Home grown and farmer’s market locally grown produce is not counted in this type of data. The Google AI summary I used to get that 70% imported tomato number was from CBS News and WWNY News, both getting that number from the Florida Tomato Exchange, an industry group. The other 30% would be commercial growers in the U.S.
Since home grown and similar local produce is a seasonal crop in most of the country, I suppose the 70% imported number is more accurate for winter tomatoes in the supermarket, maybe declining a wee bit in the Summer and Fall due to local home grown and small producer crops. No way to know the exact numbers though, as far as I can tell.
Noem is being principled and brutal without favor to friend and foe. There is also economic precedent to this call. The loss of agriculture usually fosters industry and unprecedented economic revival and growth. The American taxpayer spends too much on agricultural subsidies. I’ve always said that if you want to pay zero taxes you should own a farm, a corporation, a church, and a political action committee.
Read a few weeks ago, Nebraska farmers whining like toddlers
“I’m going bankrupt! I can’t find any farmworkers! Who is gonna milk my cows!”
Waaaaah! You voted for this. Cry me a river.
They seem to have STFU lately.
Doing my best to buy imported stuff.
Also read that Mexico has flooded the US market with tomatoes in anticipation of this tariff nonsense, dropping the price from $16 a box to $4 a box and the redneck Florida farmers are having to plow their tomatoes under to lose less money. Boo Hoo!
If Democrats could free themselves from the requirement that they abase themselves before “the farmers” – which, in reality, is Big AggriBiz and not “Old McDonald” – they could move in a more progressive direction to support the vast majority of Americans, who live in cities of various sizes.
No more pandering to the Corn Lobby (bye-bye, Bob Dole). No mindless support for the grain and corn crops that mainly produce input powders and syrups for ultraprocessed foods, and whose need for artificial petroleum-based fertilizers and deadly pesticides has caused so much ecological damage.
Free at last!! If only Democrats can figure this out. We ought to tell them.
Every time there’s an agricultural cultural crisis, farmland transfers from individual farmers to corporations.
Many billionaires (and their affiliated corporations) pay little or no taxes.
Individual farmers have less political influence than corporate agriculture.
As demonstrated by other corporate welfare, as land grants and property tax abatements, corporations, like welfare such as subsidies also. Very much so.
The monopolization of agricultural production will lead to higher prices and higher taxes for all of us.
