April 11, 2025 • 35 mins
Today on the Jimmy Barrett Show:
- Author Brian Reisinger on his book "Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer"
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Well, what we need is more common sense.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
The.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Breaking down the world's nonsense about how American's common sense.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
We'll see us through with the common sense of Houston.
I'm just pro common sense for Houston. From Houston dot com.
This is the Jimmy Barrett Show, brought to you by
viewind dot com.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Now here's Jimmy Barrett. All right, happy for International Pet Day,
So Swiper, Happy National Pet Day to you and Weezer
and Wally and who am I forgetting Elfie and uh
oh Froggy? If I got everybody I think I do.
(00:52):
We have. We saw four cats and a dog at
our house. The the cats have their own wing of
the house because the dog likes to chase the cats,
and the cats have not been happy with me since
the day I brought that dog home. So so I'll
get the cats some extra special attention day for National
Pet Day. Although every day is National Pet Day in
(01:12):
this country. We have we have decided that our our
pets are our children. And I guess the more I've
I never felt that way about the cats, I have
to have been. I guess I have some natural prejudice
as it relates to cats. I've never felt that way
about cats. I've always felt that way about the dog.
The dog weaseled his way into my heart really really
(01:33):
easily from the moment I pretty much saw him. And
so he's he's like a high ranking member of the family,
the cats, and well, the cats get spoiled too, because
you got to you got to kind of have to
make it up for both. But what a what a
big time industry that's turned out to be. You know,
I take a look at at how much UH treats
(01:54):
for animals, cat treats and dog treats cost, and food
and the toy they've just going to the vet is
more expensive I think then going to the regular doctor
or just as expensive. It's ridiculous how much money, but
you know what, we're willing to spend it, right, But anyway,
Happy National pet Da. All right, I'm gonna share this
audio with it because I really like it, because it's
(02:16):
a great example of the difference of the Trump administration
versus the Biden administration or even the first Trump administration.
You want to talk about transparency, how do you get
any more transparent than Donald Trump? You know, he's had
two cabinet meetings now and in both of his cabinet meetings.
He's invited the press in for the cabinet meetings, or
(02:37):
at least after the main part of the cabinet meetings over,
and they've gone round robin and he asked questions of
the different department heads and they talk about you know,
it's like a board of director's meeting. This is the
difference between having a president who's a businessman versus having
a president who's a politician. We have a businessman president.
It's like going to a cabinet meeting. Now is like
(02:59):
going to a board of directors meeting. So let's go
round robin with some of the people he talked to.
We start with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, bringing everybody up
to date on the deals that he was able to conclude.
With the Panamanians, we.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
Were at the Panama Canal with their selfcom Commander Ships
FA Team's troops and signed a couple of historic deals,
one which is with the Panama Canal Authority a framework
for US vessels first and free through the Panama Canal,
and then also a memorandum of understanding with their Security
(03:34):
Minister for the presidence of US troops.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Fort Sherman's an old.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
US space there, as well as a naval station and
air station jointly with Panama to secure the Panama Canal
from Chinese influence. That's something you said, we're taking back
the canal. China said too much influence Obama and others
let them creep in. We along with Panama, are pushing
him out, sir. And so we had a very successful
trip their president, President Malino, since his regards very complementary
(04:03):
of the US as he's a great ally. And I
think they want the communist Chinese out, and with our
troops they're partnering with their forces, we've got a chance
to push them all the.
Speaker 6 (04:13):
Way out, sir.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
And remember how this all began with Trump threatening to
take over the Panama Canal. We're going to take it back.
We built it for them, and they're doing this to us.
Is it amazing how that whole thing has turned around. Now,
you know, the Chinese influence no longer the first concern
(04:34):
of the President of Panama. He's more concerned about keeping
the United States happy. Now all of a sudden got
that one right back on track, didn't We quite amazing.
So now we're gonna have US troops there we'll have
a military presidence there to help curtail the Chinese. Our
ships go in first and free, which means they're they're
charging other countries, but they're not charging us. And why
(04:56):
are they not charging us? Because again we had to
remind them, Hey, who built for you? Whose money was
meet to build this? Yes, that's right, the United States,
And we gave it to you. We owned it for
a while, but we gave it to you. Now if
you don't want us to take it, take it back.
We need to get a couple of things straight. And
that's exactly what has happened all right now here is
(05:18):
what Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnig had to say to the President.
Speaker 7 (05:22):
So we've have so many countries to talk to, it
is it's incredible, I think, Scott and I I'm not
sure we could ever have enough time in the day
to talk to all these countries, because they want to talk,
and they want to talk now, and they have come
with offers that they never ever ever would have come with.
Speaker 8 (05:42):
But for.
Speaker 7 (05:44):
The moves that the President has made demanding that people
treat the United States with respect, we're getting the respect
we deserve now. And I think you're going to see
a start deals one after the other. And then I'm
very excited that within a week and a half we're
going to start with the Gold car and the Trump
Card is coming out and we're very excited about that
and that's coming soon.
Speaker 8 (06:05):
So very exciting.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
And again the Gold Card is it's not an American Express,
just to be clear. It's part of the new visa
program and you can buy yourself a Gold card and
you know it's another way to generate income. All right,
let's grab one more for this segment. Anyway, Education Secretary
at least for a while until the Education Department is
(06:29):
somehow eliminated. Linda McMahon bringing the President up to date
on how things are scaling down to the Education Department
and oh yes, taking money away from Ivy League schools
who seem to want to discriminate against Jewish students.
Speaker 9 (06:44):
Well, in a couple of fronts, we have been addressing
the issue of anti Semitism on campuses. There's been some
grant funding and contract funding that we've reviewed and some
canceled and some we've put on hold waiting for that
while were you investigation on the other side of what
my responsibilities are and having education go.
Speaker 10 (07:07):
Back to the states. We're meeting and talking with governors.
I was with this week all fifty commissioners of education
around the country, and because we also want to provide
them with tools and best practices as education does move
back to the states, making great progress, great response from
the States, and very possible.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
And what about colleges.
Speaker 7 (07:28):
You're holding back four hundred million from Colombia, eight million
from Harvard.
Speaker 8 (07:34):
Can you imagine the money we pay Harvard?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
They have a sixty million dollar fund and we're giving.
Speaker 7 (07:39):
Them eye billion dollars and we're trying to figure that out.
And then they hire de Blasio, the worst mayor of
the history of New York, and they hire the woman
from Chicago who was a disaster, total disaster, and they
pay a massive salaries and they're supposed.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
To be teaching you government.
Speaker 8 (07:56):
That's not Harvard.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
That's not Harvard the way it used to be.
Speaker 8 (07:59):
So do you have anything to say about that?
Speaker 7 (08:02):
The dollars you're holding back from quite a few universities,
so we're not behaving.
Speaker 9 (08:08):
Yeah, And the other there's Princeton, Cornell, others that are
coming in and actually getting calls now from the presidents
of the universities who really do want to come in
and sit down and.
Speaker 10 (08:20):
Have discussions, and so we're investigating.
Speaker 9 (08:22):
Them, or we're in the meantime, we're holding we're holding
back to.
