Florida Farmers Wasting Food!!!!!

[TeaKettleK]

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That. Ask any red-blooded American to do what they do for 1/4 of their pay... just because.

 

[Mahonri]

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That's for sure....they do not have a clue.

I agree. Growing up on a farm, we never knew from one year to the next if we would have any profit. A never ending, thankless job.

 

[Katy]

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That's for sure....they do not have a clue.

I agree. Growing up on a farm, we never knew from one year to the next if we would have any profit. A never ending, thankless job.

Most years while my kids were at home we qualified for food stamps, but I was too proud to ever apply for them, so we made do with what we had. We may very well still qualify, but I haven't checked since the kids all grew up. Pretty sad state of affairs when the people growing the food can't afford to buy it!

 

[Acre of Blessings]

I grew up on a farm and i definately know how hard the work is but when you have an overabundance you sorta make up for the loss you may have to take. I didn't post this to be bashed in any way, shape or form. It is just sickening to me that they won't sell to citizens outright but they will let people come in a just take it for free. I'd rather get something rather than nothing for all the work that actually went in to planting and maintaining the crop.

 

[Rosalind]

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That. Ask any red-blooded American to do what they do for 1/4 of their pay... just because.

Well, lots of jobs are hard and don't pay well. As I was always told if/when I complained about pay, "We have an open door policy here at Corporate, Inc.: The front door is open, and you can always walk out." But from a business perspective, over the years ALL the risk of the business has been shifted onto the farmers themselves and away from the processors and retailers. That was not always the case, and it certainly is not the case in just about any other production model: If, say, Olympus and Raytheon decide to go into business making spy satellites starting in 2011, and Olympus agrees to make the optics while Raytheon agrees to make the robotics, and Raytheon is the holder of the official government contract, Olympus does not just say, "Sure, we will build a whole new production plant with specially-trained security-cleared workers and hire ten new engineers just on your say-so that you promise to buy all the satellite lenses we can make in a year. Oh, and by the way, we will only charge you whatever the price is for lenses at the time of sale, not the current prices or even a fair price based on what it costs to make lenses. All our love, Olympus" No. They say, "We require an up-front payment of X to initiate small-scale production. If the small scale production meets the specifications we agree to, then we will require an additional payment to scale-up. On delivery of Y goods, pricing will be $Zmillion per howevermany in inflation-adjusted dollars. Deadlines are A, B and C for these milestones. In the event that 2012 brings a new administration and/or a new budget that ends this program, you will have to agree to buy all these lenses at this price anyway, or we will consider it breach of contract and we will see you in court." Prices are fixed from the time the project starts, not from the point of sale. That was more or less how the original New Deal ag subsidies worked--a guaranteed minimum payment was made to farmers. Most years, they produced more than the minimum and made a reasonable amount of money and paid into the equivalent of a national granary, which was the source of the gov't cheese, tinned pork, etc. In bad years, which were relatively infrequent, they got payments back.

Then Earl Butz came along with his notion that food was for selling, not for eating, and it all went to heck. I don't know why farmers put up with it, frankly.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Sorta interesting the farmers are the one being hounded when its the people buying that want to buy it for less than what it costs to harvist, much less produce.

 

[redhen]

I think that the guy thats letting the people and food banks come pick their own berries is doing the right thing..
I hate to see all that food go to waste too...with hungry americans..wow...it is a shame..
BUT, i do kind of get why they are doing it... but still..

also...about that homeless shelter..where the people were making comments, calling them greedy... they should have let those people go WORK the farms for free food...
Wonder how many of them would actually go to work?? It would be interesting to see...

 

[PurpleChicken]

Pretty simple to me. It would cost the farmers more than $.25 per pound to pick them so what are they supposed to do? They lost a years crop and now people expect them to spend money on harvesting and lose that too? And now people say "don't buy Florida strawberries"? That would just make it worse.

I wish I could buy fresh berries for $1 a pound. I'd fill my chest freezer with them.

 

[PurpleChicken]

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That was irresponsible journalism in action there. "Let's go ask a bunch of homeless guys how they feel about an agri-economic issue. That should sell some air time."

 

[saddina]

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Guest room's open and I have a pressure cooker, wanna make jam?