By David Myers

Southwest Kansas Register

On a hot, nearly cloudless day in June, Larned farmers Tom and Jay Giessel, four workers and two combines stood motionless amid a sea of wheat, a brief morning mist having left the crop too wet to work.

A few hours later they’d start their engines again, but not before having lost much of the day.

Despite the setback, Tom Giessel said that he is one of the lucky ones.

"We’re fairly fortunate," he said. "We’ll have a slightly better than average crop. It varies from township to township. By and large, the northwestern 40 percent of the state is really a disaster. There was a lot of drought and freeze damage from here north and west in Kansas.

"I heard people say they’re not even getting out their combines this year," he added. "Crop insurance will help, but doesn’t really fill the gap. And with the escalation of fuel prices and other inputs this year, it will be real devastation, not just for the individual farmer, but for communities."

For Giessel and many more like him, farming isn’t only a matter of paying his bills, it’s a social justice issue that deeply effects the entire global community.

The Catholic bishops of the United States agree. In their document, "For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food," they wrote, "A farm or agricultural system that ignores economic realities is in financial trouble. An agricultural system or enterprise that ignores or neglects moral principles is in ethical trouble."

According to Giessel, the farm system in America is indeed in both economic and ethical trouble. As the sun gleamed off the two massive combines, Giessel spoke of some of the challenges facing today’s family farmer.

"Farmers are not being fairly compensated for what they do," he explained. "I don’t believe farmers should be living under pressure to have a good crop every year to survive. If farmers are getting a fair price, then we can take some bad weather.

"I know that farming is a business, but they also do it from the heart," he added. "This is about land, people, food, social justice, natural resources. Everything we do in agriculture is fairly long-term. What I’m doing today – harvesting — culminates nearly two years of hard work, financial investment, and commitment. Farmers make a commitment to take care of the land and produce a crop, and they don’t back away from it. Sometimes that traps you.

"If prices were at a respectable level, this wouldn’t be happening. And that is a matter of public policy. That is something we can change. Talk to your elected officials. Tell them we have good, hard working people working to produce the food we need, and they’re going broke doing it."

According to a column in National Agriculture Week by Larry Mitchell, CEO of American Corn Growers Association, there are approximately 2 million active farmers (producers who can sell $1,000 of agriculture production) left in the U.S.

"But that definition — and I would never suggest changing it – includes all producers who can sell $1,000 of agriculture production or more," he writes. "Now, if we were to raise the threshold to $10,000 we would eliminate over half of those 2 million farmers. In the land of Jefferson, we are now approaching the sad fact that farmers may not qualify as a demographic large enough to be counted by the U.S. Census.

"But the assumption I usually use — and I am told by many I am too liberal in the assumption — is that there are about 750,000 farmers left in the United States," he added.

With approximately 150,000 grocery stores in the nation, that leaves only five farmers per store supplying the food that lands on the shelves, Mitchell wrote. When taking into account U.S. exports and the number of times people eat out, that number dwindles down to two farmers per grocery store.

"Those products don’t get on the shelves by magic," Giessel said. "They are all gifts given to us by God, and we should respect that fact. They’re not gifts given to us by Kroeger or Walmart. It is through the gifts from God and the hands of the farmer that this happens."

Another challenge facing the farmer is the "multitude of trade agreements" that have created more barriers to fair trade than inroads.

"I’ve never been told a good definition of free trade," he said. "The people aren’t really involved. We’ve changed in the past 30 years. Governments used to promote and craft bilateral trade agreements. My definition of trade is that you have to give something up to get something in return.

"From the farmer’s standpoint, we are giving something up, but getting very little in return."

In, "For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food," the bishops write, "Current U.S. and European subsidies, supports, tariffs, quotas, and other barriers that undermine market access for poorer countries should be substantially reduced and should be focused on policies that minimize the direct and indirect effects on prices of agricultural goods.

"Our goal should be to minimize harm to farmers caused by international trade policies. We should assess all trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), for their impact on farmers and farmworkers.

"We must find ways for the governments of the United States and other developed countries to adopt trade policies that provide special access to their markets for farmers from the world’s most desperately poor nations and to take steps to promote stable prices for agricultural goods.

"To protect the health and well-being of all people, trade policies should provide consistent food safety standards that are open to public review, are based on internationally accepted scientific criteria, and are subject to a neutral dispute resolution process. This will ensure that all farmers are subject to the same standards. To promote adoption of consistent standards throughout the world, developed nations should provide technical and other assistance to poorer countries."

The bishops’ statement also offers the following:

"We wish to recognize and applaud so many farm families and others who live by these principles every day. For them, farming is not just a way to make a living; it is a way of life. It is not just a job; it is a vocation and an expression of faith."

Giessel offered five steps individuals can take to help improve the current farm situation:

1. Pray

2. Lobby Congress for Disaster Aid

3. Publicize help hotline numbers: (Kansas Rural Family Helpine: toll free: 866-327-6578) (Kansas Agriculture Mediation Services, toll-free: 800-321-3276)

4. Support your community and neighbors through activities within the Church