Speaker 8 (08:25):
Great and the fund money.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Okay, sounds like we've gotten their attention anyway. I don't
think it's changed their behavior. I don't know they ever
will change their behavior. I just hope that they do
more than just temporarily. With all these federal funds. We
should not be sending billions of dollars or hundreds of
millions of dollars to Ivy League schools already have rich
and diamond funds who continue to roll through this anti
(08:51):
American agenda. All right, quick little break back with more
cabinet meeting coming up next here on name nine to
fifty KPRC and the Jimmy Fairt Show. All right, so
(09:15):
we're still working on the cabinet meeting. Guy, I love this.
You know, you've got all the department heads secretaries all
in one place, and you are bringing everybody up to
dat on what's going on, what's been accomplished, what you're
still working on. Who's up next? Oh yeah, Lee Zelden,
who's the head of the EPA. Here's Lee Zelden.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
This president, the Biden EPA was strangulating the economy. The
Trump EPA understands it's not a binary choice. We could
protect the environment and grow the economy. Working with DOJE
and Elon Musk, we've now canceled twenty two billion dollars
worth of grants, and we have launched what is the
largest deregulatory action the history of the country, just in
(09:57):
one agency. That's how much of a mess the Biden
left us. It is going to end up reducing the
cost of living, it's going to create jobs. It's going
to make it easier to purchase a car, it will
be easier to heat your home.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
We're proud of this effort. The effort that we.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Have is fulfilling the mandate that you earn from the
American public. Clean airline and water for all Americans, unleashing
energy dominance, permitting reform, advancing cooperative federalism, making America the
AI capital of the world, and bringing back to American
auto jobs. When you called me that day asking for
me to take this position, I was honored, and you
(10:34):
were very specific and clear in what you wanted us
to accomplish. We understand our mission, and at the Trump EPA,
we're going to make it proud.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Okay. I like like, I like that talk. I like
the way the EPA is going, especially as it relates
to regulatory issues. I no longer fear that somebody's going
to take away my gas stove or my gas furnace,
or my air conditioning unit, my central lair, or a
munch of anything else. But we always have to be
(11:05):
fearful of what's down the road if we don't get
all of this stuff straightened out. All right, I think
we have one more department head to hear from, and
that would be the Agriculture Secretary, Brook Rowlands. Here's what
she had to say to the President yesterday.
Speaker 6 (11:21):
Sir, First, we are I would say, more than friends.
We've all become family. And I think that what you
have assembled in your vision is a turning point and
an inflection point in American history, and so just being
a part of that is the greatest honor. So thank
you for that. And again, just the relationships here and
their honor and respect we have for each other is
(11:44):
a reflection of you and your leadership. So I just
want to say that first. The second thing I want
to say is that on behalf of the farmers and ranchers.
Food security is national security. We have to be able
to feed ourselves. And your idea of using tariffs along
with regulation and tax cuts, but your idea of using
tariffs to ensure that we are putting forward and putting
(12:05):
America first. No one understands that better than our farmers
and our ranchers. But having said that, emerging from four
years of Biden with a thirty percent increase in inputs
for our farmers and ranchers within almost fifty billion dollar
trade deficit, when we left the first time it was zero,
meaning that they are hurting. So the period of uncertainty
(12:27):
we're in, they know that your vision will move us
into an age of prosperity for all Americans, but for
my people, for the farmers and ranchers, unlike any they
have seen before. And I think they are really really
excited and so grateful for your leadership. But also you
have never failed to say that you have the backs
(12:48):
of our farmers and our ranchers. It was the first
phone call that I had after I was voted with
the Senate, and that message just resonates with an almost
an eighty five percent support of you in the last
election with you. Interestingly, the biggest budget driver at the
United States Department of Agriculture is not farming and ranching
or agriculture, it's food stamps. And so as we emerge
(13:11):
and embark Secretary of Kennedy and I on your vision
of making America healthy again, a massive part of that
is realigning and reworking our food stamp program so that
it better serves those who need it. And yeah, to
the point of getting the transgender DEI Green New Deal
out of the USDA and realigning is really important.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So thank you, yeah DEI at the USDA food stamp reform.
It could be a big deal. It really could be
a big deal. I am fully I've always been fully
in favor of helping people. I don't want people to
go hungry. I don't want anybody to go hungry. But
(13:55):
this idea that you should be able to buy any
kind of food you want with food stamps, I completely reject.
If we're going to give you food stamps, we're going
to give you that helping hand, then there should be
limits on what you can use it for. You should
not be able to buy junk food with it. You
should have to buy healthy food with it. You have
a right to eat, but you'll have a right to
(14:15):
know to dive head first into a bag of chips.
If you want to dive head first into a bag
of potab chips, then you have you got to spend
your own money to do that. And maybe that, maybe
that's a motivator to do more, to be able to
have more of your own money to control what you're
going to spend it on. Price of eggs. Oh she didn't.
She did kind of bring bring up the president and
(14:35):
thank her some point for helping bring down the price
of eggs. The price of eggs right now is it's
a little bit like the stock market. It's up and
it's down. It had gone down there pretty well there
for a while. In fact, I bought I think I
mentioned this too. I bought like a dozen eggs at
Kroger for like three dollars and eighty nine cents. They
had them on sale here. This is probably three or
four weeks ago at this point. But now they've gone
(14:57):
way back up again. And you know why, right is
coming up here in another week and a half or so. Yeah, Easter,
Easter's coming the Easter Bunny's coming. People are gonna color eggs.
By the way, do you eat? You eat those right?
You eat? You know, you hard boil them and then
(15:18):
eat them afterwards. Yeah, of course good. Yeah, you don't
want to waste the eggs. Nobody could afford to do
just color eggs and throw them away anymore. That's that's
way too expensive to do. But yeah, the demand for eggs,
for Easter eggs is what's driving the price, I think,
at least partially right now. But you know what, we
could we have a farmer coming up. Yeah, I'm glad
(15:39):
we kind of ended there with the with the egg
secretary because we have a farmer coming on the show.
Not that that's an unusual thing. I mean, we have
play of farmers here in Texas. This guy's not in Texas.
He has a farm. He grew up in Saulk County, Wisconsin.
So my guess is he I have to walk to
see if I'm right when we come back from the break. Uh.
My guess would be one of two things. He is
(16:01):
either in the dairy business he has a dairy farm
because it's Wisconsin, or he grows corn and for that
part of the country, and that's a pretty good guess
one of those two things. Now, if it turns out
he grows something else, I'll be totally shocked. But hey,
I could be wrong. His name is Brian Restsinger. He's
(16:22):
the author of land Rich Cash for My Family's Hope
and The Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer. So
it'll be fun to talk to a guy who's a
multi generational farmer. I don't know if he farms himself
right now. I know that they still have the family farm.
I think he lives in California somewhere, so he's probably
not working the family farm, but he can certainly talk
(16:43):
about the difference between life as a child on the
farm and life on the farm these days. A right quick,
great back with more in a moment, Jimmy Part show
here in the nine fifty k PRC. All right, what
(17:10):
the family farmer is? It's not an easy one. It
hasn't been an easy one for a long long time.
