Vol. XVIII No. 5
September / October 2024
Serving Soil, Mulch, Compost & Firewood Producers www.SoilandMulchProducerNews.com
Attention Readers !
Are you looking for Products, Equipment or Services for your business? If so, check out these leading companies advertised inside:
Automatic Floor Systems Keith Manufacturing Co – pg 3
NEWS
The Global Land Grab:
What It Means for Agriculture, Energy, and Society
Bagging/Palletizing Equipment Amadas Industries – pg 13 nVenia – pg 20 Premier Tech – pg 22 Compost Turner Resource Machinery & Engineering – pg 13 Conveyors & Conveyor Parts Amadas Industries – pg 13 Equipment Sales GrinderTrader.com – pg 20 Grinders, Chippers & Screening Systems Action Vibratory Equipment – pg 14 Amadas Industries – pg 13 Bandit – pg 9 Diamond Z – pg 19 HogZilla – pg 20 Maverick Environmental Equipment – pg 8 Rotochopper – pg 11 Vermeer Corporation – pg 6 Viably – pg 23 Mulch Coloring Equipment/ Colorants AgriCoatings – pg 7 Amerimulch – pg 15 Britton Industries – pg 8 CMC – pg 5 Colorbiotics – pg 2 Faltech – pg 18 Florida Coastal Colors – pg 21 Milagro Rubber Inc – pg 12 Münzing Corporation – pg 16 T.H. Glennon Co – pg 24 Mulch Suppliers Ohio Mulch – pg 4 Payload Weighing & Measuring Systems Walz Scale – pg 17 Trailers Weaver Systems – pg 10 Trommel Brushes Power Brushes Inc – pg 20 Wear Parts ArmorHog – pg 20
By Kathleen Marquardt
I
n recent years, the topic of land acquisition by major corporations, foreign governments, and private equity firms has gained increasing attention. Companies like BlackRock, JP Morgan, Vanguard, and others have been purchasing vast tracts of farmland, forests, and singlefamily homes, raising concerns about the long-term impact on agriculture and local communities. Additionally, foreign powers like China are acquiring U.S. land, heightening worries about national security and resource control. These “land grabs” are transforming not only the economy but also the social and environmental landscape. But what’s driving this rush for land, and what are the implications for our food supply, environment, and civil society?
The Corporate and Foreign Takeover of Farmland
T
he National Family Farm Coalition warns that 40% of U.S. farmland is expected to change hands in the coming decades. Historically, farmland has been locally owned, with family farms passed down through generations. However, as large corporations and foreign entities, notably from China, buy up agricultural land, local control is diminishing.
Much of this land is being repurposed for non-agricultural uses, such as real estate developments or renewable energy projects, further eroding the foundation of rural farming communities. The loss of farmland to speculative investors could have severe consequences for food production and security, especially as global population growth continues to strain resources. Oxfam America has estimated that over an acre of farmland is lost every minute in the U.S., contributing to rising food prices and supply chain challenges.
Renewable Energy: A Double-Edged Sword?
I
n an interview with Tom DeWeese, President of the American Policy Center, an organization protecting property rights, after enumerating many of the ways wind and solar power are not what they are said to be, he noted that they also will never produce enough power to be a significant source of energy. Beyond that, he pointed out that these “sustainable” changes to “save the planet” are changing our entire civil society, while also damaging our land, water, and air we breathe. The U.S. government has set ambitious goals to transition to renewable energy sources, Continued on page 4