Now, if you are a millionaire you like Ronny Reagan a whole lot because he gives you things. The point is whether you like what Ronny Reagan is doing to you. But the point is not whether Ronny Reagan is likable. He probably hasn’t been told what’s going on, that’s all.” They can see that Ronny’s not the brightest light on the porch, they say he’s likable, he’s friendly, he’s an agreeable President. Now, I know some people say, “It’s not Ronny’s fault. Now is the time for Democrats in the White House because farmers cannot survive another year of Ronald Reagan, much less four years. The emergency is now! The change must come now! We cannot wait for another election. When the family farms are gone, the same conglomerates that send you your monthly utility bill are gonna be in charge of your grocery bill. When farms go, businesses go, banks go, people go, whole towns go, and an invaluable way of life goes. We’re in the greatest agricultural crisis that this country has faced in 50 years and we’ve got to wake up to it and respond to it now! All of us are affected. A total of 200,000 farmers and ranchers have gone out of business under Reaganomics, and more than a million more are on the brink of broke this very day, while Ronny Reagan stands around humming “Thank God I’m A Country Boy.” For every week that he has been in office, we have lost a thousand good family farmers. Sure enough, Reagan has made bankruptcy commonplace in the countryside. in economics to figure out that when you have to spend more money to produce something than you can get paid for it, you’ve got a fast ticket to bankruptcy, and that’s where we’re headed. For three straight years, farmers have been paid less for their products than it cost for them to grow it. Here is what Hightower told his fellow delegates back in 1984:Īmerican agriculture is not in a lagging recovery as the Reagan administration claims-it is in a raging, full-fledged depression. By the end of the year, Reagan would sign a farm bill that included cuts to farm aid programs that had been protected since the 1930s. Seven months later, in March 1985, newly reelected President Reagan vetoed a farm bill that, while criticized by both Democrats and Republicans, would have provided debt relief to American farmers. “At a convention marked by speeches that ranged from highly emotional to boring, Hightower’s one-liners came as a welcome relief Wednesday,” wrote Tim Sheehy for United Press International. In the following speech delivered at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco, Jim Hightower, then Texas Agriculture Commissioner and chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Agriculture Council, denounced the Reagan administration for its failure to address the farm crisis. This put a huge stress on rural banks, with more banks failing in 1985 than in any year since the 1930s. By end of the decade, an estimated 300,000 family farmers had defaulted on loans, and more than 250,000 farms went out of business. ![]() COIN is a loosely organized group of people on the North Olympic Peninsula whose shared goal is to pair local investors who want to support their community together with local entrepreneurs who are in need of resources in order to achieve their business plans and aspirations.During the 1980s, more than 1,000 farmers who lost their farms to foreclosure committed suicide. LION creates opportunities for local businesses, nonprofits, and citizens to network.Ĭlallam Investment Opportunity Fund (COIN) – Clallam County only. Local Investment Opportunity Fund (LION)– Jefferson County only. Some grants may require you to partner with a 501c3 organization or research institutionsĬenter for Rural Affairs Beginning Farmer Funding Sources & Financing Options– Support services for rural ranchers and farmers. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – The USDA has recently compiled a list of grant programs available through various government agencies that are designed to support farmers and strengthen local food systems. ![]() USDA Farm Service Agency – Various loan and financing programs available through FSA. They have a small- and mid-scale producers and processors focus and lending opportunities. ![]() NW Farm Credit Services – Providing financial services for agriculture and rural communities.Ĭraft3 – Craft3 is a regional nonprofit CDFI that makes loans to strengthen the economic, ecological and family resilience in Oregon and Washington. This publication outlines several financing options available to beginning farmers to start a farm, and to illuminate the step-by-step process of applying for a loan.įinancing Agriculture The Business Borrower-Lender Relationship (pdf) ATTRA Guide for Financing your Farm (pdf)
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