Our next guest knows a lot about it because he
still has a family farm in Wisconsin, and he also
lives with his wife in northern California. There's got to
be a good story there to talk about it. But
at any rate, his name is Brian Weslinger, the author
of land Ridge Cash for My Family's Opened, The un
(17:32):
Told History of the Disappearing American Farmer. I'll get into
talking about Terrace with you a little bit, Brian, but
first I want to kind of find out about the
history of the family farm you grew up on. How
far back in your family does that farm go.
Speaker 11 (17:45):
Yeah, absolutely, it's good to be with you this morning.
The farm goes back a century, four generations, and my
dad is still caring a party, still farm, and my
sister's working to take it over. And as you say,
I sput my time back and forth living on the
family farm. When I'm in Wisconsin, in northern California and
my wife's saim, I get the chance to see kind
of the whole sweep of things. What's going on in Midwest,
what's going on in California. Brother, there's a lot of
egg out of local food. And here's what we find,
(18:07):
going back all the way a century when our farm began,
there has been economic upheaval, era after era, and it's
amazing to see how that's happening. It's still happening to
this very day. And that's why our farm's been disappearing
for as long as they have.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Now, I made it bet before before the break here,
before we brought you on, because you know this is
going to be me acting like a stereotypical Midwesterner. Originally,
you're a family farmer in Wisconsin. I assume you had
one or two things. Either have dairy cattle or your
growing corn.
Speaker 11 (18:39):
Yeah, you got it. It was both of those things
for most of our time in existence. My dad actually
sold the dairy herd and spring of twenty twenty one
because we either was going to have to get bigger
or we had to diverse fy. People make their own decisions.
We decided to diverse fy. So we're still raising dairy
cows for other herds, were raising beef for consumers that
were cash crapping on one of those crops. You can
(19:01):
bet as kwan, Okay, all right?
Speaker 3 (19:03):
So how many acres is this family farm?
Speaker 11 (19:06):
Yeah, it's about two hundred acres worth of work ground.
That would have been a medium sized farm a couple
of decades ago. Now it's pretty small farm. We got
a little bit additional woodland to do some hunting while
we're out there too.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Who's who's your biggest competition? Is it corporate farming?
Speaker 11 (19:20):
You know, it's a great question. What I always say
about the farms when they're getting bigger like that, is
that they are part of a broader picture. Everybody's keeping
up with the Joneses. Those farms are keeping up with
the big egg or business companies, wh will keep up
big food companies keep up with the rest of the economy.
So I always say, our competition is really the way
that the entire American economy is getting business bigger at
Harbor for the little guy, rather than any one particular
(19:41):
farm down the road.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
How how's the family farm business changed? I mean, obviously
the beginning for most farms. My my my mom grew
up on a farm in northern Michigan in the middle
of the up and I mean she grew up in
a day and age when they they had they had
no refrigeration, so they they salt cured everything in order
to be able to do it, which is why until
(20:04):
throughout her entire life she just salted the death out
of everything. That's what she was used to. But but
they you know, they basically had a farm so the
family could subsist. You know, you grew your own food.
You grew your own meat with chickens and cattle, you
grew everything that you needed. He preserved everything for the winter,
and then if you made some money, he made it
(20:25):
by selling it off to other people who are who
maybe didn't grow what you grew. That's kind of how
family farms got started.
Speaker 11 (20:32):
Right, Yeah, that's absolute. Right, Godles your mom too, for
you know those are salting. There's people up there in
the up and you're absolute about the way it changed. Really,
farming has become more specialized. You know, the economics have
forced farms over the decades to focus on a few
things rather than growing everything you could imagine out of
the ground, raising every kind of animal. You can imagine
a lot of farms specialized in one or two crops
(20:53):
and maybe some formal livestock. Now, I'd like to think
that that might change a little bit. With my sister
work and take or a farm for my dad. I
help out on the business side, planning, and they throw
me in a tractor when I'm back home. And what
we're working on is trying to diversify our farm. Because
people care more than ever about where their food comes from.
So a lot of those old markets. Farms have been
operating and are broken. They don't provide the kind of
(21:14):
income they necessarily need anymore. That's why one of the
reasons our farms are disappearing as costs go up. So
we were experimenting, trying to figure out what new crops
or products can we grow that can appeal to people
who care more than ever about where their food comes
from these days.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
And what'd you find? What are the things that you
think people want going forward?
Speaker 11 (21:31):
Yeah? Absolutely, you know, what we're finding is that there
is a need for it. I mean, there are a
lot of people who want pasture raised chickens, pasture raised eggs,
a lot of people who want homegrown beef. Know where
their food's coming from. That way, there's different people interested
in new types of produce. But also it's really a
challenge because the market demand is new and so it
needs to grow more. You know, we need to have
(21:52):
more people interested in buying for farmers down the road vocally, regionally,
specialty markets to have that market van grow and have
farms be able to do more of it. But it's
a start.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
He's still there, Yes, sir, no, I thought you disappeared.
I want to ask you about RFK Junior, who's the
new Health and Human Services Secretary. You know he's talking
about he's talking about getting America healthy again. So what
he's obviously talking about is exactly what you're talking about,
which is buying farm raised food that is fresh instead
(22:26):
of buying process food. We have a huge problem in
this country with process food.
Speaker 11 (22:31):
Yeah, that's absolutely right. He's a reflection of the fact
that people care so much about where that food is
coming from. Now people are thinking a lot about what
they put on their bodies, and our farmers, our family farms,
can be a huge part of that solution. Selling food
locally and regionally as well as stuff that's sold on
the national supply chain. You can get away from that
process stuff. They can be healthier. We can also find
ways for it to be affordable and more secure if
(22:51):
we support our family farms.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Brian Reisiger's I guessed he's the author of land Rich
Cash for My Family's Hope in The Untold History of
the Disappearing American far Let's talk about the land rich
part here for just a second, because, in addition to
corporate farming, I would think one of the biggest, if
not the biggest danger to American family farms going forward
is the fact that the properties have gotten so much
(23:14):
more valuable as just real estate versus being an actual farm.
That you have a lot of people, especially multi generational farms,
they're being sold to developers because of all the millions
of dollars they can raise for the family.
Speaker 11 (23:28):
Yeah, that's absolutely right, that land rich part. I mean,
the values are growing up and farm families are sitting
on something incredibly valuable. The issue is how to make
money on it if you stay on it, because most
farm families don't want to sell their farm. They don't
want to have that windfall where they sell it to
developer or something else. You want to hold on to it.
And if you hold on to it, it's harder and
harder and make a living. Right now, property values in
the scots of our family farmers continue to go up.
(23:51):
People continue want to buy that land to build homes
and other things, but trying to make a living on it.
I mean, the reality is that we grew up with
a good middle class living, but it was slipping away
our farm. If I didn't pursue a career off the farm,
our farm wouldn't support my parents as well as my sister,
as well as my income, and people like my family
are working multiple jobs to try to make ends meet,
(24:11):
and so we need to make a change so we
can have farms that have that valuable land able to
make a decent living off that and on into the
future if they hold on to it.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Yeah, what would be the biggest help for your family
for example, as far as making more money from the
family farm, what would have to what dynamic would have
to change?
