Farmers are the newest political actors

When did farmers become activists?

Recently the U.S. Supreme Court heard Hugh Bowman v. Monsanto.

In the case, a 75-year-old southern Indiana farmer is battling agricultural biotech giant Monsanto about the right to patent seeds.

I have one question stirring in my mind: Since when has farming become such a political act?

This David v. Goliath story is more than simply a question about the right to patent seeds.

This landmark case will surely have deep and lasting implications for the future of genetically modified crops.

At its core, this case is the test of one farmer’s conscience.

This is a man who stands unflinching in the face of such a financial powerhouse as Monsanto.

He stands firm against the corporate control that has seeped into the farming industry and left individual farmers powerless. 
 
For what he represents to Indiana, and to our generation, we should all give thanks to Hugh Bowman.

We must also not forget to honor others like him who are fighting the same battle to bring dignity and accountability back to Hoosier farms.

For example, take Barbara Sha Cox, a lifelong farmer leading the crusade against Indiana Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.

She fights to force CAFOs to restrict seepage of manure into the air, water and land.

When thousands of cattle are raised together on a single industrial farm, this sort of pollution is inevitable.

The externalities these farms produce are dangerous additions to the communities they belong to.

But it is not only members of the older generation who hope to renew the farming industry.

Organizations such as the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, an organization referred to fondly as WWOOFing, and Help Exchange have sprouted up as opportunities for recent graduates to become volunteer farmers across the world.

Instead of pursuing a more traditional career, these students travel to small, organic farms and learn the trade. 

Students describe the work as “repetitive” and “physically hard,” but ultimately very rewarding.

What’s more, take a walk through the Farmers’ Market any Saturday morning.

You’ll find more than one young Kelley-educated organic farmer selling the fruits of their labor.

Not only are they college-educated, but many have traveled the world to understand how food systems function in other nations before settling down to pursue farming.

These farmers today see the American food system for what it is: broken.

As one of these farmers, Michael Hicks, told me, “Farming is my first form of activism. I am proactively doing work that is changing the world and giving people opportunities.”   
With the spotlight on Indiana, it’s time to stand by our farmers and bring dignity and accountability back into the food industry.

­— bridgela@indiana.edu