was linked to defending against nutrient-related criticisms. Rather, he says it’s meant to be read as a statement of Manitoba Pork’s ongoing dedication to partnering with groups such as the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium, the Manitoba Association of Watersheds and the Red River Basin Commission.

Although the framework is not intended as a public relations tool, it could be in the right hands, says Melnychuk.

“If a member of the public, for example, was unsure whether the hog sector was sustainable or not, and (wondered) what the sector is doing regarding Lake Winnipeg, they can look at the framework and say, ‘Oh, okay — so Manitoba Pork has been partnering with scientific research groups and all producers are practicing sustainable manure management.’

“It’ll hopefully be used to educate folks that might be looking for information in that regard.”

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Rob O’Connor, show director of Ag in Motion, said growth and interest in the show is happening naturally. It has never been advertised outside of Western Canada but that hasn’t stopped word from spreading to Eastern Canada, the United States and other continents.

Whether from their own interest or at the invitation of companies participating in AIM, attendees from multiple African and European countries and Australia were well represented at this year’s show, held in July near Langham, Sask.

Henok Dejene is owner and managing director of hdd trading plc, an import-export company from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and he was one of this year’s international attendees.

“I have travelled all over the world, to different kinds of shows and exhibitions and expos like this,” he said. “This one is different. It is intended for demonstration. Wherever you see the tractors, the seeders, the drones, everything, you can see it doing the things that it’s supposed to do. So, demonstration with these kinds of things, it catches my eye, and I hope I’ll see it again.”

Dejene, a first-time visitor to the show, said he was astonished at the size of AIM and its displays and intends to return.

Why it matters: Ag in Motion ran in mid-July 2024 near Langham, Sask.

His goal at AIM was to build relationships and find equipment to import. Ethiopian production is similar to that of the Prairies. It produces teff, corn, wheat and sorghum so equipment requirements are closely mirrored.

Dejene’s company imports agriculture and construction machinery and parts, new and used, ranging from tractors and large trucks to seeders and irrigation equipment. Most of what he finds is sold to retailers, though his company keeps some equipment to rent.

“For example, when somebody starts some big farming, we rent out some machineries to clear the land. I rent the tractors. Maybe they can’t or (don’t) have the capacity to own this machine,” he said.

Ethiopia is most accustomed to John Deere equipment, Dejene said, but what they have is less technical and with less horsepower than the equipment he saw at AIM. He said a high level of technological advancement is not yet needed in his country.

“Some of the machineries are sophisticated, they are very big, they are really cutting edge. Maybe those kinds of machineries may take some time. And the other thing, the drones, the pumps, and some small horsepower tractors, already the market is there.”

John Deere equipment is familiar in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa because the brand expanded there in the late 2010s. It established an assembly plant in Ethiopia a few years ago. Dejene said he wants to encourage other companies to establish in Ethiopia because the agriculture market is strong.

Samrawit Kassahun, who works for Zataw General Trading, another import and export firm from Ethiopia, echoed Dejene’s sentiments on the market and need for more manufacturers. She believes it’s easier to deal with manufacturers directly for business and for importing.

Kassahun came to AIM looking for innovations to take back to her customers in Ethiopia. She works closely with farmers to export their products and knows what they want to buy.

“They have a lot of similarities on their agriculture, on farms,” she said. “You manufacture machinery. So, your farming style is advanced, your machines are advanced. We want that in Ethiopia.”

The country is open to more deals with Canada, she added, but there are challenges with export agents who work as middlemen between importers and manufacturers or businesses. These agents tend to increase costs and make trade more inconvenient on the importers’ end.

“When you add customs, agents’ fees and everything, it makes things very expensive,” Kassahun said. “But if the manufacturer in Canada works with importers, in Ethiopia like us, direct contact makes it easier.”

She offered the example of irrigation technology as her current interest. Ethiopia is interested in irrigation and has plentiful rivers, lakes and ground water. The country relies heavily on irrigation for crop growth, especially since the government has encouraged growing outside the regular rainy season. Current systems come from China and Turkey, but Kassahun would like to bring in Canadian technology.

