2104 Projections

2014 Projections

by Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright December 2013

If it doesn’t start raining soon, it is going to get lonely out in farm country next summer. But, rainfall is just part of the equation. Apparently we do not have the will to create a stable water supply.

            I recently visited Israel for the first time. The Israelis have the will to get things done. Of course, they are essentially on a war footing. We need a similar sense of threat. We just do not realize how fragile our food system really is.

There are new regulations to restrict groundwater use. This is an old problem. That is why we built surface water supplies. First they took away our surface water, now they want to take away the groundwater. Where do they expect to get their food?

            We have one of the five Mediterranean growing areas in the world, but it will not grow anything unless we get serious and create a stable water supply.

            We still do not have a new Farm Bill. The federal Farm Bill is supposed to guide our agricultural policy. I don’t know why we even call it a Farm Bill any more. Food advocates get more grants than farmers do. The budget for food stamps dwarfs money available for farm programs. And ‘they’ still cannot pass the bill.

I wrote this last month when there was hope of passing a Farm Bill and immigration reform. I hate to be cynical, but this is an election year. I don't see much happening until after November. I hope I am wrong.

And, I hope you have an excellent week.