The forums were sponsored by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and NFACT, a coalition of the New Mexico, Florida, Arizona, California, and Texas departments of agriculture. In addition to working farmers and representatives of farm organizations, officials from state and local government agencies also testified. Sessions ranged from 40 people here and in Ventura to 150 in Woodland.

The 1996 federal farm bill, known as the Freedom to Farm Act, was an assault on working farmers. Under this bill, scheduled to be renewed in 2002, all price supports and farm subsidies were scheduled to be eliminated by the year 2002. But due to the deepening farm crisis, Congress has been forced to pass emergency farm subsidy legislation in each of the last three years, hitting a record $23 billion last year.

Farmers at the meeting pointed out that although they are affected by natural disasters, the biggest problem they face is that the price they receive for their commodities has fallen below the cost of production. Under the current farm legislation, price supports are allocated to large agribus-inesses rather than to working farmers, they point out. Many farmers also proposed the government enact measures to limit imports of food, using various restrictions, from "quality" guarantees to protection from "exotic pests."

John Comino, a barley farmer, said he is "overburdened" by some of the environmental regulations in the farm bill that penalize working farmers. Comino has old diesel tractors and can't afford to buy new ones or make repairs needed to comply with emission standards in the law. "We are in farming," he said, "because we do like the land and want to take care of it. Twenty years ago, the price [of barley] was better then it is today. I continue to farm," he said, "for the enjoyment of growing things and to get it better, to improve the place. It is the only reason to be there." Most working farmers interviewed said that in order to keep their land either they or their spouses work a second job.

Frank, a farmer who attended the January 30 session in Woodland, said in an interview that he would "like to talk about the problem of corporate consolidation in the food industry, such as the Tyson-Smithfield merger and that of General Mills and Pillsbury. Talk about the loss of markets!" he said. "I can only sell to one buyer now. And you know what that means? You can't get a decent price. They dictate it. You take it," he added.

At that same session, Jeanne McCormick, a farmer from Rio Vista, added, "Farmers are in a worse crisis than the 1980s, probably the worst since the '30s."

Rollande Girard is a meat packer, and member of the United Food and Commercial Workers in Selma, California. Barbara Bowman also contributed to this article.
 
 
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