Agriculture differences

Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, executive chair of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, attended AIM with the Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture delegation. He said agriculture in Bangladesh varies greatly from that of Canada and the Prairies. Its primary crops are rice, corn and other vegetables, though it also grows wheat.

Bangladesh is the world’s third largest producer of rice, seventh for potatoes, is increasing its corn production and can produce nine to 10 tons per hectare by growing two or three crops a year. At AIM, the ministry was looking for ways to complement its agricultural production as climate change affects crop choices.

“Due to climate change, our maize area is growing but wheat area is declining,” Bokhtiar said. “Our requirement is almost 6.5 million tons of wheat but our production is 1.1 million. So, there is (a) gap.”

Bangladesh uses huge amounts of fertilizer and water, so soil health and water use are two of the largest concerns for the nation and for Bokhtiar, who worries most about depleting soil nutrients.

He said the soil technology he saw at AIM would be extremely helpful for Bangladesh farmers, and particularly noted the demonstration of an instant soil analysis device that identifies levels of nutrients in the soil so fertilizer needs can be calculated.

“We had a series of meetings, and it was very educational for us and we gained a lot of knowledge,” he said, adding that applying that knowledge and cooperating with other agencies could increase productivity in his country.

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A resolution requesting the effort was passed at the organization’s July 24 advisory council meeting.

Money raised from the sale of the plates, if approved, would go toward Manitoba Farmer Wellness, which launched in 2022. The program provides free, one-on-one counselling services for farmers and their families.

The non-profit initiative arose after a 2016 University of Guelph survey on stress and resilience in farmers showed high levels of mental health challenges. Manitoba Farmer Wellness clients are provided with up to six free counselling sessions with mental health professionals who have connections with the agricultural industry.

KAP member Charz Kuentzle put forward the motion, seconded by Glenn Young. Fifty-nine per cent of attendees voted in favour of lobbying for the plates, with 26 per cent opposed and 15 per cent abstained.

Why it matters: If approved by the province, the specialty licence plates will fund mental wellness programs for farmers in attempts to address high rates of anxiety and depression and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

The idea for the plates was raised as a way to get funding for rural mental health, Kuentzle said, and “it would also bring awareness to farmers as a sort of moving billboard.”

A minimum of 1,000 plates would be ordered, which would provide approximately $30,000 to Manitoba Farmer Wellness when sold.

It’s important that KAP put its support behind initiatives that support mental well-being in agriculture, said KAP board member Shannon Pyziak.

“One of our goals is farmer mental health … and this is directly related to that.”

According to the Manitoba Farmer Wellness website, 58 per cent of farmers meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder and 35 per cent for a depression diagnosis. Forty per cent are hesitant to seek help due to the stigma that exists around mental health challenges.

That’s why it’s so important that the licence plates spread the message about mental health, said Roberta Galbraith, vice-chair of Manitoba Farmer Wellness.

“I think it’s awesome. Anytime we can reduce stigma around mental wellness, I’m happy.”

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Why it matters: Many within Canada’s agriculture sector think the country lacks an industry-wide strategic approach to overcome chronic and complex problems.

That’s according to a joint report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) and the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Food Security on risks in Canada’s agrifood system. The report provides results from the first phase of research by the groups, which aim to develop policy recommendations for issues in the agriculture sector.

The first phase included a survey of more than 500 farmers, food processors, government personnel and other agricultural stakeholders on what they’re most concerned about, and what issues should be given priority.

Problems are long-term

Respondents largely indicated policy, extreme weather and trade problems were already a reality, and that such problems are perceived to be both chronic and complex. As the report summary details, fewer than 15 per cent of respondents “have confidence in government to solve any of the three, while fewer than 22 per cent say they have confidence in private sector solutions. Thus, the uphill battle will evidently persist for years to come.”

Tyler McCann, CAPI’s managing director, says the survey gathered perspectives from a good cross-section of farmers, society, government and industry professionals. While the top concerns were not a surprise, McCann was intrigued by what appears to be widespread resignation.

