Farmer in Chief

I wanted to get this up in a timely manner, since I thought it was important to take note of. Many of us have read Michael Pollan’s work, so for the most part I think I can say that there is a good understanding that he is someone who has done a fair bit (underestimate?) of research into food system here in the U.S. He posted just the other day, in his NY Times column, an open letter to the future President elect of the United States. It is long, but concise, and certainly worth the read when you have time.

P~

 

Dear Mr. President-Elect,

It may surprise you to learn that among the issues that will occupy much of your time in the coming years is one you barely mentioned during the campaign: food. Food policy is not something American presidents have had to give much thought to, at least since the Nixon administration - the last time high food prices presented a serious political peril. Since then, federal policies to promote maximum production of the commodity crops (corn, soybeans, wheat and rice) from which most of our supermarket foods are derived have succeeded impressively in keeping prices low and food more or less off the national political agenda. But with a suddenness that has taken us all by surprise, the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close. What this means is that you, like so many other leaders through history, will find yourself confronting the fact - so easy to overlook these past few years - that the health of a nation's food system is a critical issue of national security. Food is about to demand your attention.

 

Read the complete text HERE