Speaker 11 (24:29):
Yeah, the biggest thing that needs to change is we
need more entrepreneur opportunity for our farmers. So many farms
and we're traditional farm that is trying to make a transition.
So many farms are stuck in those traditional markets where
there's just enough income from stay a corner, soibeans or
whatever the case may be, that it's worth doing, but
it's getting thinner and thinner and it really isn't enough
to keep farms going. There's a lot of farms that
are going under if they aren't able to get bigger
(24:51):
and bigger and bigger. And so what we need is
these crops and products that were growing that can be local, fresh,
regional forms of food, specialty foods that people who care
about who comes from. We need them come and taking
steps toward the American farmer. I know the American farmer
will keep taking steps toward them. They just need to
know that what they're growing is going to be worth
the money, all.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Right, Brian. I can't let you go without asking you
about the Trump tariffs because I think that President Trump
is a big supporter of family farmers. I think he
wants to open up markets that are unfair right now
to American farmers so that that are some of our produce,
for example, can be exported to other countries where you know,
right now there's huge tariffs on American products, especially farm products,
(25:31):
in other countries. They keep it from being a level
playing field for American farmers.
Speaker 11 (25:37):
Yeah, you know, you're hitting on the big issue right now.
And there's been a lot of supportive course in farm
country that helped to elect President Trump, and he and
his administration have been working on these issues. There's a
lot of uppeople and there's a lot of you know,
things that cost and cut both ways. I think what
we have the opportunity now is I'm looking at what's
happening next. So he's paused these tariffs with all kinds
of countries across global he gets tougher on China. While
(25:58):
he takes the fight to China, he's saying that he
wants to give room to negotiate to these other countries.
So I'm looking at what's next, you know, what kind
of deals can we strike with these countries that see that, hey,
America's willing to slap tires if we're if we're not
cooperating with them, what kind of deals will they strike
so that we can remove trade barriers and open up
more markets that are fair as you say. So, that's
what I'm looking to is where are these negotiations go next?
(26:20):
I think that's really important for America's farmers.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Well, I think the fact that we have what now
seventy five countries that have come forward that are just
eager to negotiate with the president. Just about everybody but China.
Canada hasn't quite gotten there yet, but I think they
eventually will. Other than China, everybody else seems to be
coming forward at this point.
Speaker 11 (26:37):
Yeah, I think so. And you know, as in addition
to them showing signs, this isn't also an opportunity to
capitalize on something that needed to change from the nineties.
Back in the nineties, they had the free willing, free
trade days where they made these great big trade deals
where there's all kinds of trade off because it might
be a good thing with one country and a bad
thing with another country. So you have farmers and workers,
you know, you know, paying the cost when something's good
(26:58):
for another industry. This is a chance to make targeted
trade deals, negotiate with one individual country around one individual
product knocked on a trade bearer. There, we got more
leverage when we deal with one country at a time,
and we have the ability to make sure that the
deal that we make, you know, positive benefits of that
particular industry, that particular product. So all these seventy countries
(27:18):
that want to come forward and say, hey, geez, we
hope they don't throw more tariffs on us. Let's negotiate
with America. We have a chance to strike individual deals
with those folks rather than these great big trade deals
with those all these trade offs and all these compromises
contained in them.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
All right, sir, Hey, listen, I want to wish you
and your family all the best. I hope to hear.
I won't be around I guess to hear. But I
hope that this family farm gets passed on to your
children and their children and their children after that, I
hope to stationed your family for a long, long time.
Speaker 11 (27:44):
Well, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you
for sharing night on these issues.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
My pleasure. Brian Wesseiger, the author of Land Rich, Cash Poor,
My Family's Hope and The Untold Story of the Disappearing
American Farmer back with more in a moment Jimmy Baird
show Here an Am nine to fifty KPRC. All right,
(28:17):
before we wrap it up for today, I feel like
we need Oh where's that I wanted to share this
with you? Where is that story? I don't know about you.
I'm not I'm not really much into nightlife anymore. I
don't Well, hey, you get up at two fifteen in
the morning to host a morning show and kat r h.
(28:38):
That does not conducive to a good night life. But
there's a survey that was done about which which cities
had the most vibrant nightlife. Where where are the places
you want to live? If you will, if you like
the nightlife, you want a boogie? And I got the
biggest kick out of this because this is the method
(28:59):
ilogy that they used. Number one, the percent of people
who drink to excess. In other words, if you are
if you're drunk alcoholic, then you that's the nightlife. I guess.
Number of casinos, Well, that doesn't help Houston, right, we
don't have any casinos in Houston average casino rating. How
(29:23):
come we have to have a casino to have a
night life? Number of bars per one hundred thousand, price
of one beer at a bar, percentage of alcohol consumption
per city. This is just drunks and gamblers. What about
the other things that we like to do for like
going to astros games, or to rocket games, or to
(29:46):
the rodeo or concerts. How come that's not a part
of this. Number of colleges, as if the only people
are out at night are college students. Number of music festivals,
well does that? How about concerts not just music festivals?
The time they cut off the alcohol or do you
(30:07):
get to drink all night or they cut it off
at two o'clock in the morning, and versent of twenty
six to thirty four year olds, because evidently those are
the ones that are really into the night life, because
well they're young, unlike some of us who are well,
you know old. Based on that criteria, they came up
with a list of the best cities for nightlife and
(30:29):
along with it, of course, the worst cities for nightlife.
The best cities for nightlife were what you would expect,
you know, Chicago, Saint Louis, Milwaukee made the list. I
thought that was interesting. They were like number five on
the list. But then again, you know, they brew a
lot of beer in Milwaukee. Maybe that's why they're on
the list. Cincinnati, Boston, San Francisco, Buffalo. Yeah, Buffalo ranked
(30:52):
ninth highest in the country. Then again, if you had
to go through a Buffalo New York winner, you'd drink too,
and you drink a lot, and I guess, you know,
wings are always a fun time. But I was surprised
to see him there. In number ten was Washington, d C.
Houston was sort of towards the bottom of the list.
I think we're like thirty ninth on the list, but
(31:16):
we are. We're not the worst party towns. Here's the
top five worst party towns, the ones that they're not
having any parties at all. Salt Lake City number one, Well,
of course, hello San Jose. That surprised me. Virginia Beach, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, Hartford, Connecticut.
(31:36):
Is your top five. There you go. The worst places
for the nightlife are those places. And so one more
thing to do for today, because I always like to
leave with a little bit of a chuckle if we can.
On a Friday, Greg Gutfield talking about President Trump's week
as far as you know, dealing with the people he
likes and doesn't like, and you know, putting on the
show that he likes to put on. Here is Greg Guttfeld.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Making the rounds, roasted his critic so harshly they should
have apples in their mouths. First, you had Cheney Liz
Cheney and crying Adam Kinsinger.
