Venerability Of The Ag Profession
Two instances in the news involving farmers and ranchers highlight their economic venerability. I’m Susan Allen reporting for Open Range. Imagine for a moment a large corporate headquarters located near a river, maybe a Micro-soft or Nike. Now picture it totally submerged because the Army Corps of Engineer blasted several holes in a dam allowing the campus to be destroyed. Impossible to fathom, enless you are in the ag professsion. That's exactly the current situation of 133,000 acres of prime farm land, nine times the size of Manhattan that produces over $100 million dollars all under water because the Corp blew a hole in the levy. According to a Wall Street Journal Report damage to roads, buildings and infrastructures in this farming region are projected to reach $75 million. Across the Midwest plains in the Flint Hills of Kansas, for year’s cattle have been shipped from numerous states to be fattened on lush grasses prior to heading to feed lots. To keep prairie grasses flourishing producers burn fields in the spring. Enter the EPA, the same environmental protection agency that is attempting to fine farmers for dust, now wants to curtail field burning in the Flint Hills. They and environmental groups like the Sierra club call this annual practice, a public health threat. Cattle producers and officials in cities like Wichita believe the EPA has simply gone too far by impacting people’s ability to remain in business. One Kansas State University Professor of Rangeland Management reported that without field burning in the Flint Hills a steer would be 32 pounds lighter after the few months grazing on stunted grasses and weeds equating to a $40.00 loss per head, thus impacting the regional economy the reason midwest ranchers and government officials are sponsoring bills and petitioning to stop the EPA .
