WTP-GC wrote:fj12ryder wrote:
"I recall a study done a few years back on ways we could ‘spend’ our way out of the recession. There were several instances where really small increases going straight back to a producer could have a HUGE trickle down effect. One item really jumped out at me, adding $0.05 to every loaf of bread, this going straight back to the farmer would DOUBLE his income. FIVE cents."
This really does sound wonderful, and considering how little wheat is actually in a loaf of bread probably was likely true.
But in all honesty, who will believe it? How often are we lied to, prevaricated to, and have the truth sidestepped around? And then we are told that if the price of bread went up a nickel it would all go to the farmer? No one believes it, probably least of all the people behind the study. They know the farmer would be lucky to see a penny of that nickel, if he saw anything at all.
The first problem I see is that the farmer isn't who you think he/she is. The fields producing grains and other ingredients are owned primarily by large corporations, heavily divested into equity groups, foreign assets, etc. If your everyday local farmer has any part in this, their fields, equipment, and resources are probably heavily subsidized by some corporation that's selling to the bread industry. Still, he's selling his grains through a broker who will set the pricing based upon industry price indexes (controlled by the mega corp).
To say a farmer would be lucky to see a penny of that nickel may even be an over-estimation.
