food and rent

Never publish a post in the heat of the moment.

I repent me of my rant.

In the matter of folks who anticipate that the return to the landowner on allowing a farmer to improve their land would be a modest half of his production, we realize that this is not insult, but ignorance. These folks don't know they don't know. Whether we should allow ourselves to be completely ignorant of how, or where, or who, is growing our food is probably worth considering at some length.

Consider, also: If food production were so easy that it could be done in a few spare hours, probably more folks would do it. They don't. If food production were sufficiently lucrative that a family's cash needs could be met by the sale of just half the produce -- the half not being paid in rent -- more farmers would make a living at it. Less than 75% of farm families do; most farm households also have two off-farm incomes, and it's not because they just like it that way.

America, who IS growing our food? How? And how are they remunerated?

And if we don't know, do we have an obligation to find out?