“We see policy, extreme weather and trade as already being a problem, even a difficult or extreme problem, but we seem to think there’s little we can do about it,” he says.

“It’s hard to wrap your mind around that. It’s one thing to say we’re not sure what we’re going to do about extreme weather … but on the domestic policy front, that is within our control.”

McCann adds that while people generally think Canada is ahead of many other countries on social and environmental issues, only about 30 per cent think it is ahead economically. This suggests governments must focus attention on economics and better communicate with the agricultural industry about Canada’s economic position.

Optimism and priorities

Despite some resignation, 62 per cent of respondents expressed general optimism about the direction of Canadian agriculture. The report said that optimism stems in part from the perspective that Canada is well positioned, or at least fairly well positioned, to “take advantage of burgeoning markets.”

By comparison, 21 per cent of respondents said they are pessimistic. Higher levels of pessimism were identified in respondents from rural or remote areas, suggesting farmers comprised much of the category.

Another take-away for McCann was overlap between what respondents thought governments and private industry should focus on to improve the sector.

While research and development were rated as a higher priority for the private sector, for example, it was also identified as a priority for government. McCann says this highlights the opportunity for greater investment and cooperation across the industry, which is much needed given the sector’s general habit of operating in silos.

The report itself says “the preference for a focus on innovation and productivity is evident across different facets of the agriculture sector. Notably, farmers show the least preference for any one aspect of this, suggesting a wide diversity of opinion.”

McCann says his organization and the Canadian Global Institute for Food Security intend to produce a “second-phase” report that further analyzes these issues and recommends “what to do about it.”

“The core belief is we need a more ambitious strategic policy solution in this country,” he says. “We want to develop how we take these concerns and bring them to life. We see the risks the sector faces as a space where we need more focused action, and need to work together more.”

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“The board of directors strongly supports Cereals Canada, including the vision for GATE,” chair Brett Halstead said in a June 27 news release.

The cost of the new building projected at $100 million.

According to promotional materials for the project, GATE would “contain state-of-the art analytical milling, baking, noodle- and pasta-making, malting and brewing, oat processing and educational training facilities to support and train global customers about the quality, functionality, safety and sustainability of Canadian grains.”

It would house Cereals Canada and other grain industry bodies.

Before Cereals Canada can start construction though, it needs to line up the money.

The organization is launching a capital campaign that will “target contributions from industry groups, agribusinesses and individuals, as well as support from the three levels of government,” the June 27 release read.

The launch of that campaign was temporarily postponed due to scheduling conflicts

There has been internal strife within Cereals Canada in recent months, particularly after the GATE project was revealed to members several weeks ago. Feelings of financial pressure and conflict over treatment of members by the organization led several grain, seed and agrichemical companies to consider parting ways with Cereals Canada.

The organization argues that it badly needs a new home for processing and milling equipment, which was never a good fit for a downtown office building, where it is currently located. Cereals Canada also says it has to be out of its present building by 2027.

GATE is also slated for downtown Winnipeg, however, leading some members to question the chosen location. The mass balance of agriculture research and commercial operations already occur in the University of Manitoba’s research park, critics argue.

Others have questioned why existing empty structures in the city were not tapped.

The issue echoes housing shortcomings seen under the organization’s predecessor, the Canadian International Grains Institute.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the launch of the capital campaign launch was delayed due to membership questions in Cereals Canada. The Manitoba Co-operator regrets the error.

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Some grain industry stakeholders say that reprieve is not helpful.

“We were expecting a strike to happen on May 22, and then the minister of labour instructed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to take a look at maintenance of activities and what should remain essential,” said Wade Sobkowich, executive director for the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA).

There can be no strike or lockout before the CIRB issues a decision.

Why it matters: The labour dispute between Canada’s railways and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference threatens to disrupt grain transportation.

Sobkowich worries that the grain industry could be without service for a longer period than if the CIRB had not been asked for a ruling.

