Hurdles prevent end of hunger

I went back to high school last week and I learned something new. The ag department at York High School in Nebraska invited me to stop by and visit with a couple of classes. What I learned is that the kids are afraid that the population growth of our planet will outpace our ability to produce food.

I explained to them why I disagree. It is abundantly clear that as the population has grown in the past 2,000 years, the ability of humans to grow stuff has steadily outpaced the demand for food. We produce more food with fewer resources every single year and there is zero credible evidence that it will not continue, with one big exception: human intervention in the human innovation.

We have the exact same amount of water on the planet as we did 2,000 years ago. We can see clearly that photosynthesis continues to grow because, as we expand the population, we also have more animals that eat plants to eventually feed people. Those animals also contribute to feeding the plants. The greatest plant food we have is carbon dioxide and it should trouble every single one of us that “experts” are demonizing this plant food, thus creating more hurdles to feeding an ever-growing human population.

Without question, the past two years have brought about a shift in many things. In particular there has been a global shift in wealth. No one even argues the fact that small businesses have really taken it on the chin while the large global businesses have grown at an unprecedented rate. I want to share just a couple of statements from Carol Roth’s October 2021 Newsweek commentary while referring to the two-year time frame known as COVID-19:

“This period will be remembered as the ‘Great Consolidation’—the acceleration of a historic wealth transfer and power concentration out of the hands of the middle class and into those with political power and connections.”

…

“Prior to COVID more than 30 million small businesses accounted for about half the GDP and jobs in America; the other half of the economy was concentrated in 20,000 big companies.”

Well, not any more as Roth writes:

“Big companies have more lobbying dollars and more connections, and thus more ability to play the political game. Their big pockets are balanced with a small enough scope to make them a government ally, compared to the highly decentralized small business landscape.”

Keep in mind that we have given away trillions of dollars and there is no projected end in sight. The more money you give to people not to work the poorer they become. It is called “dependence.” Every parent understands that the best way to create a kid with a great future is to kick them out of the nest and let them find a way to survive on their own.

Friends, it is high time we, as citizens of the United States, decide who is on our side and who is not. Stop doing business with companies that have become filthy rich in the past two years and do your business locally.

Forbes magazine in early 2021 had this shocking reveal about how the elite became even more wealthy thanks to COVID-19.

“The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest exploded to an unprecedented 2,755—660 more than a year ago. Of those, a record high 493 were new to the list—roughly one every 17 hours, including 210 from China and Hong Kong. Another 250 who’d fallen off in the past came roaring back. A staggering 86% are richer than a year ago.”

I ask are you more wealthy today than you were in March 2020? I am confident your answer is the same as mine; we are at least getting by.

While it may seem that I strayed greatly from my original discussion about the concerns of teenagers in regard to sustaining human life as the population grows, I beg to differ. Everything I have shared lines out exactly why it is that our own government creates the greatest hurdles we have to allow the innovation and creativity necessary to feed a growing hungry planet and better utilize the food we produce to eradicate food insecurity.

When you create dependency, you stymie all desire and ability to find new and better ways to benefit the world and you seek only to honor the powers and rulers that provide you with your daily needs. Is this really where we want to take the greatest nation in the free world?

Editor’s note: The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent the views of High Plains Journal. Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.LoosTales.com, or email Trent at [email protected].