A Feature or a Glitch?
Is Washington purposely destroying the fabric of rural America, or is it just by happenstance?
The National Resource Conservation Service, NRCS, is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that has several programs and initiatives to improve the sustainability of American farms. After the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, Congress recognized a need to help farmers improve their farming practices to avoid another man-made disaster. Today, the NRCS helps farmers improve irrigation efficiency, plant trees, enhance livestock grazing and herd management, and pursue a number of other initiatives.
I recently completed a 5-year Conservation Stewardship Program that included wireless soil moisture sensors, prescribed grazing plans, and tree planting. The payments for these projects are reasonable, and it is nice that the government is willing to help American farmers improve their land. However, working with the NRCS in our area has become so challenging that it is almost not even worth renewing my contract.
As we looked at my recently planted trees, I wondered how it had come to this. I am basically turning down money, at a time when I am rather desperate for it, because working with them has become such a challenge. I have wanted to engage them on a number of projects, but they just aren’t available. To make matters worse, the new budget is expected to cut a significant number of the NRCS staff.
It is hard for me not to be a cynic, but these days I really can’t help it. Since the NRCS is not available to high-net-worth farm owners (to be eligible for funding, the farm owner must have an AGI below $1,000,000 per year), it seems like Washington is purposely trying to gut it. Since big corporate farms can’t participate, it seems they are keen to shut it down. The less support a small-time operator like me gets from the government, the more likely I am to go out of business, leaving Big Time Operators better positioned to consolidate the market.
Make America Great Again is such a farce. America was great when the NRCS was fully staffed and supported, when they were willing to go out and help solve farmers’ problems. Yet, ever since Reagan’s famous quip about being from the government and here to help, it seems like the powers that be are purposely kneecapping government agencies, so ordinary folks like me get fed up and don’t want to apply for any new programs.
Is this government ineptitude a feature, or simply a glitch in recent memory? Has the right become so cynical that they purposely try to undermine government effectiveness? Has the left become so soft that they refuse to hold poor-performing employees accountable and instead throw money at problems regardless of the inflationary effects?
As I continue to travel through this period of change, I can’t help but wonder if America today doesn’t want small-time farmers. The powers that be don’t want independent, free-thinking, self-reliant problem solvers who question authority and constantly innovate to fight for their survival.
Our powerful institutions don’t want independent-minded farmers who aren’t afraid to take risks and challenge authority. For them, it is much easier to manage a flock of sheep than it is to tame a pack of wolves…