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People are contacting me for hot takes on Vilsack & land reform bills.
IDK who needs to hear this but ag policy & the USDA are not agents of change. That's not their job & it never will be. IDEK who would expect that or why.
IDK who needs to hear this but ag policy & the USDA are not agents of change. That's not their job & it never will be. IDEK who would expect that or why.
Any meaningful changes in ag policy & USDA leadership are going to happen as a RESULT of massive growth in BIPOC farmland ownership.
They are not going to DRIVE it.
They are not going to DRIVE it.
. @SylvanaquaFarms already said this best anyway, read that lol https://twitter.com/SylvanaquaFarms/status/1335247154521255938
There's a reason my work is 100% bringing fresh blood into landownership and 0% about ag policy.
As long as farmland owners are >85% white landed dynasties, trying to change policy is just pissing into the wind.
Anyone who says otherwise is a grifter.
PERIOD. ALL OF THEM.
As long as farmland owners are >85% white landed dynasties, trying to change policy is just pissing into the wind.
Anyone who says otherwise is a grifter.
PERIOD. ALL OF THEM.
Since we're talking supporting Black & Indigenous land ownership, here are some places to do that directly!
https://www.patreon.com/sylvanaqua/posts
https://www.gofundme.com/f/838urm-provost-farm-cultivating-equity https://www.gofundme.com/f/CircleRRanch
https://www.patreon.com/sylvanaqua/posts
https://www.gofundme.com/f/838urm-provost-farm-cultivating-equity https://www.gofundme.com/f/CircleRRanch
There's even merch where proceeds go to the Provosts.
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/?query=women%27s%20agricultural%20project&iaCode=u-clothing&ref=search_box
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/?query=women%27s%20agricultural%20project&iaCode=u-clothing&ref=search_box
Is it sad, ridiculous, & upsetting that IMO online donations & merch sales are more effective avenues for BIPOC landownership than federal policy? Yeah!
But unlike federal policy, these funds are actually set up by & for BIPOC land operations instead of gatekeepers. That's why.
But unlike federal policy, these funds are actually set up by & for BIPOC land operations instead of gatekeepers. That's why.
Policy follows. It doesn't lead. That's how democracy works in the best of times. Policy reflects the goals of the people who already live in a jurisdiction.
The political agenda in farm country is set by white landed dynasties (who are left behind after evicting everyone else).
The political agenda in farm country is set by white landed dynasties (who are left behind after evicting everyone else).
The truth is family farmers want the same things that "corporate farming" & industrial titans want. No regulations, lots of tax shelters & legal impunity for property owners.
Family farmers won't save us bc they're part of the problem. They're rich white people & act like it.
Family farmers won't save us bc they're part of the problem. They're rich white people & act like it.
(If you're just catching up, yes Virginia: farmers are wealthy; their median annual income is a lot higher than non-farming peers; and it's been like this for decades. The poor farmer myth is a myth.)
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-household-well-being/income-and-wealth-in-context/
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-household-well-being/income-and-wealth-in-context/
And as long as those white landed dynasties are the ones who dictate the political agenda in farm country, they're going to block any meaningful change to ag policy.
Signed, someone who watched FSMA get 100% defanged by the farm lobby.
Signed, someone who watched FSMA get 100% defanged by the farm lobby.
I worked with farm after farm after farm that does illegal overspray & other abuse of pesticides as a matter of course
bc sure, there are laws about that, but nobody ever enforces them bc good ol boys would throw a riot.
bc sure, there are laws about that, but nobody ever enforces them bc good ol boys would throw a riot.
The USDA was never given a legal mandate to do discriminatory & predatory lending, but they sure did anyway.
So yeah I've seen way too much of farm country to believe "laws" have any measurable effect on what happens out here, even if they do get passed.
So yeah I've seen way too much of farm country to believe "laws" have any measurable effect on what happens out here, even if they do get passed.
Bottom line, I want to believe that we can have good ag policy.
But anyone who thinks it's politically viable in a colonial state, where invaders' heirs are still driving the land like they stole it
has a LOT to learn about how political power works.
But anyone who thinks it's politically viable in a colonial state, where invaders' heirs are still driving the land like they stole it
has a LOT to learn about how political power works.
Of course the ag sec nominee is a boring corporate farm-snuggling white dude. Of course the land reform bill is mostly an empty shell. I can't for the life of me figure out how this could come as a surprise to anyone who's paid attention to ag policy for 0.02 seconds.
Don't count on the state to solve problems that are hugely beneficial to the state, actually.
If you wait for the USDA or an act of Congress to fix land justice... you're gonna die waiting. It sucks but it's true. We're 100% still in "be your own heroes" territory.
If you wait for the USDA or an act of Congress to fix land justice... you're gonna die waiting. It sucks but it's true. We're 100% still in "be your own heroes" territory.
It's good to be jaded sometimes! Being cynical about highly-visible but less-effective actions
frees up a lot of time to do things that are less visible, but have higher and/or longer-term impacts!
frees up a lot of time to do things that are less visible, but have higher and/or longer-term impacts!
