[Vision2020] GT's Farm Foods: was Palouse Farming...

[Garrett Clevenger]

Donovan writes:

"I don't think the labor of illegal immigrants is cheap for the country, because we have pay the costs of their health care, education, housing, and wear and tear on the nations infrastructure. It would be better to pay higher wages and reduce taxes."


I totally agree. These are just hidden costs that everybody has to pay. It seems better to have the people who want the commodity pay for it, by paying a higher cost by paying the workers a living wage, than have everybody else pay for it one way or another.

When American companies compete with cheap foreign goods made so by cheap labor, the logical completion of that thought is that wages in the US go down, as do the regulations that keep us safe since many countries are not so stringent on regulating businesses (adding a whole other layer of hidden costs). Since most people don't want to work for $5 or less (at least that's what many migrant farm workers) many companies turn to a plentiful supply of people who are not legally supposed to be in the US. These people are willing to make next to nothing because they have low living expenses, due to the fact that they are poor and can't afford most things the middle class enjoys and because tax-payers subsidize some things in their lives.

Therefore, one way to reduce the cost of food (and keep it competitive) grown by legal labor who make a living wage is to reduce transportation costs, thus buy food that is locally grown.

On our local farm, the price of our vegies is comparable to what people pay for the same vegies grown elsewhere. We'd love to be able to charge more, to make a better living farming. Obviously we don't make a whole lot (though we hope to become more profitable over the years), but when we have to compete with a food system that is so tilted in its favor, that's the way it'll stay unless more people are willing to pay the true cost of growing food.

If we agree on this, I hope you'll consider buying some of our vegies. Until next season we only have onions from last year available (and they are pretty darn good!) but soon we'll have: BASIL, BEANS, BEETS, BOK CHOI, BROCCOLI, CABBAGE, CARROTS, CHARD, CILANTRO, CUCUMBER, DILL, GARLIC, GREEN ONION, LEEK, LETTUCE, MIXED GREENS, ONION, PEA, PEPPER, POTATO, RADISH, SPINACH, SQUASH, TOMATILLO, and TOMATO 

If I may promote our business, you can visit our website for more info:

http://garrettclevenger.com/GTsFarmFoods.htm


We still have shares of our CSA available for this season, if anyone is interested in that, or buying some yummy onions. I can't guarantee supporting us will keep any "illegals" out of the great 'ol USoA, but you never know;)

gclev