What Ag Can Afford Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. As the rules and regulations for agriculture mount, like the new ag overtime laws, the financial burdens are becoming unbearable.
At $20 per hour, Washington already has the highest ag wage in the country.
Pam Lewison, Ag Director at the Washington Policy Center, says if we keep it up, we’re going to discover just how much more expensive imported foods are …
LEWISON … “We as a nation, one, we subsidize food on a level that makes it readily and cheaply available. So, if people want to start actually paying the true cost of food, we can certainly do that, and we can be like places like Japan where you’re going to pay.”
Lewison says, that’s one option …
LEWISON … “Or we can continue on the road that we’re on and realize that there is dignity in being of service to your communities, being of service to your neighbors by providing them with food. And that, in turn, is something that should be recognized as an industry where we know our business, we know how much income we have, we know how much output we can bare.”
Lewison says when people start meddling in ag with our very small margins …
LEWISON ... “What you end up with is a product that’s either not as good as it could be, not as good as what our consumers expect, which is that perfect apple, that beautiful orange, pick your fruit.”
Tune in tomorrow for more … on what ag can afford.
