<*in my opinion* (coming from a family of Kansas farmers) farmers are being
drawn into a situation like Dee Lusby describes commercial beekeepers. The
profits keep dangled in front of us but hard to obtain. Dan said in a
previous post systemic seed prices have recently increased three fold.
Yields have not increased three fold!>

I thought that "Omnivore's Dilemma" did a good job describing farmers
current predicament with corn and the politics behind it.  I teach Biology
and my students are usually pretty shocked how much of their food from the
store comes from corn.  We looked at PopTarts today, about 8 of the 14ish
ingredients are all from corn.  I don't foresee any good way of changing
the system now with so many people so far invested in corn.  I just bumped
the guy renting land from me to put in a field of white clover, alfalfa,
and birdsfoot trefoil.  Hopefully it will be worth the investment, bees
didn't do well next to the corn last year, but I think that had a lot more
to do with management and crummy spring weather than the corn
Jeremy Cusick
West Michigan

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