A friend wrote me this weekend in search of a CSA who isn’t already sold out for the season (good luck). I referred her to localharvest.org, but I started thinking about the whole supply and demand thing. Why are the CSAs I know sold out already? This article may shed some light on it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/opinion/01hedin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Essentially, what is says is that land used for production of subsidized commodities may not be used for other food production, lest the owner be subjected to punitive penalties. The reason, apparently, is that large vegetable producers have successfully erected barriers to competition. I have mixed emotions on the topic. Mainly, I think the current legislation (as I understand it) is in need of reform, but another part of me understands the protectionism mentality going on. The third half of my brain says that the acreage can be planted however the landowner sees fit, it just bars them from subsidies which might actually be a good thing; the Earl Butz-era subsidies seem counterproductive for all involved.
This is a tough subject. Pure free-market economics applied to farming have historically had brutal effects from time-to-time. And I’m sure somebody will argue that there are small local producers responding to local markets who have done well for a long time. I tend to think that’s possible because of the shortages created by current policy, i.e., if the policy were removed and all producers responded to the free market, the arbitrage opportunities of those few farms would disappear.
Any farmers out there have a comment?
