Support Skagitonians Dedicated to the Genteel Decline of Agriculture in Our Valley. The annual Skagitonians banquet is being held this very night, a big fundraiser -- a sold out affair, according to Stuart Welch of Rexville who has rented a tuxedo and will serve as M.C. for the festivities.People support this group because --- I could never figure that out -- because they have nice posters and good art. It's a public relations thing. Skagitonians makes farmers look good. But it seems much simpler to me because my notion of agriculture is not romantic. Farmers keep farming if they make money. If they don't make money, they stop farming. All those guys you see out there farming are making money.
For myself, I sometimes support agriculture -- when it supports me. Last month I worked for a farmer near LaConner for one week, planting cabbages. I got paid -- that's what I like about agriculture.
If you're not really interested in farming, but if you want to feel good about it, then you should support Skagitonians and buy one of their posters.
1 comment:
I suppose you eat every day - maybe even more than once. Farmers get less than 20 cents of each dollar spent on food - so they support a whole lot of people in the food and fiber industry. For each dollar a Skagit farmer pays in local property taxes the county spends only 51 cents for services, while each home uses $1.25 in services for each dollar it pays, according to a Cost of Community Services Study sponsored by SPF. That in itself should be enough for every Skagit resident to "support" farmers.
But now, the farmers really need your support. The county is entertaining the notion of approving a commerical application for a pair of speculative wetland mitigation banks that would take 1,100 acres of zoned agricultral land out of production so some out-of-town private equity investors can make money by selling credits to others that destroy wetlands. What? Sounds like nonsense, doesn't it? But that's what the Commissioners are considering.
Tell the Commissioners a loud, resounding, "NO!" Email them, call them, write them, or catch them in person. But tell them, "NO!" That's how you can really support Skagit farmers right now.
Ag Nag
Post a Comment