Terrorism, Radicalism, and Populism in Agriculture by Luther Tweeten, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Policy and Trade at Ohio State University, is an interesting book—although I disagree with most of his conclusions, Tweeten defines terrorism as unlawful acts of violence against property or people to accomplish political objectives through fear and intimidation. Luddites are those who are so distraught over technology that they use unethical means such as deceit, intimidation, and violence to stop technology. Luddites, in this book, may also be radical environmentalists, antiglobalists, or populists. Tweeten says that populists are resourceful and innovative, concocting myths as the need arises.

One of the “myths” of populism, according to Tweeten, is that farm commodity markets do not work. If four companies—Tyson (IBP Inc.), ConAgra, Cargill, and Farmland National Beef Pkg. Co.—process 81% of the beef, four companies—Smithfield, Tyson (IBP Inc.), ConAgra (Swift), and Cargill (Excel)—process 59% of the pork, and four companies—Smithfield, Premium Standard (Conti Group), Seaboard Corporation, and Triumph Pork Group—produce 46% of the pork, could someone tell me where the free market is at? How can it possibly work under those circumstances? With so few buyers, there is no supply and demand. The government does not enforce the antitrust laws that are already on the books. Mr. Tweeten alludes to the fact that demand for food is inelastic—simply put, they will only eat so much, about 1,500 pounds/person/year. The mix of food types may change, but the amount—1,500 pounds—stays the same.

We already produce enough food to feed every man, woman, and child worldwide a diet of 3,000 calories a day—enough to make everyone fat. People do not get their share because of their governments, not because we cannot produce the food. Conventional farmers do not get their share because the demand for food is inelastic, and they overproduce for lower prices. Rural communities do not get their share because the universities continue to promote corn, wheat, and beans. The biotech companies continue to promote increased yield of corn, wheat, and beans, with the result that we need fewer and fewer farmers to overproduce themselves into oblivion. Less farmers mean less customers for the businesses of the rural communities.

Mr. Tweeten says that because of the inelastic food demand, less productive farm resources—mostly labor—must move to nonfarm employment if returns on farm resources are to remain favorable. We have moved from 6.5 million farmers to less than 2 million, with about 738,000 actually making a living from the farm.

Mr. Tweeten has no solutions to the farm problem in his book. Fewer farmers is obviously not the answer; more technology is not the answer—I do not think technology is evil; we need technology—but it is not the answer to the farm problem. Making farms able to overproduce more leads to lower prices, increasing corporatization, and declining rural communities. In the research lab, a 10 bushel an acre increase in production is size-neutral. In the real world, a 100-acre farmer gets 1,000 more bushels, and the 1,000 acre farmer gets 10,000 more to sell. Who has a better chance of getting ahead, especially as the price drops due to overproduction?

Nobody has a God–given right to farm, but in America, they should have an equal opportunity to farm if they choose. Corporate farms should not get additional tax breaks, or laxity on environmental laws.

When universities choose not to research new and different crops, get in bed with their biotech buddies, and promote corn, wheat, and beans, whether deliberately or inadvertently, they take away a potential farmer’s opportunity.

Many economists describe the symptoms of the failing farm economy, and get paid quite well to do so by their universities and companies, but few have tried to come up with a solution to the farm problem. Those who do speak out have to fight ignorance about farming reality, and large monies put into the system by corporations and large-farm organizations.

You need to speak out, too. Speak and write to your state and federal congressmen, and encourage your fellow farmers to do likewise. Invite school kids and their parents to your farm; show them what you do and why it is important. If enough people speak out, sustainable farming may become the American way.