A Matter of National Security? Why Ag Should Get Careful Consideration

In uncertain times such as these, it’s comforting to know our country is a fruit and vegetable production powerhouse. But it makes the news that one key production region is struggling all the more troubling.

A study produced by Michigan State University Extension researchers released in March reveals that on average, over the past 15 years, Michigan has lost specialty crops at nearly twice the rate of the U.S. Titled “Assessing the Impacts of the Loss of Specialty Crops in Michigan,” its findings are startling, even scary.

“Growers have been experiencing intense, longer-term margin squeezes due to high labor and input costs,” the authors state. “There is concern that several of Michigan specialty crop industries are near the tipping point.”

Perhaps, because the decline has occurred slowly, I had no idea it was so bad. (I once had a grower complain of how awful things were, and that he’d talk to me more, but had to leave for an extended stay at his condo in Hawaii.) Seriously, when you get past the statistics, and get down to the granular level, the situation is unsettling, to say the least.

The study isn’t just about numbers. The authors interviewed growers, packers, and processors and only then modeled data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service to estimate the values and potential changes. They found the annual economic contribution of Michigan’s specialty crop supply chain is $6.3 billion dollars and supports nearly 41,700 jobs. Farm gate receipts make up about half of that value — $3.1 billion — with downstream supply chain activities and indirect and induced economic activities making up the rest.

Obviously, not every part of the state is feeling the economic hit in the same way, especially where the cities are called “farm towns” because agriculture dominates the region’s economy. The study states: “These areas experience a substantial economic multiplier effect, with specialty crops supporting not only agricultural-oriented businesses such as equipment fabricators but also community businesses such as restaurants, grocers, and laundromats.”

Because the state has always been such a large fruit and vegetable producer, it serves a wide region of this great country, “particularly east of the Mississippi River, and as such is a substantial resource contributing to our national food security.”

The word “food” is superfluous in that usage because a country that cannot feed itself is insecure. I know I’m not the only one who feels that way, because I heard a man who was once one of the most powerful in the U.S. say just that. Speaking at an ag event in Salinas, CA, a couple years ago, Leon Panetta had a strong message for growers and other agriculture industry leaders: Speak up about food scarcity and national security.

Panetta, who once served as White House Chief of Staff, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Secretary of Defense, said far too many Americans take ag for granted. Panetta said it’s up to the industry to change that perception.

“This is about national security, and I don’t think you need to be shy in saying that,” he said. “Leadership in this country lies not in Washington (DC) but in the rural areas of this great country.”

Anyone involved in this great industry — especially growers, whose voices ring loudest in DC — needs to contact their representative in Congress and tell them many farms in the U.S. are in distress. Tell them this is about national security.