FARM ISSUES

ON THE

BACKBURNER

AGAIN

Did you know that the Farm Aid concert was held yesterday? Probably not, as it was not covered by the mainstream media.

You have heard about the wonderful farmers' markets, local produce, and wonerful, wonerful, wonerful things the state (and the county, using state money in a shell game) is doing for farmers ad nauseum, however.

How can that be?

Easy. They don't want the people of Montgomery County, Maryland, or the United States to know about some of the real farm stories out there. The ones that don't make limousine liberals feel good as they check-out with their reusable (a.k.a. germ-contaminated) cloth shopping bags at Whole Foods. And the ones that reveal the embarrassing record of our elected officials - at all levels - on farm issues.

So let me share with you the letter written by Farm Aid organizer, Willie Nelson:

Dear Friend,

Before I ever picked up a guitar, I was picking cotton in a small town in Texas. And no matter where my music career has taken me, I’ve never let go of my love of the land and my respect for the proud people who farm it.

Family farmers love the land they work, and they take the best possible care of the soil and water because they eat the food they produce and drink the water beneath their fields. They make decisions around a kitchen table, not a boardroom table far from the fields.

I started Farm Aid in 1985 as a way to help keep family farmers on the land. While the struggles have changed over the years, farmers still aren’t getting a fair chance to make a living.

That’s why I’m asking for your help today. For more information on how you can help the cause, please visit www.farmaid.org. You can support Farm Aid’s hotline for farmers in crisis and provide emergency assistance to farm families who are on the verge of losing their land, their homes, and their livelihoods.

Thanks for your time and thanks for helping to support America’s family farmers.

Stay strong and positive,

Willie Nelson

~ + ~

Readers of this blog were able to participate vicariously in my own project supporting local agriculture, and the next generation of farmers, in Montgomery County over the summer.

And you can watch the many farm-related videos on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net right now.

There's a new one today - your invitation to join a "Pig Club." What's that? You'll have to watch to find out...