In a June 11 release, CN Rail echoed that sentiment. The railway said uncertainty about the timing of a labour disruption hurts its employees and the Canadian economy. The request by the minister of labour is adding to that uncertainty, the company said.

Lingering dispute

The two sides have been negotiating since November 2023, a month before the previous collective agreement expired. Talks have stalled over wages, scheduling and fatigue management. At the beginning of May, the Teamsters voted overwhelmingly for strike action. Since then, the two sides appear no closer to settling a contract.

Attempts were made in June to close the gap and CN’s June 6 offer of binding arbitration was rejected by the union.

On June 7, the Teamsters offered the possibility of staggered strikes to lessen the impact of work stoppages, which the railways rejected. On its bargaining update page, CN said such measures would risk extending the strike.

“It is like suffering death by a thousand cuts,” the rebuttal read.

The union initiated another vote June 14 to renew the strike mandate, which lasts only 60 days. The vote is expected to conclude June 29, the day before the union’s existing mandate expires.

There is no indication of when the CIRB will make its recommendations and a strike could be called as soon as 72 hours after it releases a decision. However, in a June 14 update on its website, Canadian Pacific Kansas City said that, based on precedent, it is unlikely the Teamsters would be in a position to strike before mid-July.

Grain uncertainty

Grain industry players say a strike could prove devastating.

“It will be terrible for grain shipping,” said Bruce McFadden, director of research and analysis for Quorum Corporation, which monitors Canada’s grain shipping industry. It will affect more than grain movement, he added.

“It will impact all segments of the industry. We have customers overseas that need a reliable supply of Canadian products and, if they can’t count on it, there’s always a risk of them going to other places.

”It’s a concern that they will not come back to Canada in the same way if they see constant disruptions in the Canadian operations.”

The WGEA is asking the CIRB to consider grain shipments to be essential “for the maintenance and preservation of Canada’s domestic food and feed supply and global food security,” Sobkowich said, adding that grain shipping was deemed essential during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If it was essential for Canadians during the pandemic, it should be essential now.”

Any suggestion of splitting networks into essential and non-essential service is untenable, according to the railways.

“The railways have said they can’t carve out just a portion of their network like that,” said Sobkowich.

Without that essential designation, grain movement will grind to a halt in Canada if the strike proceeds.

“It will stop all rail movements of grain on both railways at the same time. There is no Plan B,” Sobkowich said. “The only thing grain elevators and all processors can do is start slowing down sales and preparing for a stoppage in the movement of grain.”

The situation punctuates the WGEA’s long-standing criticism about lack of competition in grain transportation, he added.

Sobkowich said a quick decision is critical for the Canadian grain sector because the harvest season begins in August.

“It is crucial that the rail work stoppage be over and the labour agreements resolved by then.”

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“You’ve seen the benefit of coming together,” Soy Canada executive director Brian Innes said at farmer Ernie Sirski’s farm.

Why it matters: Soybeans have become a staple of Manitoba agriculture.

The event marked the national organization’s 10th anniversary and MPSG’s 40th anniversary.

Soy Canada was born fromrecognition that the crop was becoming so big that it was hard to retain within general pulse and special crop groups.

“It’s really unbelievable that it’s been 10 years,” said Barry Senft, former executive with Grain Farmers of Ontario, the Canadian Grain Commission and Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and current chief executive officer of Seeds Canada.

Soybeans have gone from a non-entity on Manitoba’s agricultural landscape in 2000 to the province’s third-biggest crop, covering almost 1.6 million acres last year. Nationally, soybeans in Ontario and Quebec are major crops that feed the livestock industry.

According to Soy Canada’s numbers, Canada seeded 5.63 million acres in 2023, almost 98 per cent of which came from Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec.

Pulse crops have become a huge element of western Canadian farming, moving from special crop status to starring roles in many farmers’ rotations.

The anniversary event was held in an area north of Riding Mountain National Park known for its hardy Ukrainian farming tradition.

