OWNING OUR FOOD

Spectator

By Stephen Tuttle

Let’s just assume the Chinese have surveillance technology other than slowmoving and visible-to-the-naked-eye balloons. They certainly knew it would be seen and taken down. To be sure, they have multiple sophisticated satellites busily surveilling any and all of our important military sites exactly as we have over China.

The apoplectic reactions of some commentators was more than a little overblown. The talking heads on Fox & Friends were particularly alarmed and with an entirely new angle. Host Rachel CamposDuffy suggested the Chinese were checking foreign investors and land owners are from the Netherlands and Canada, who together control about 58 percent of all foreignowned farms and timber. The Chinese are not significant players here, either.

(Those pesky Canadians are everywhere, though. They’re in Michigan, Montana, and nationwide. Fox & Friends should be very upset with them.)

In short, China is not a significant player in our domestic agricultural businesses and poses no threat to our domestic food supply, nor is there any evidence they are attempting out farmland and hinted they were in the market for existing farms so they could control our food supply. She even suggested anyone who sells farmland to the Chinese might be guilty of treason. The North Dakota legislature has even considered a law prohibiting Chinese citizens or interests from buying land in their state.

Neither Chinese balloons nor their paltry American farmland ownership are threats to our food supply. Other foreign interests involved in our agriculture industry aren’t much of a problem, either. Water is the issue...

There might be an issue with our farmland, but it doesn’t involve Chinese ownership. In fact, we import $3.8 billion worth of agricultural products from China, our seventh largest foreign food supplier. They don’t really need to buy our farms to interrupt our food supply, but let’s take a look to make sure. We’ll get to the real issue a bit later.

First, let’s make sure the Chinese aren’t buying up our farms. There are 895.3 million acres of farmland and timberland in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 35 million acres of that is owned by foreign individuals, companies, or investors. Chinese interests own a paltry 192,000 acres and don’t even make the top 10 of foreign agricultural investors, a list headed by Canada.

Getting back to Montana about which the Fox folks were so concerned, Montana State University graduate students have done the investigating for us. Montana is a huge state, the fourth largest by area, and it has a whopping 59.7 million acres of farmland. Foreign interests only own a bit more than 700,000 acres or about 1.2 percent of that total. Belgium and Canada have the largest foreign holdings, but China is way down the list.

Just to be safe, we should check foreign ownership here in Michigan. According to the Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan has about 10 million acres of farm and forest land on 47,600 farms and timber operations. We have an unusually large foreign presence, with more than 1.3 million acres controlled or owned by foreign interests, but the vast majority of that is timberland. Our biggest to buy up farms for nefarious purposes. There is a different kind of land issue in western states, including Montana. It doesn’t involve Chinese land ownership but does pose a threat. Rural Arizona, which prides itself on its aversion to government regulations, is ground zero. Like in so much of the West and Southwest, the issue is water and who uses how much of it. Outside of the counties in which Phoenix and Tucson sit, Arizona water regulations are rare.

The combination of cheap land and a water use free-for-all has resulted in a potential water crisis for residents in rural communities like Kingman, who rely on wells with rapidly receding water levels. The suspected culprits are new agricultural operations.

The Saudis, not the Chinese, have purchased thousands of acres on which they grow extremely thirsty alfalfa, which they then ship back home for their horses. Not to be outdone, investment groups have planted thousands of acres of equally thirsty pistachio trees, which will require more and more water as they mature.

The water usage issues in Arizona are reflective of a much bigger threat to our food supply than foreign interests and their relatively tiny holdings. Not enough water in areas like California’s Central Valley—which is responsible for half the country’s fruits, vegetables, and nuts—combined with too much water in some areas of the Midwest, the breadbasket of the country, makes for a dangerous recipe.

Neither Chinese balloons nor their paltry American farmland ownership are threats to our food supply. Other foreign interests involved in our agriculture industry aren’t much of a problem, either. Water is the issue; who uses how much and for what in the West where we seem determined to suck the aquifers dry...and how to deal with increasing flood threats that turn our “amber waves of grain” in the Midwest into mud we can’t farm.

FINDING WINTER FOOD & FUN UP NORTH

In the long winters, it seems easy to forget to enjoy all the “up north” things our unique region offers. In this colder season, cozy blankets and long movies tend to be at the forefront of most of our minds. However, for others, skiing, ice fishing, and snowshoeing are must-dos when experiencing proper winter in northern Michigan. One thing remains true for both of these types of adventurers, the need for a warm meal.

If in the Cadillac area, swing through Roasted Cafe before heading downstairs to Dunegrass for your pickup order. Roasted’s rotating menu for breakfast and lunch will make your mid-day pick up that much more enlightened. Offering a wide range of healthy options, vegans and meat eaters alike are welcome. Since their grand opening around the new year, they have added spirits and specialty cocktails to their already impressive drink menu. Nevertheless, the coffee options will have you warm and perked for whatever adventure awaits you.

When at any Dunerass shop, ask about our local hot spots for the inside scoop on where to catch a breath of fresh air and a bite between winter activities. Perhaps you’ve been craving to carve some fresh pow all summer, but want to try some new spots, our staff members would be happy to share some of their preferred trails. If cruisin’ isn’t your thing, we suggest a slower vantage point with some snowshoe trails that provide picturesque scenery most people only see on their desktop computer. To see most of what winter brings in our beautiful state, we recommend heading a little more north.

However you get there, be sure to check out our Marquette location before winter is over. If you’re looking to take your winter activities to a higher latitude, you found the place! The prime location for the truest form of winter entertainment is in the UP. You can do all the ordinary winter things, but you’ll also get a chance to observe dog sled racing, ice climbing festivals, and many forms of racing, like our most anticipated event, the 30th annual Trenary Outhouse Classic. Join us on February 25 as we race our hand-built outhouse 500 feet across the finish line!