Blueberries and Lobster

We recently finished The Omnivore’s Dilemma in this house, and the part that deals with corn production got me a little depressed. Michael Pollan makes some great points about food becoming a commodity, and what that means, and how our treatment of corn has brought commodity-style thinking to our other food: this egg is no different than that egg. These grapes are the same as any other grapes.

But I had no idea that the USDA’s farm bill provisions actively discouraged local producers from growing anything but commodities. It appears that like the Mafia, once you’re in the farm subsidy system, you’re in it for good. A recent article in the New York Times, written by a farmer who tried to grow vegetables on land previously destined for a commodity crop, wound up penalized far more than he’d ever imagined.

…[A] farmer who grows the forbidden fruits and vegetables on corn acreage not only has to give up his subsidy for the year on that acreage, he is also penalized the market value of the illicit crop, and runs the risk that those acres will be permanently ineligible for any subsidies in the future. (The penalties apply only to fruits and vegetables — if the farmer decides to grow another commodity crop, or even nothing at all, there’s no problem.)

The author of the article initially decided to grow veggies on that land in response to increasing public demand for locally-grown vegetables at the farmer’s market. What is wrong with the United States Department of Agriculture that they’re so heavily penalizing farmers for growing vegetables? And more importantly, why is the USDA ignoring a growing public call for local produce?

(This is yet another reason, by the way, to join your local CSA for the upcoming season.)