Speaker 7 (32:11):
You had Cheney Liz Cheney and crying Adam kissing her,
crying at him.
Speaker 8 (32:18):
Every time I looked at him, he was crying.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
I think I was a crier. It's true. Kid was
always crying.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
And I wondered, do we have a couple of senators
here that he doesn't particularly like.
Speaker 8 (32:32):
We have a couple of senators here I just don't
particularly like him. So I want to introduce, over the
course of this amazing season, the members of this team.
(32:53):
I didn't think it was that big a deal Washington.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
It is, But what about Max Munsey. Well, someone congratulate
Max Mounsey.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
And Max Muncie.
Speaker 7 (33:05):
I want to congratulate Max from.
Speaker 8 (33:07):
The arms are very strong one I touch it. I'm
used to shaking politicians and hitting their armors like jello,
and now it's like and now it's like steel. All
these guys, He's not wrong.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
The only arm workout politicians get is when they reach
into your back pocket. But the joke's on them. That's
where I keep my live carpenter ants. Yeah, it stings,
but it's worth it. And when the coal miners paid
a visit, I bet it once again mentioned that beautiful
clean coal.
Speaker 8 (33:43):
I call it beautiful clean coal.
Speaker 7 (33:44):
I told my people never use the word coal unless
you put beautiful clean before it.
Speaker 8 (33:50):
Right dock, So we call it beautiful fleet, call.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Beautiful bleak, call beautiful clean coal.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
He's are the first president to make combustible rocks sound
like an appetizer at Chili's. But hey, I bet for
four long years, Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats try to
abolish the American coal industry.
Speaker 8 (34:11):
For four long years, Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats tried
to abolish the American coal industry. They did everything in
their power while he was awake, which wasn't much.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
Oh, the guy's a hoo though. Man, he is quite
the entertainment, is he not? All right, listen, it's time
for the weekend. You' all have a great weekend. I
will see you Monday morning, bright nearly five am over
on news radio seven forty KTRH. Hope to have you
here Monday afternoon, four am, nine fifty KPRC
Well, what we need is more common sense.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
The.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Breaking down the world's nonsense about how American's common sense.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
We'll see us through with the common sense of Houston.
I'm just pro common sense for Houston. From Houston dot com.
This is the Jimmy Barrett Show, brought to you by
viewind dot com.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Now here's Jimmy Barrett. All right, happy for International Pet Day,
So Swiper, Happy National Pet Day to you and Weezer
and Wally and who am I forgetting Elfie and uh
oh Froggy? If I got everybody I think I do.
(00:52):
We have. We saw four cats and a dog at
our house. The the cats have their own wing of
the house because the dog likes to chase the cats,
and the cats have not been happy with me since
the day I brought that dog home. So so I'll
get the cats some extra special attention day for National
Pet Day. Although every day is National Pet Day in
(01:12):
this country. We have we have decided that our our
pets are our children. And I guess the more I've
I never felt that way about the cats, I have
to have been. I guess I have some natural prejudice
as it relates to cats. I've never felt that way
about cats. I've always felt that way about the dog.
The dog weaseled his way into my heart really really
(01:33):
easily from the moment I pretty much saw him. And
so he's he's like a high ranking member of the family,
the cats, and well, the cats get spoiled too, because
you got to you got to kind of have to
make it up for both. But what a what a
big time industry that's turned out to be. You know,
I take a look at at how much UH treats
(01:54):
for animals, cat treats and dog treats cost, and food
and the toy they've just going to the vet is
more expensive I think then going to the regular doctor
or just as expensive. It's ridiculous how much money, but
you know what, we're willing to spend it, right, But anyway,
Happy National pet Da. All right, I'm gonna share this
audio with it because I really like it, because it's
(02:16):
a great example of the difference of the Trump administration
versus the Biden administration or even the first Trump administration.
You want to talk about transparency, how do you get
any more transparent than Donald Trump? You know, he's had
two cabinet meetings now and in both of his cabinet meetings.
He's invited the press in for the cabinet meetings, or
(02:37):
at least after the main part of the cabinet meetings over,
and they've gone round robin and he asked questions of
the different department heads and they talk about you know,
it's like a board of director's meeting. This is the
difference between having a president who's a businessman versus having
a president who's a politician. We have a businessman president.
It's like going to a cabinet meeting. Now is like
(02:59):
going to a board of directors meeting. So let's go
round robin with some of the people he talked to.
We start with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, bringing everybody up
to date on the deals that he was able to conclude.
With the Panamanians, we.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
Were at the Panama Canal with their selfcom Commander Ships
FA Team's troops and signed a couple of historic deals,
one which is with the Panama Canal Authority a framework
for US vessels first and free through the Panama Canal,
and then also a memorandum of understanding with their Security
(03:34):
Minister for the presidence of US troops.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Fort Sherman's an old.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
US space there, as well as a naval station and
air station jointly with Panama to secure the Panama Canal
from Chinese influence. That's something you said, we're taking back
the canal. China said too much influence Obama and others
let them creep in. We along with Panama, are pushing
him out, sir. And so we had a very successful
trip their president, President Malino, since his regards very complementary
(04:03):
of the US as he's a great ally. And I
think they want the communist Chinese out, and with our
troops they're partnering with their forces, we've got a chance
to push them all the.
Speaker 6 (04:13):
Way out, sir.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
And remember how this all began with Trump threatening to
take over the Panama Canal. We're going to take it back.
We built it for them, and they're doing this to us.
Is it amazing how that whole thing has turned around. Now,
you know, the Chinese influence no longer the first concern
(04:34):
of the President of Panama. He's more concerned about keeping
the United States happy. Now all of a sudden got
that one right back on track, didn't We quite amazing.
So now we're gonna have US troops there we'll have
a military presidence there to help curtail the Chinese. Our
ships go in first and free, which means they're they're
charging other countries, but they're not charging us. And why
(04:56):
are they not charging us? Because again we had to
remind them, Hey, who built for you? Whose money was
meet to build this? Yes, that's right, the United States,
And we gave it to you. We owned it for
a while, but we gave it to you. Now if
you don't want us to take it, take it back.
We need to get a couple of things straight. And
that's exactly what has happened all right now here is
(05:18):
what Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnig had to say to the President.
Speaker 7 (05:22):
So we've have so many countries to talk to, it
is it's incredible, I think, Scott and I I'm not
sure we could ever have enough time in the day
to talk to all these countries, because they want to talk,
and they want to talk now, and they have come
with offers that they never ever ever would have come with.
Speaker 8 (05:42):
But for.
Speaker 7 (05:44):
The moves that the President has made demanding that people
treat the United States with respect, we're getting the respect
we deserve now. And I think you're going to see
a start deals one after the other. And then I'm
very excited that within a week and a half we're
going to start with the Gold car and the Trump
Card is coming out and we're very excited about that
and that's coming soon.
Speaker 8 (06:05):
So very exciting.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
And again the Gold Card is it's not an American Express,
just to be clear. It's part of the new visa
program and you can buy yourself a Gold card and
you know it's another way to generate income. All right,
let's grab one more for this segment. Anyway, Education Secretary
at least for a while until the Education Department is
(06:29):
somehow eliminated. Linda McMahon bringing the President up to date
on how things are scaling down to the Education Department
and oh yes, taking money away from Ivy League schools
who seem to want to discriminate against Jewish students.
