Tuesday, March 19, 2013

American Farmers in Record Debt Because of Toxic Bankers and Products?



As Crop Prices Surge, Investment Firms and Farmers Vie for Land by Julie Creswell, The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/business/as-crop-prices-surge-investment-firms-and-farmers-vie-for-land.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130319


[Excerpted] Debt held by the nation’s farmers has risen nearly 30 percent since 2007, to an expected $277.4 billion this year. The bulk of those loans were made by commercial banks, the farm credit system and the Farm Service Agency. Some regulators and critics say that figure is most likely undercounting debt from specialized finance institutions or credit extended by seed companies like Monsanto and equipment manufacturers like John Deere. 

While national data does not show sharp jumps in closely watched debt gauges, some analysts point to other data that reveal farm debts have already topped levels reached just before the farm crisis of the ’80s. Data that the Kansas Farm Management Association has collected from more than 1,300 farms in the state showed the amount of debt compared to the value of underlying assets had climbed to 25.5 percent at the end of 2011, slightly above where it stood in 1979. 

Some farmers are in over their heads already....[end]

Majia here: This story begs a back-story. The official story is that farm prices are rising because of profitable grain prices and so the farmers are going into debt to purchase more land.

Why are American farmers really so indebted? 

Perhaps Wall Street greed expressed as land speculation is indebting farmers needlessly?  

[See how previous US presidents were enriched through Wall Street land speculation here]

Perhaps, it is also the costs of genetically modified seeds, pesticides, and herbicides?

These patented products corrode profits, while poisoning the populations who consume them.

Dr. Don Huber, formerly of Purdue Univer., has spoken out repeatedly about spontaneous abortions and infertility in livestock he believes may be directly caused by 'round up' (glyphosate).

In a video interview, Dr Huber explains his research with other scientists, whom wished to remain anonymous so their careers are not destroyed. The scientific group identified a pathogen visible only in electron microscope, which is found in soy fed to animals suffering from high miscarriage and stillborn rates. 

Dr. Huber explains that the pathogen is complex. It is not a prion or virus. It does replicate. It is found in the mycelium in fungi. It is very, very toxic.

The pathogen his research group identified is found in much higher populations in crops treated with 'round up' (containing glyphosate).

There is a significant effect on the soil because glyphosate changes soil microflora. It is a biocide. It effects nutrient availability for the crops. Manganese availability is reduced in the soil for plants in the presence of glyphosate.

Glyphosate has both direct and indirect adverse effects on plants and they become susceptible to the pathogen, which is toxic for animals.

Huber wrote to the US Secretary of Agriculture asking for more investigation before approval of round-up ready alfalfa. Huber warned that since alfalfa is the major forage crop, it would have devastating impacts on animals and perhaps people if it contains high amounts of this pathogen.

The US Dept of Agriculture did NOT investigate his concerns.

The video embedded in Paul Roberts' article is a MUST see.

Polluted America: GMO Manmade Biological Threats, Plant Diseases, Germ Warfare by Paul Craig Roberts http://www.globalresearch.ca/polluted-america-gmo-manmade-biological-threats-plant-diseases-germ-warfare/5324336

[Excerpted] Our food itself is polluted with antibiotics, growth hormones, pesticides, and glyphosate.Glyphosate might be the most dangerous development to date. Some scientists believe that glyphosate has the potential to wipe out our main grain crops and now that Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, has approved genetically modified Roundup Ready alfalfa, maintaining sustainable animal herds for milk and meat could become impossible.

Alfalfa is the main forage crop for dairy and beef herds. Genetically modified alfalfa could be unsafe for animal feed, and animal products such as milk and meat could become unsafe for human consumption.


On January 17, 2011, Dr. Don Huber outlined the dangers of approving Roundup Ready alfalfa in a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack. Huber requested that approval be delayed until independent research could evaluate the risks. Vilsack  ignored the letter and accommodated Monsanto’s desire for monopoly profits that come from the company’s drive to control the seed supply of US and world agriculture by approving Roundup Ready alfalfa.


Who is Don Huber, and why is his letter important?


Huber is professor emeritus at Purdue University. He has been a plant pathologist and soil microbiologist for a half century. He has an international reputation as a leading authority. In the US military, he evaluated natural and manmade biological threats, such as germ warfare and disease outbreaks and retired with the rank of Colonel. For the USDA he coordinates the Emergent Diseases and Pathogens Committee. In other words, he is high up in his scientific profession.....


Majia here: I strongly recommend watching the VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH HUBER at this site.

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