Farming can be a deeply satisfying life – you’re connecting directly to nature, you are your own boss, and you do work that’s real, benefitting humanity.
As a many generation Cailornian, I have watched this happen continually for the past seventy years (I'm 76). You refere to the Silicon Vally. That is where I grew up. In the springtime, my parents would take my brother and I to the hills of Los Altos and we would look across to the other side of the valley and all you could see was the pink and white blossoms of the apricot, cherry, plum, prune and almond orchards as far as you could see. My grandfather's ranch was off in the distance. It ran from Coyote Creek on Trimble Road to the Oakland Road to the East, about a mile away. South maybe half a mile. In 1952, the state eminent domained a wide swath near Oakland road and built the Nimitz Freeway. With the writing on the wall and the Ag zoning changed to Commercial, he sold to Shell Oil and the storage tanks they built were visible to me, as was the big Victorian that my father was born in, when flyng to LA and looking out the right side windows on take off from SJO. It's all gone now and the miles around are now Orchard Industrial Park. The flat land is easy and cheap to build on. The surrounding housing developments are named for this creek or that creek, filled in to make more flat land for straight line streets.
There was serious criminality involved also. Since the early 50s, developers would bribe county supervisors to extend residential zoning deeper into ag zones, thus rasiing the taxes beyond profitability and the speculators would swoop in and wave cash under the farmers noses and they would sell. Fresno, Merced and Madera counties were rife with this. A developer named Bonnedelli was busted in Madera county back in the 60s, but went on to do the same in Fresno county. He and others wangled the California State College system to locate the new Fresno State College way out in farmland out of town. All the Ag land in between and surrounding was re-zoned residential and commercial and bango wango!$$$$$!!!!!
I could go on for days.
The soil on my grandfather's farm was black and rich. The taste and smell was intoxicating. Most of the richest growing earth in California is paved over. Killed and dead forever.
I would hope we've seen it all, Jim, but I'm affraid its only ramping up. Soylent Green anybody??
Calm down please. One can only shoot ducks in one direction at a time and hit one. No action on ANYTHING will take place untill Biden is re-elected, understand?
The evil that Jim Hightower describes is breath taking! What do mega billionaires eat? Rarified air? What do they expect everyone else to eat? The idea that you can be sued for loving and caring for your own land...isn't there still a crime called Abuse of Process?
Shameful greed (is it ever not shameful?) is nothing new. Sir Thomas More's 16th century book "Utopia", describes the land grabs of Britain's landed gentry - called "enclosure", and meaning that the lords could literally force out farmers and enclose their own ever-growing properties, with the blessing of King Henry VIII. Not for farming, but for private pleasure grounds and hunting preserves. Farmers were unable to make a living and many took to robbery, which was punishable by death. Those who were "allowed" to grow food had to hand most of it over to feed the rich. Sounds scarily familiar, doesn't it? Poverty still breeds crime, and while there is no death penalty for stealing, there is another kind of death that affects the heart and soul, caused by feeling helpless, uprooted and ignored. Utopia is not a realistic goal, but we can encourage and support the farmers and others who are targets of the new robber barons. Sorry to go on like this, but we feel deeply about the injustice that comes from our truly shameful, huge wealth gap. Keep shining a light on these abuses, Jim!
Good point. History is important, but only if we learn the lessons that it teaches. The internet is an information highway, not a teacher. It contains as much misinformation and lies as it does true facts. And do we really ALL know what's going on in the U.S.? Does the rest of the world care? Obviously, a lot of Americans don't care, as you pointed out. And those same people get their news only from right-wing outlets. They form their own "small communities". The 21st century needs a lot of work!
It is disgusting what the land grabbers are doing, trying to force farmers off their land. Suing them for not selling is such an abuse of the legal system, but unsurprising. But, as you say the idea is to drown farmers in legal fees fighting the lawsuit. Here's a solution for those who are forced to sell because they can't afford the cost of defending themselves: Donate the land to a land trust or the Nature Conservancy with a non-development covenant. It's a win-win-win. The land is protected from development forever, the speculators are thwarted, and the farmer gets a big tax write-off.
We, the people, throughout our Nation must come together and persistently challenge those using the power of their vast monies to diminish the qualities of our lives, our lands, our soils, our waters, our air, our plant lives, our fellow humans, our fellow Earth creatures including microbes, our homes, our businesses, our education and career training systems, and all our futures.
They must lose their power by initiating our local, state, and federal creations of new laws to protect - and invest in - all of the above. These "filthy rich" individuals and corporations must not control us, and must immediately become continuously and persistently monitored and regulated - for all our sakes, and for the future of our "Uniquely American Secular Constitutional Democracy."
What they have been doing, accomplishing, throughout our American history, especially in the last four decades is unconscionable. They are being relentlessly UN-American and hostile to our free and fair market economies. We all must publicly challenge their egregious self-serving destructive actions.
