"hard times in rural Wisconsin."
Hard times and drastic measures. I am cruising around in the Colorado Bottom
of South Central Texas. That's the Texas Colorado....begins out west near New
Mexico and runs to the Gulf of Mexico. Looking for more land. Better not
blink, they're "paving paradise and putting up a parking lot". This piece of
paradise is the Smithville soil series. I am growing on some Smithville Class
1 right now. It is the first time in all the gardening and farming I have ever
done that I have landed on a Class 1. Its like an honor or something.
East of the town of Smithville I went prospecting, where the Colorado makes a
big wide bend...amid the failed crops of this year's drought, and found the
economic development zone going up in the middle of 3000 acres of Smithville
Class 1. Big piles of blue PVC 24 inch pipe. Backhoes. I stopped and looked at
the milk chocolate profile, 6 feet deep, nary a stone in it. Once they plant
one of those concrete tiltups on here it drags more concrete and asphalt to it
like a magnet.
If the right information had been available to the dwindling number of farmers
here, they would have butched that miserable corn the second it proved to be a
loser and fall planted wheat or anything...if they had the credit available,
but many are still in debt from the drought of 96....but those few that are
prepping land are probably getting ready for the same old corn-sorghum-cotton
fiasco. Thousands of acres have been let go to Johnson Grass. How about some
organic spinach this winter, boys and girls? 20 boxes of spinach is worth more
than one acre of corn.
There is no land use planning, or real soil conservation going on. Rural
development is geared not to diversify production, add value, build soil or
create farmers. We are all being fitted for a nice blue shirt with our name
patch over the pocket.
There is nothing new to this. Cities and towns historically are sited on or
near water transportation and the best farm land. As we grow out, the best
resource is squandered for some cheap manufacturing facility building water
skiis or bad furniture for the subsidiary of some corporation that was given a
free pass on their taxes to come in and disempower the community. Surrounded
by the ability to produce quality food, the town eats empty meals at the
corporate concession stand built where there used to be a hardware store.
What a sales job.
Steve Sprinkel
Green Panthers of Bastrop County
" Look out kid, they keep it all hid" Bob Dylan
Misha wrote:
Every so often I see something that screams out as Code for "hard
times in rural Wisconsin." Thought this might interest some of you.
peace
misha
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Letterhead:
Dunn County (Wisconsin)
Economic Development Corporation
September 1998
Dear Farm Progress Days Exhibitor,
We welome you to Dunn County, and as an exhibitor to the 1998 Farm
Progress Days. We are the Dunn County Economic Development
Corporation and are pleased and excited that such a large event such
as Farm Progress Days, with so many exhibitors such as yourselves, is
being held this year in Dunn County.
We are taking this opportunity to provide you with some information
in regard to the business and industrial environment in Dunn County.
We are an extremely aggressive and pro-business area that offers
significant benefits to business and industries. We have an abundant,
motivated, educated, and inexpensive work force. We have excellent
transportation access, outstanding interactive educational systems,
extremely attractive incentives, ample and inexpensive industrial
land, pro-business government entitites, a wide variety of
recreational and cultural opportunities, and a quality of life second
to none.
Enclosed please find a booklet containing information on the county,
its education systems, demographics, industrial incentives, business
climate, industrial parks, and available buildings. We would be
extremely interested in discussing any expansion or relocaiton plans
you may have, now or in the future. We are hopeful that during the
show, you get a chance to stop by our booth in Ag Tent E.
(Signed by the corporation's executive director)
Footer:
Moving ahead for Western Wisconsin
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Michele Gale-Sinex, communications manager
Center for Integrated Ag Systems
UW-Madison College of Ag and Life Sciences
Voice: (608) 262-8018 FAX: (608) 265-3020
http://www.wisc.edu/cias/
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Dennis: Anarcho-syndicalism is a way of *preserving* freedom!
His Wife: Oh, Dennis, *forget* about freedom! We 'aven't got enough mud!
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