Letter to the Editor - Support American family farms

Dear Editor,

I want to address something that is very personal to me, the American family farm. I grew up on a malt barley farm in Fairfield that has been in my family since the early 1950s and is still worked by my father today. I, like so many others on the Hi-Line and in Montana, cherish the memories and values we learned while living on the family farm. Driving grain trucks, setting dams, moving sprinklers and delivering lunches during harvest are all jobs many Montana farm families can relate to. 

One of the biggest threats to America’s economy is the loss of the family farm. Recently, a bipartisan bill called the “Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 2022” was re-introduced to halt Big Ag mergers and put family farmers back in control of their futures. Family farms are the foundation of America and Big Ag is eroding the very heart of our nation. I would like to thank Sen. Jon Tester for co-sponsoring this bi-partisan bill that will preserve our rural communities and the way of life our ancestors fought so hard to give us. That is why we need to support Tester’s bill and all our local farmers who are fighting hard every single day to defend our long-held tradition.   

When Big Ag comes for the family farm, it affects everyone. More midsize farms mean more equitable distribution of income, more money circulating in the local economy, more civic engagement, and a healthier community social fabric.

Right now, the top 10 agrochemical companies, the top five machinery manufacturers and a handful of banks are controlling their respective industries. Our food security is in the hands of very few corporations, and they make it nearly impossible for the family farmer to survive, much less thrive.

Supporting antitrust laws protects both the farmer and consumer, guaranteeing a fair price for everyone. The recent bill submitted to congress is endorsed by more than 200 farm, food, rural and consumer advocacy organizations and will return power back to the family farmer. 

Montanans share a unique way of life that has always honored the land, praised hard work and protected personal freedom. We must keep Big Ag out of the family farm and preserve this way of life for the generations to come. Allowing corporations to weed out the family farmer is simply not an option.

Thank you Sen. Tester for standing up for Montana’s family farmers and our long-held traditions.

Sincerely,

Lindsey Ratliff 

Havre