John Kinsman
September, 2001
John Kinsman comes to dairy farming honestly. As a third generation
dairy farmer, he now farms in Lime Ridge, Wisconsin within one mile of
where his great-grandfather settled after journeying in a covered wagon
from Vermont. John lived on his father's dairy farm until he was drafted
into World War II in 1943. Upon his return, he worked for a short time in
a factory before finding his own farmland to rent. Four years and one
marriage later, John and his new wife Jean bought land next door to their
rental property in order to begin their own dairy farm.
Their new land had been quite neglected by its previous owner, an elderly couple. Through organic methods, John and Jean transformed the unproductive acres into an abundant and fertile farm. He continues to farm on the same 150 acres today, using 83 acres for pasture and crop land, while the remaining land is used for forestry. "Every acre, every inch of this land, is used to its highest potential, whether that is crop land or forestry," John explains. Reflecting on the experience of this long-term land transformation, John comments, "That was some hard work, but it taught us a lot. More than ever, I can see how neglected land harms everyone. Working with nature to care about our resources, we can become more profitable. You have also improved it for future generations." In light of his concern for the future generations, it is fitting that several of John's children and grandchildren have bought neglected land and are transforming it to its peak productivity.
So why are more people not following his example by using sustainable and eventually quite profitable organic methods? John has two words: money and greed. "Over time, especially the last 15-20 years, agri-business and other corporate entities have been in a mad rush to improve profits." In this mad rush, there is not time to think long-term about productivity and certainly not a concern for future generations. He quotes an article that lists the salary Monsanto's CEO at nearly $100 million dollars. "It's a mystery to me. Once you have over $100 million, what is another million?" John ponders.
What disturbs John the most, however, is how the media, government, and universities tout bottom-line agribusiness methods as the model of production. Though some have looked at John's practices and used the words like "luddite" and "primitive" to describe them, John's concern for future generations is anything but unprogressive. He warns, "People don't think long term. We teach what is immediately profitable, but when we do, the law of diminishing returns takes over. I see much of this land becoming less and less productive. They are mining our future as they mine the land."
John's frustration with big business came to a head while attending a meeting in Washington D.C. with a farm-lobbying organization that catered to the needs of corporations, not farmers. Knowing both farmers and consumers were losing out with such corruption, John and three other farmers set up a meeting in the hotel basement to explore the possibility of setting up an alternative farm organization, which would truly represent farmers, not corporate-agriculture. By the time the meeting started, fifteen people had gathered and Family Farm Defenders (FFD) was born.
Since its inception ten years ago, Family Farm Defenders has seen many changes. Compared to the intial fifteen member gathering, the last FFD annual meeting included over 100 members, with representatives from Spain and France. The group has worked tirelessly for decades, celebrating some significant victories.
One such achievement is FFD's role in educating the public on the issue of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), now a hot topic due to the FDA's refusal to demand the labeling of GMO products. The first GMO introduced into the human food chain was the Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) in 1985, unbeknownst to consumers. Family Farm Defenders has led a push for further research and education on the effects of the additive. Sixteen years ago, many laughed at their efforts, but today the long-term effects of rBGH are surfacing. John explains, "We are not saying, 'Don't use it. It's evil.' We are saying that if you want to use it, you should know you are using it." The FDA has threatened Family Farm Defenders because their cheese includes the statement, "Produced Without the Use of Artificial Hormones." The indication of a difference between rBGH-cheese and non rBGH cheese violates FDA regulations.
Family Farm Defenders also celebrated a victory regarding the National Dairy Board. Most major agriculture commodities have a National Board, funded through each farmer's mandatory donation on the sale of commodity crops. Theoretically, the board uses the tax to aid all farmers. Unfortunately, the Boards generally use the money to aid corporate farmers. Family Farm Defenders was the first organization to call such boards into question. Gathering over 16,000 signatures, Family Farm Defenders called for a democratic vote of all dairy farmers to decide whether the farmers wanted a National Board. When corporate cooperatives block-voted for their members, the National Dairy Board structure was upheld. However, FFD still considers their campaign a victory, because it helped to begin a widespread challenge to the various commodity boards. During their campaign, John received a phone call from a pecan grower who was interested in using the same procedure to challenge the Pecan Board. With help from Family Farm Defenders, today there is no National Pecan Board.
Family Farm Defenders still has many struggles ahead. Their first priority
is to ensure that farmers receive fair prices for their product.
"None of our farmers are getting the cost of production. Many of
them receive about half of it," John relays, regrettably. Their
second priority addresses how farmers can receive a fair price. Believing
that major national policy must first be modeled on a local level, FFD
began producing Family Farm Defender cheese, providing a fair price to
farmers and a healthy, safe product for consumers. This grassroots model
is combined with the tracking of state and federal legislation in order
to create fair domestic agricultural policy. Using their cheese as a
model, FFD hopes to educate other commodity cooperatives on similar
endeavors.
FFD has learned that the key to shaping policy is relationships. Much of the organization's time and energy is spent working with religious, consumer, and environmental groups, educating them on the importance of sustainable agriculture. "Farmers are so stressed and beaten down, they can't organize anymore," John explains. For this reason, one-third of the Family Farm Defenders board is comprised of urban advocates. "People criticize us, but we realize it's an educational thing. It's time-consuming, which is against our so-called American culture, but in the end it pays off."