Speaker 9 (06:44):
Well, in a couple of fronts, we have been addressing
the issue of anti Semitism on campuses. There's been some
grant funding and contract funding that we've reviewed and some
canceled and some we've put on hold waiting for that
while were you investigation on the other side of what
my responsibilities are and having education go.
Speaker 10 (07:07):
Back to the states. We're meeting and talking with governors.
I was with this week all fifty commissioners of education
around the country, and because we also want to provide
them with tools and best practices as education does move
back to the states, making great progress, great response from
the States, and very possible.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
And what about colleges.
Speaker 7 (07:28):
You're holding back four hundred million from Colombia, eight million
from Harvard.
Speaker 8 (07:34):
Can you imagine the money we pay Harvard?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
They have a sixty million dollar fund and we're giving.
Speaker 7 (07:39):
Them eye billion dollars and we're trying to figure that out.
And then they hire de Blasio, the worst mayor of
the history of New York, and they hire the woman
from Chicago who was a disaster, total disaster, and they
pay a massive salaries and they're supposed.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
To be teaching you government.
Speaker 8 (07:56):
That's not Harvard.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
That's not Harvard the way it used to be.
Speaker 8 (07:59):
So do you have anything to say about that?
Speaker 7 (08:02):
The dollars you're holding back from quite a few universities,
so we're not behaving.
Speaker 9 (08:08):
Yeah, And the other there's Princeton, Cornell, others that are
coming in and actually getting calls now from the presidents
of the universities who really do want to come in
and sit down and.
Speaker 10 (08:20):
Have discussions, and so we're investigating.
Speaker 9 (08:22):
Them, or we're in the meantime, we're holding we're holding
back to.
Speaker 8 (08:25):
Great and the fund money.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Okay, sounds like we've gotten their attention anyway. I don't
think it's changed their behavior. I don't know they ever
will change their behavior. I just hope that they do
more than just temporarily. With all these federal funds. We
should not be sending billions of dollars or hundreds of
millions of dollars to Ivy League schools already have rich
and diamond funds who continue to roll through this anti
(08:51):
American agenda. All right, quick little break back with more
cabinet meeting coming up next here on name nine to
fifty KPRC and the Jimmy Fairt Show. All right, so
(09:15):
we're still working on the cabinet meeting. Guy, I love this.
You know, you've got all the department heads secretaries all
in one place, and you are bringing everybody up to
dat on what's going on, what's been accomplished, what you're
still working on. Who's up next? Oh yeah, Lee Zelden,
who's the head of the EPA. Here's Lee Zelden.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
This president, the Biden EPA was strangulating the economy. The
Trump EPA understands it's not a binary choice. We could
protect the environment and grow the economy. Working with DOJE
and Elon Musk, we've now canceled twenty two billion dollars
worth of grants, and we have launched what is the
largest deregulatory action the history of the country, just in
(09:57):
one agency. That's how much of a mess the Biden
left us. It is going to end up reducing the
cost of living, it's going to create jobs. It's going
to make it easier to purchase a car, it will
be easier to heat your home.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
We're proud of this effort. The effort that we.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Have is fulfilling the mandate that you earn from the
American public. Clean airline and water for all Americans, unleashing
energy dominance, permitting reform, advancing cooperative federalism, making America the
AI capital of the world, and bringing back to American
auto jobs. When you called me that day asking for
me to take this position, I was honored, and you
(10:34):
were very specific and clear in what you wanted us
to accomplish. We understand our mission, and at the Trump EPA,
we're going to make it proud.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Okay. I like like, I like that talk. I like
the way the EPA is going, especially as it relates
to regulatory issues. I no longer fear that somebody's going
to take away my gas stove or my gas furnace,
or my air conditioning unit, my central lair, or a
munch of anything else. But we always have to be
(11:05):
fearful of what's down the road if we don't get
all of this stuff straightened out. All right, I think
we have one more department head to hear from, and
that would be the Agriculture Secretary, Brook Rowlands. Here's what
she had to say to the President yesterday.
Speaker 6 (11:21):
Sir, First, we are I would say, more than friends.
We've all become family. And I think that what you
have assembled in your vision is a turning point and
an inflection point in American history, and so just being
a part of that is the greatest honor. So thank
you for that. And again, just the relationships here and
their honor and respect we have for each other is
(11:44):
a reflection of you and your leadership. So I just
want to say that first. The second thing I want
to say is that on behalf of the farmers and ranchers.
Food security is national security. We have to be able
to feed ourselves. And your idea of using tariffs along
with regulation and tax cuts, but your idea of using
tariffs to ensure that we are putting forward and putting
(12:05):
America first. No one understands that better than our farmers
and our ranchers. But having said that, emerging from four
years of Biden with a thirty percent increase in inputs
for our farmers and ranchers within almost fifty billion dollar
trade deficit, when we left the first time it was zero,
meaning that they are hurting. So the period of uncertainty
(12:27):
we're in, they know that your vision will move us
into an age of prosperity for all Americans, but for
my people, for the farmers and ranchers, unlike any they
have seen before. And I think they are really really
excited and so grateful for your leadership. But also you
have never failed to say that you have the backs
(12:48):
of our farmers and our ranchers. It was the first
phone call that I had after I was voted with
the Senate, and that message just resonates with an almost
an eighty five percent support of you in the last
election with you. Interestingly, the biggest budget driver at the
United States Department of Agriculture is not farming and ranching
or agriculture, it's food stamps. And so as we emerge
(13:11):
and embark Secretary of Kennedy and I on your vision
of making America healthy again, a massive part of that
is realigning and reworking our food stamp program so that
it better serves those who need it. And yeah, to
the point of getting the transgender DEI Green New Deal
out of the USDA and realigning is really important.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So thank you, yeah DEI at the USDA food stamp reform.
It could be a big deal. It really could be
a big deal. I am fully I've always been fully
in favor of helping people. I don't want people to
go hungry. I don't want anybody to go hungry. But
(13:55):
this idea that you should be able to buy any
kind of food you want with food stamps, I completely reject.
If we're going to give you food stamps, we're going
to give you that helping hand, then there should be
limits on what you can use it for. You should
not be able to buy junk food with it. You
should have to buy healthy food with it. You have
a right to eat, but you'll have a right to
(14:15):
know to dive head first into a bag of chips.
If you want to dive head first into a bag
of potab chips, then you have you got to spend
your own money to do that. And maybe that, maybe
that's a motivator to do more, to be able to
have more of your own money to control what you're
going to spend it on. Price of eggs. Oh she didn't.
She did kind of bring bring up the president and
(14:35):
thank her some point for helping bring down the price
of eggs. The price of eggs right now is it's
a little bit like the stock market. It's up and
it's down. It had gone down there pretty well there
for a while. In fact, I bought I think I
mentioned this too. I bought like a dozen eggs at
Kroger for like three dollars and eighty nine cents. They
had them on sale here. This is probably three or
four weeks ago at this point. But now they've gone
(14:57):
way back up again. And you know why, right is
coming up here in another week and a half or so. Yeah, Easter,
Easter's coming the Easter Bunny's coming. People are gonna color eggs.