Agreed. That's why each community, each county, each state, and our federal government must take the lead in finding ways to legally protect us from these harm-producing wealthy. Furthermore, all government policies to that end must include regulation language, with monitoring and enforcement procedures to be detailed. (More jobs available.) Finally, we need regular reporting of each of these cases when they occur, like Jim typically has done, by the relevant presses/media nationwide as well. (This is also still an issue for the poor and their housing through the so-called "Enterprise Zone" strategy heralded and frequently encouraged by the Trump administration.) What a mess.
When I was young ( 78 next month), my parents would drive from Idaho to Ca. for a magical vacation going to fruit orchards, spending hours searching tide pools for natural magic. Before entering the state of Ca. we had our cars searched to make sure we were not bringing any danger (insects,?) into state to hurt Ca. orchards,
etc. We were excited to help keep that garden of Eden safe.
When I was 22 I taught in Fresno at Tenaya Jr.High. Vineyards were south and the wine country was a miracle of plants and tender vines being raised for purpose of a balance of nature and results.
When I was 35 I lived in the center of San Francisco…. flying out of that city with Pan Am. I was saddened by the spreading of endless housing and the disappearance of fruit trees and gardens.
I guess those clueless money grubbers think they will go to Mars once they destroy earth.
Say NO! Say, God damned NO. Do not let money do the talking and the thinking.
Are we this helpless and hopeless? Are we simply mesmerized by the cold, heartless, lifeless $ sign?????
Are these billionaires crazy? Do they eat and what will they eat - plastic "food"? I hope they choke on it. At least Mother Nature will have the last laugh.
Unfortunately, we, the real workers, get mowed down with the high money quacks. However, they will no where to put their Ill gotten cash because all of us who make their "stuff" will be swept away.
If they pave over the farm land where will we get our food? I as a farmers daughter am amazied at how many people think there food comes from the grocery store ! How do people think the food gets in the store ?
As a many generation Cailornian, I have watched this happen continually for the past seventy years (I'm 76). You refere to the Silicon Vally. That is where I grew up. In the springtime, my parents would take my brother and I to the hills of Los Altos and we would look across to the other side of the valley and all you could see was the pink and white blossoms of the apricot, cherry, plum, prune and almond orchards as far as you could see. My grandfather's ranch was off in the distance. It ran from Coyote Creek on Trimble Road to the Oakland Road to the East, about a mile away. South maybe half a mile. In 1952, the state eminent domained a wide swath near Oakland road and built the Nimitz Freeway. With the writing on the wall and the Ag zoning changed to Commercial, he sold to Shell Oil and the storage tanks they built were visible to me, as was the big Victorian that my father was born in, when flyng to LA and looking out the right side windows on take off from SJO. It's all gone now and the miles around are now Orchard Industrial Park. The flat land is easy and cheap to build on. The surrounding housing developments are named for this creek or that creek, filled in to make more flat land for straight line streets.
There was serious criminality involved also. Since the early 50s, developers would bribe county supervisors to extend residential zoning deeper into ag zones, thus rasiing the taxes beyond profitability and the speculators would swoop in and wave cash under the farmers noses and they would sell. Fresno, Merced and Madera counties were rife with this. A developer named Bonnedelli was busted in Madera county back in the 60s, but went on to do the same in Fresno county. He and others wangled the California State College system to locate the new Fresno State College way out in farmland out of town. All the Ag land in between and surrounding was re-zoned residential and commercial and bango wango!$$$$$!!!!!
I could go on for days.
The soil on my grandfather's farm was black and rich. The taste and smell was intoxicating. Most of the richest growing earth in California is paved over. Killed and dead forever.
I would hope we've seen it all, Jim, but I'm affraid its only ramping up. Soylent Green anybody??
Ransom, this personal story makes our hearts hurt. It should be made into a documentary and and be streamed on every platform.
BUT what are YOU going to do? Watch it happen?
Calm down please. One can only shoot ducks in one direction at a time and hit one. No action on ANYTHING will take place untill Biden is re-elected, understand?
By the way, what are YOU doing?
The evil that Jim Hightower describes is breath taking! What do mega billionaires eat? Rarified air? What do they expect everyone else to eat? The idea that you can be sued for loving and caring for your own land...isn't there still a crime called Abuse of Process?
The land in question is mostly grazing land. A natural carbon sink.
Hmmm, wait till you read what I wrote.
Shameful greed (is it ever not shameful?) is nothing new. Sir Thomas More's 16th century book "Utopia", describes the land grabs of Britain's landed gentry - called "enclosure", and meaning that the lords could literally force out farmers and enclose their own ever-growing properties, with the blessing of King Henry VIII. Not for farming, but for private pleasure grounds and hunting preserves. Farmers were unable to make a living and many took to robbery, which was punishable by death. Those who were "allowed" to grow food had to hand most of it over to feed the rich. Sounds scarily familiar, doesn't it? Poverty still breeds crime, and while there is no death penalty for stealing, there is another kind of death that affects the heart and soul, caused by feeling helpless, uprooted and ignored. Utopia is not a realistic goal, but we can encourage and support the farmers and others who are targets of the new robber barons. Sorry to go on like this, but we feel deeply about the injustice that comes from our truly shameful, huge wealth gap. Keep shining a light on these abuses, Jim!
We are in the 21st century NOW.
