So we all agree that added value is the way to go. We must remember that those higher up the food chain than us already know this, and ownership from birth to retail is their goal too.
So there are two scenarios. One model is that of the American chicken industry, where one player controls the farms, the processing, and very likely a good chunk of retail. This virtually eliminates independent family farms as we know them, and is pretty much how things were run back in the feudal times with serfs and peasants doing the work and the lord of the manor reaping the benefit. Just change the labels, and it's basically the same.
This is no better for consumers than it is for us. This is something they need to be aware of as well.
The other scenario involves more producers taking control of their product all the way to the consumer. Not all will want to do this, but I'm sure there's lots of room in the market for a lot more to do it than what are doing it now.
I read an interesting article the other day that said that while we are knocking ourselves out over export markets, we need to keep it in mind that in those same markets, the local food movement is picking up a lot of momentum. I think it's been underestimated. I see it every week at the farmer's market.
Exports are not the magic bullet that our leaders would like us to believe. They're needed to a certain extent to "keem 'em honest", but they shouldn't be the foundation of our business.
We've already made that mistake once.
So there are two scenarios. One model is that of the American chicken industry, where one player controls the farms, the processing, and very likely a good chunk of retail. This virtually eliminates independent family farms as we know them, and is pretty much how things were run back in the feudal times with serfs and peasants doing the work and the lord of the manor reaping the benefit. Just change the labels, and it's basically the same.
This is no better for consumers than it is for us. This is something they need to be aware of as well.
The other scenario involves more producers taking control of their product all the way to the consumer. Not all will want to do this, but I'm sure there's lots of room in the market for a lot more to do it than what are doing it now.
I read an interesting article the other day that said that while we are knocking ourselves out over export markets, we need to keep it in mind that in those same markets, the local food movement is picking up a lot of momentum. I think it's been underestimated. I see it every week at the farmer's market.
Exports are not the magic bullet that our leaders would like us to believe. They're needed to a certain extent to "keem 'em honest", but they shouldn't be the foundation of our business.
We've already made that mistake once.
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