From May 3 to 7 Lorrie and Alan Merrill will be in Livingston, Zambia for an annual World Farm Organization conference.
Both were in “The Mountaineer” office last week sharing some thoughts about farming here and all over the world and some things that will be talked about when people interested in farming from all over the world get into this WFO “Think Tank” for several days.
“Basically the conference is to discuss the issues of food, weather and anything to do with agriculture,” said Alan. “It is cattle, fish, animals, grains and really it has to do with eating. The goal is to better the food worldwide. It is a think tank of all countries across the world. We will be talking about everything from weather to imports and exports; basically it is what you begin with concerning agriculture.”
Alan said that the advantage of people from Montana being at the conference is that we may complain a lot about the weather and surpluses and shortages of grains around the world, it is the things that might affect people who farm and use farm products right here in Montana
A huge benefit is that at the conference, people begin to see what the world outside of the United States is all about. There is a lot of talking to farmers about what and how they farm.
Maybe that conference can bring home things we can do to help agriculture right here,
“Yesterday, (April 12, 2016) ordinary winter wheat was $3.25 a bushel in Scobey, Montana,” said Alan. “A farmer has to produce twice as much just to pay his operating loans and exist with those prices.”
“I go to these meetings and I go to learn what the more developed farming communities need to produce the food. I hope to help Montana to help other countries,” added Alan.
Lorrie said that there has to be better policies in place to feed the world. She asked how in Big Sandy to get food products where they need to be. Transportation is poor. She said that is where the WFO is there to work on how to get food products ready to eat. Right now there is nothing in place.
Both Lorrie and Alan said it is so different in less developed countries. In Montana if the farmers has his bins full of wheat, he is about to be able to continue to be in business because that wheat will pay his operating loans and keep the family solvent as well. In some other countries they only fill a wheat bin two-thirds full because that is all the wheat they need in order to survive until the next crop comes along. And when the 3000 bushel bin only holds 2500 bushels the family is happy because they have enough for another year. People who talk to those people urge them to fill their bin and upgrade their equipment and buy things to help them to grow more. In many parts of the world, it is far different than in Montana.
“Zambia only has 15% of their land in production and it could be 48%, continued Lorrie. “At a conference I met a man who was interested in me because of my job of helping people with developmental disabilities. That farmer had two adult children who had developmental disabilities. He took them to the field with him each day and they stayed on the side of the field on a blanket while he worked. He was very sorrowful when he wondered what would happen to those adult children when he died. Some problems just are not easy to solve by anyone.
Meanwhile, in Montana we are fond of saying that we are feeding the world. Alan said he hears that all the time as, have all of us.
“That is all good,” said Alan. “But I am more concerned with our economical survival and personal survival as farmers.”
Alan went on to say that banks are this year turning down more and more operating loans. A farmer, after three turndowns can go to the Farm Service Agency and apply. That makes the banks happy as those FSA loans are government guaranteed. However, the FSA is running out of money this year. One FSA official has said that it looks to her like the FSA will be out of money by June and she sees no money at all for 2017. Alan thinks that it probably won’t be as bad in some more wealthy counties like Hill and Chouteau but with low prices for wheat and no money, it is a serious situation. Another official said that the worst thing is that no one has even mentioned the word drought yet.
Both Alan and Lorrie say that a benefit of going to these World Farm Conferences, then coming home and passing on the information is because for all farmers, information is power.
Alan said that one of his Farmer’s Union officials told him that in the Conrad-Brady area of the Golden Triangle there are now around 125 farms. In 20 years the same amount of acres will be in production but will be owned by just 20 farmers. One question about that comes to mind. What will happen to the Conrad or Brady or Big Sandy for that matter when that happens?
One startling fact worldwide is that men don’t work on the farms much the world over. The norm is for the men to do nothing while the women plant and tend to the crop until it is harvested. Then the men take over “their job” and market the product and pocket the income for the year.
That seems to be borne out as worldwide 91% of the farmers are women.
There is hope. With conferences such as the one that Alan and Lorrie will be attending in May they will come home with much information, much education and many things to talk about with farmers in our area.
Alan and Lorrie would both tell you that education, talking and getting as much information as possible is how we make it though what may be turning into a crisis period right here in Montana.
One other thing Lorrie said. Kale is a hot product all over the United States right now as it is supposed to be so good for humans and even can help in preventing some diseases. A man told Lorrie that Kale grows very well in Montana. It used to be that most of the Kale grown in the United States was grown in California but it is too hot there now to grow it. It is not too hot right here.
Go figure!