We (a lot of us know History) we have the internet which can be good/bad.
History is important BUT we all know what is going on and where are the people in the streets in the US?
In the times you are talking about people in small communities knew these things............this is world wide!
Good point. History is important, but only if we learn the lessons that it teaches. The internet is an information highway, not a teacher. It contains as much misinformation and lies as it does true facts. And do we really ALL know what's going on in the U.S.? Does the rest of the world care? Obviously, a lot of Americans don't care, as you pointed out. And those same people get their news only from right-wing outlets. They form their own "small communities". The 21st century needs a lot of work!
Of course. Read my comment if you really want to scream.
Good Jim.
List all these people and corporations who are against Farmers.
I think it was Joni Mitchell's words: Pave over paradise and put in a parking lot."
She will be performing at the Grammys this weekend, Let's hope she sings that one.
What the hell! Are they complete idiots?
Yes, they are. But unfortunately, they are RICH idiots.
This is terrible when so little land in the world is available and food to be farmed!
Read back in the comments and see mine if you want to really get angry.
It is disgusting what the land grabbers are doing, trying to force farmers off their land. Suing them for not selling is such an abuse of the legal system, but unsurprising. But, as you say the idea is to drown farmers in legal fees fighting the lawsuit. Here's a solution for those who are forced to sell because they can't afford the cost of defending themselves: Donate the land to a land trust or the Nature Conservancy with a non-development covenant. It's a win-win-win. The land is protected from development forever, the speculators are thwarted, and the farmer gets a big tax write-off.
We, the people, throughout our Nation must come together and persistently challenge those using the power of their vast monies to diminish the qualities of our lives, our lands, our soils, our waters, our air, our plant lives, our fellow humans, our fellow Earth creatures including microbes, our homes, our businesses, our education and career training systems, and all our futures.
They must lose their power by initiating our local, state, and federal creations of new laws to protect - and invest in - all of the above. These "filthy rich" individuals and corporations must not control us, and must immediately become continuously and persistently monitored and regulated - for all our sakes, and for the future of our "Uniquely American Secular Constitutional Democracy."
What they have been doing, accomplishing, throughout our American history, especially in the last four decades is unconscionable. They are being relentlessly UN-American and hostile to our free and fair market economies. We all must publicly challenge their egregious self-serving destructive actions.
I don't think anyone can do this through Law..........as Jim referenced these farmers cannot afford lawsuits to get them off their own land.
Agreed. That's why each community, each county, each state, and our federal government must take the lead in finding ways to legally protect us from these harm-producing wealthy. Furthermore, all government policies to that end must include regulation language, with monitoring and enforcement procedures to be detailed. (More jobs available.) Finally, we need regular reporting of each of these cases when they occur, like Jim typically has done, by the relevant presses/media nationwide as well. (This is also still an issue for the poor and their housing through the so-called "Enterprise Zone" strategy heralded and frequently encouraged by the Trump administration.) What a mess.
What we need is a LIST of Companies!
IF we have this we can then try to protest.
IF we do not have this list we are hopeless.
As I read Jim's comments, steam was coming out of my ears. I don't dare open my mouth!
The farmers are so brave to stand up to these criminals. As Evelyn says, where do the billionaire idiots think food comes from?
When I was young ( 78 next month), my parents would drive from Idaho to Ca. for a magical vacation going to fruit orchards, spending hours searching tide pools for natural magic. Before entering the state of Ca. we had our cars searched to make sure we were not bringing any danger (insects,?) into state to hurt Ca. orchards,
etc. We were excited to help keep that garden of Eden safe.
When I was 22 I taught in Fresno at Tenaya Jr.High. Vineyards were south and the wine country was a miracle of plants and tender vines being raised for purpose of a balance of nature and results.
When I was 35 I lived in the center of San Francisco…. flying out of that city with Pan Am. I was saddened by the spreading of endless housing and the disappearance of fruit trees and gardens.
I guess those clueless money grubbers think they will go to Mars once they destroy earth.
Say NO! Say, God damned NO. Do not let money do the talking and the thinking.
Are we this helpless and hopeless? Are we simply mesmerized by the cold, heartless, lifeless $ sign?????
1930-era Technocracy on designer drugs.
Just what we need: Greedy billionaires destroying our food supply!
What are YOU going to do?
I don't see American people in the street?
No farmer can afford lawsuits.
Get off your butts and protest!
They will fly our food in from the cleared out Amazon. One has to eat and they will $ell it for whatever the market will bear.
Are Golden Boy and his ilk going to eat bits and bytes, dollars and profits? Where oh where will the get their whine?
Short term individual thinking will be the death of us all.
SMHD
Are these billionaires crazy? Do they eat and what will they eat - plastic "food"? I hope they choke on it. At least Mother Nature will have the last laugh.
Unfortunately, we, the real workers, get mowed down with the high money quacks. However, they will no where to put their Ill gotten cash because all of us who make their "stuff" will be swept away.
If they pave over the farm land where will we get our food? I as a farmers daughter am amazied at how many people think there food comes from the grocery store ! How do people think the food gets in the store ?