By the way, do you eat? You eat those right?
You eat? You know, you hard boil them and then
(15:18):
eat them afterwards. Yeah, of course good. Yeah, you don't
want to waste the eggs. Nobody could afford to do
just color eggs and throw them away anymore. That's that's
way too expensive to do. But yeah, the demand for eggs,
for Easter eggs is what's driving the price, I think,
at least partially right now. But you know what, we
could we have a farmer coming up. Yeah, I'm glad
(15:39):
we kind of ended there with the with the egg
secretary because we have a farmer coming on the show.
Not that that's an unusual thing. I mean, we have
play of farmers here in Texas. This guy's not in Texas.
He has a farm. He grew up in Saulk County, Wisconsin.
So my guess is he I have to walk to
see if I'm right when we come back from the break. Uh.
My guess would be one of two things. He is
(16:01):
either in the dairy business he has a dairy farm
because it's Wisconsin, or he grows corn and for that
part of the country, and that's a pretty good guess
one of those two things. Now, if it turns out
he grows something else, I'll be totally shocked. But hey,
I could be wrong. His name is Brian Restsinger. He's
(16:22):
the author of land Rich Cash for My Family's Hope
and The Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer. So
it'll be fun to talk to a guy who's a
multi generational farmer. I don't know if he farms himself
right now. I know that they still have the family farm.
I think he lives in California somewhere, so he's probably
not working the family farm, but he can certainly talk
(16:43):
about the difference between life as a child on the
farm and life on the farm these days. A right quick,
great back with more in a moment, Jimmy Part show
here in the nine fifty k PRC. All right, what
(17:10):
the family farmer is? It's not an easy one. It
hasn't been an easy one for a long long time.
Our next guest knows a lot about it because he
still has a family farm in Wisconsin, and he also
lives with his wife in northern California. There's got to
be a good story there to talk about it. But
at any rate, his name is Brian Weslinger, the author
of land Ridge Cash for My Family's Opened, The un
(17:32):
Told History of the Disappearing American Farmer. I'll get into
talking about Terrace with you a little bit, Brian, but
first I want to kind of find out about the
history of the family farm you grew up on. How
far back in your family does that farm go.
Speaker 11 (17:45):
Yeah, absolutely, it's good to be with you this morning.
The farm goes back a century, four generations, and my
dad is still caring a party, still farm, and my
sister's working to take it over. And as you say,
I sput my time back and forth living on the
family farm. When I'm in Wisconsin, in northern California and
my wife's saim, I get the chance to see kind
of the whole sweep of things. What's going on in Midwest,
what's going on in California. Brother, there's a lot of
egg out of local food. And here's what we find,
(18:07):
going back all the way a century when our farm began,
there has been economic upheaval, era after era, and it's
amazing to see how that's happening. It's still happening to
this very day. And that's why our farm's been disappearing
for as long as they have.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Now, I made it bet before before the break here,
before we brought you on, because you know this is
going to be me acting like a stereotypical Midwesterner. Originally,
you're a family farmer in Wisconsin. I assume you had
one or two things. Either have dairy cattle or your
growing corn.
Speaker 11 (18:39):
Yeah, you got it. It was both of those things
for most of our time in existence. My dad actually
sold the dairy herd and spring of twenty twenty one
because we either was going to have to get bigger
or we had to diverse fy. People make their own decisions.
We decided to diverse fy. So we're still raising dairy
cows for other herds, were raising beef for consumers that
were cash crapping on one of those crops. You can
(19:01):
bet as kwan, Okay, all right?
Speaker 3 (19:03):
So how many acres is this family farm?
Speaker 11 (19:06):
Yeah, it's about two hundred acres worth of work ground.
That would have been a medium sized farm a couple
of decades ago. Now it's pretty small farm. We got
a little bit additional woodland to do some hunting while
we're out there too.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Who's who's your biggest competition? Is it corporate farming?
Speaker 11 (19:20):
You know, it's a great question. What I always say
about the farms when they're getting bigger like that, is
that they are part of a broader picture. Everybody's keeping
up with the Joneses. Those farms are keeping up with
the big egg or business companies, wh will keep up
big food companies keep up with the rest of the economy.
So I always say, our competition is really the way
that the entire American economy is getting business bigger at
Harbor for the little guy, rather than any one particular
(19:41):
farm down the road.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
How how's the family farm business changed? I mean, obviously
the beginning for most farms. My my my mom grew
up on a farm in northern Michigan in the middle
of the up and I mean she grew up in
a day and age when they they had they had
no refrigeration, so they they salt cured everything in order
to be able to do it, which is why until
(20:04):
throughout her entire life she just salted the death out
of everything. That's what she was used to. But but
they you know, they basically had a farm so the
family could subsist. You know, you grew your own food.
You grew your own meat with chickens and cattle, you
grew everything that you needed. He preserved everything for the winter,
and then if you made some money, he made it
(20:25):
by selling it off to other people who are who
maybe didn't grow what you grew. That's kind of how
family farms got started.
Speaker 11 (20:32):
Right, Yeah, that's absolute. Right, Godles your mom too, for
you know those are salting. There's people up there in
the up and you're absolute about the way it changed. Really,
farming has become more specialized. You know, the economics have
forced farms over the decades to focus on a few
things rather than growing everything you could imagine out of
the ground, raising every kind of animal. You can imagine
a lot of farms specialized in one or two crops
(20:53):
and maybe some formal livestock. Now, I'd like to think
that that might change a little bit. With my sister
work and take or a farm for my dad. I
help out on the business side, planning, and they throw
me in a tractor when I'm back home. And what
we're working on is trying to diversify our farm. Because
people care more than ever about where their food comes from.
So a lot of those old markets. Farms have been
operating and are broken. They don't provide the kind of
(21:14):
income they necessarily need anymore. That's why one of the
reasons our farms are disappearing as costs go up. So
we were experimenting, trying to figure out what new crops
or products can we grow that can appeal to people
who care more than ever about where their food comes
from these days.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
And what'd you find? What are the things that you
think people want going forward?
Speaker 11 (21:31):
Yeah? Absolutely, you know, what we're finding is that there
is a need for it. I mean, there are a
lot of people who want pasture raised chickens, pasture raised eggs,
a lot of people who want homegrown beef. Know where
their food's coming from. That way, there's different people interested
in new types of produce. But also it's really a
challenge because the market demand is new and so it
needs to grow more. You know, we need to have
(21:52):
more people interested in buying for farmers down the road vocally, regionally,
specialty markets to have that market van grow and have
farms be able to do more of it. But it's
a start.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
He's still there, Yes, sir, no, I thought you disappeared.
I want to ask you about RFK Junior, who's the
new Health and Human Services Secretary. You know he's talking
about he's talking about getting America healthy again. So what
he's obviously talking about is exactly what you're talking about,
which is buying farm raised food that is fresh instead
(22:26):
of buying process food. We have a huge problem in
this country with process food.
