Letter to editor – Ag Secretary Purdue’s comment: Where’s the outcry?
To the editor,
Why is it that our rural newspaper appears to have the lack of interest in agriculture to not comment on U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s comments, whereas the Minneapolis Tribune on Oct. 5 titled an article: "Perdue to farmers: Go big or just go.”
This lack of notice in our newspaper and no response from our farmers shows the plight of our ag industry. This lack of interest is not new; Earl Butz, secretary of agriculture back in the ‘70s, said the same thing by stating: “Farmers must get big or get out” with little or no outcry from our farmers or the press.
For over 50 years, I have written, gave speeches, spoken to a college audience, provided materials relating to the ag problems with very little acknowledgment from either farmers or the community. Now over 75 percent of our family farmers are gone, not only devastating to them but resulting in the hurt to rural towns and the economy.
Gary Ballard,
Glencoe