Speaking at a national Soy Canada meeting in Dauphin, Manitoba agriculture minister and local MLA Ron Kostyshyn lauded the impact soybeans have had on his province’s farmers.

“I think we’re still at the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “I think soybeans is kind of the new canola.”

Growing from just 20,000 acres in 2000, soybeans are now a money maker for farmers who would have once found it hard to conceive of today’s short-season varieties.

Canada’s soybean industry isn’t like the American industry, with non-GMO and food grade soybeans holding a significant proportion of production. Canadian soybeans also tend to have lower protein levels than crops from other parts of the world.

There are many directions Canada’s soybean industry could go from here, Innes said, with different markets, varieties and production interests providing options.

“The choice is really ours as to where we want to go from here,” he said.

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During that cornfield summit, Jackson suggests, Garst and Khrushchev chatted about how their political systems — one that minimized government, the other with near-total government control — supported their nations’ agricultural aspirations.

What no one at that historic meeting “could have imagined,” however, was “the speed of change to come over the next 50 years.”

No one anywhere did, in fact, because no one foresaw the enormous impact ag “industrialization” would soon have on American farms.

“Within three decades, yields of several major crops had doubled in some places, tripled in others,” Jackson points out.

The two-centuries-old Industrial Revolution had finally made it to the farm as the Green Revolution, notes Jackson. This revolution featured diesel fuel, anhydrous ammonia, hybrid seed and oceans of new pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides that — combined with new “wonder” drugs like antibiotics — allowed the world’s population to double in less than two generations.

That success also led to another, equally massive change, however; the rise of what Jackson calls the “industrial mind” in both academic and production agriculture.

“Imagine two ends of a spectrum — human cleverness at one end and nature’s wisdom at the other,” Jackson explains. “The industrial mind, over the past 100 years, has increasingly relied on human cleverness” as the culmination of “(our) 10,000-year history of growing food… tied to the notion that nature is to be subdued or ignored.”

And it worked until it didn’t.

Today, this “cleverness” has also delivered future-altering consequences like soil erosion, climate change and hypoxic zones in both inland and coastal waters. To surmount these growing problems “will require extraordinary political will, both to conserve topsoil and stop climate change and develop renewable energy technology.”

There is hope, however, Jackson suggests.

“I am not proposing that we quit being clever; instead, cleverness should be subordinated to nature,” he says.

And, despite industrial ag’s strong effort to slow or halt much of it, that subordination is happening — slowly, at least.

For example, renewable energy — solar, wind, and water power — now delivers 18 per cent of America’s electricity. That will more than double by 2050. In 2020, U.S. organic food sales totalled US$62 billion, a record six per cent of all U.S. food sales. So change is coming.

One crucial element that continues to fuel both the good and bad growth of the “industrial mind” is the rise of government in agriculture. In 1961, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had 96,000 employees to the country’s 13 million farmers, according to Peter Daniel’s 2013 book Dispossession. By 2010, the USDA had 113,000 employees and the U.S. only two million farmers.

So, in the five decades that encompass the salad days of the “industrial mind” in agriculture, the USDA’s bureaucracy grew by 18 per cent while the number of farmers it served collapsed 85 per cent. That’s not a success in anyone’s mind.

Even more revealing is the taxpayer cost during this golden, 50-year marriage between big government and getting-big ag. From 1961 through 2010, U.S. direct farm program payments, in 2009 dollars, totalled US$712.5 billion. Yes, $712.5 billion.

If you expand the period from 1961 to 2021 (again, in 2009 dollars), U.S. direct farm program payments total US$909 billion.

And that’s just direct government costs. Unaccounted costs — those Jackson points to like soil loss, foul water, climate change and others such as health care — are at least three times more costly than that every year, according to an analysis released in mid-July by the Rockefeller Foundation.

That’s the problem with the “industrial mind” in today’s agriculture: It floats along on a rising sea of taxpayer money and unaccounted costs to a place where few profit but everyone pays one way or another.

It’s too clever by half and too expensive by miles.

The Farm and Food File is published weekly in newspapers throughout the U.S. and Canada. 

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