Speaker 11 (22:31):
Yeah, that's absolutely right. He's a reflection of the fact
that people care so much about where that food is
coming from. Now people are thinking a lot about what
they put on their bodies, and our farmers, our family farms,
can be a huge part of that solution. Selling food
locally and regionally as well as stuff that's sold on
the national supply chain. You can get away from that
process stuff. They can be healthier. We can also find
ways for it to be affordable and more secure if
(22:51):
we support our family farms.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Brian Reisiger's I guessed he's the author of land Rich
Cash for My Family's Hope in The Untold History of
the Disappearing American far Let's talk about the land rich
part here for just a second, because, in addition to
corporate farming, I would think one of the biggest, if
not the biggest danger to American family farms going forward
is the fact that the properties have gotten so much
(23:14):
more valuable as just real estate versus being an actual farm.
That you have a lot of people, especially multi generational farms,
they're being sold to developers because of all the millions
of dollars they can raise for the family.
Speaker 11 (23:28):
Yeah, that's absolutely right, that land rich part. I mean,
the values are growing up and farm families are sitting
on something incredibly valuable. The issue is how to make
money on it if you stay on it, because most
farm families don't want to sell their farm. They don't
want to have that windfall where they sell it to
developer or something else. You want to hold on to it.
And if you hold on to it, it's harder and
harder and make a living. Right now, property values in
the scots of our family farmers continue to go up.
(23:51):
People continue want to buy that land to build homes
and other things, but trying to make a living on it.
I mean, the reality is that we grew up with
a good middle class living, but it was slipping away
our farm. If I didn't pursue a career off the farm,
our farm wouldn't support my parents as well as my sister,
as well as my income, and people like my family
are working multiple jobs to try to make ends meet,
(24:11):
and so we need to make a change so we
can have farms that have that valuable land able to
make a decent living off that and on into the
future if they hold on to it.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Yeah, what would be the biggest help for your family
for example, as far as making more money from the
family farm, what would have to what dynamic would have
to change?
Speaker 11 (24:29):
Yeah, the biggest thing that needs to change is we
need more entrepreneur opportunity for our farmers. So many farms
and we're traditional farm that is trying to make a transition.
So many farms are stuck in those traditional markets where
there's just enough income from stay a corner, soibeans or
whatever the case may be, that it's worth doing, but
it's getting thinner and thinner and it really isn't enough
to keep farms going. There's a lot of farms that
are going under if they aren't able to get bigger
(24:51):
and bigger and bigger. And so what we need is
these crops and products that were growing that can be local, fresh,
regional forms of food, specialty foods that people who care
about who comes from. We need them come and taking
steps toward the American farmer. I know the American farmer
will keep taking steps toward them. They just need to
know that what they're growing is going to be worth
the money, all.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Right, Brian. I can't let you go without asking you
about the Trump tariffs because I think that President Trump
is a big supporter of family farmers. I think he
wants to open up markets that are unfair right now
to American farmers so that that are some of our produce,
for example, can be exported to other countries where you know,
right now there's huge tariffs on American products, especially farm products,
(25:31):
in other countries. They keep it from being a level
playing field for American farmers.
Speaker 11 (25:37):
Yeah, you know, you're hitting on the big issue right now.
And there's been a lot of supportive course in farm
country that helped to elect President Trump, and he and
his administration have been working on these issues. There's a
lot of uppeople and there's a lot of you know,
things that cost and cut both ways. I think what
we have the opportunity now is I'm looking at what's
happening next. So he's paused these tariffs with all kinds
of countries across global he gets tougher on China. While
(25:58):
he takes the fight to China, he's saying that he
wants to give room to negotiate to these other countries.
So I'm looking at what's next, you know, what kind
of deals can we strike with these countries that see that, hey,
America's willing to slap tires if we're if we're not
cooperating with them, what kind of deals will they strike
so that we can remove trade barriers and open up
more markets that are fair as you say. So, that's
what I'm looking to is where are these negotiations go next?
(26:20):
I think that's really important for America's farmers.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Well, I think the fact that we have what now
seventy five countries that have come forward that are just
eager to negotiate with the president. Just about everybody but China.
Canada hasn't quite gotten there yet, but I think they
eventually will. Other than China, everybody else seems to be
coming forward at this point.
Speaker 11 (26:37):
Yeah, I think so. And you know, as in addition
to them showing signs, this isn't also an opportunity to
capitalize on something that needed to change from the nineties.
Back in the nineties, they had the free willing, free
trade days where they made these great big trade deals
where there's all kinds of trade off because it might
be a good thing with one country and a bad
thing with another country. So you have farmers and workers,
you know, you know, paying the cost when something's good
(26:58):
for another industry. This is a chance to make targeted
trade deals, negotiate with one individual country around one individual
product knocked on a trade bearer. There, we got more
leverage when we deal with one country at a time,
and we have the ability to make sure that the
deal that we make, you know, positive benefits of that
particular industry, that particular product. So all these seventy countries
(27:18):
that want to come forward and say, hey, geez, we
hope they don't throw more tariffs on us. Let's negotiate
with America. We have a chance to strike individual deals
with those folks rather than these great big trade deals
with those all these trade offs and all these compromises
contained in them.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
All right, sir, Hey, listen, I want to wish you
and your family all the best. I hope to hear.
I won't be around I guess to hear. But I
hope that this family farm gets passed on to your
children and their children and their children after that, I
hope to stationed your family for a long, long time.
Speaker 11 (27:44):
Well, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you
for sharing night on these issues.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
My pleasure. Brian Wesseiger, the author of Land Rich, Cash Poor,
My Family's Hope and The Untold Story of the Disappearing
American Farmer back with more in a moment Jimmy Baird
show Here an Am nine to fifty KPRC. All right,
(28:17):
before we wrap it up for today, I feel like
we need Oh where's that I wanted to share this
with you? Where is that story? I don't know about you.
I'm not I'm not really much into nightlife anymore. I
don't Well, hey, you get up at two fifteen in
the morning to host a morning show and kat r h.
(28:38):
That does not conducive to a good night life. But
there's a survey that was done about which which cities
had the most vibrant nightlife. Where where are the places
you want to live? If you will, if you like
the nightlife, you want a boogie? And I got the
biggest kick out of this because this is the method
(28:59):
ilogy that they used. Number one, the percent of people
who drink to excess. In other words, if you are
if you're drunk alcoholic, then you that's the nightlife. I guess.
Number of casinos, Well, that doesn't help Houston, right, we
don't have any casinos in Houston average casino rating. How
(29:23):
come we have to have a casino to have a
night life? Number of bars per one hundred thousand, price
of one beer at a bar, percentage of alcohol consumption
per city. This is just drunks and gamblers. What about
the other things that we like to do for like
going to astros games, or to rocket games, or to
(29:46):
the rodeo or concerts. How come that's not a part
of this. Number of colleges, as if the only people
are out at night are college students. Number of music festivals,
well does that? How about concerts not just music festivals?
The time they cut off the alcohol or do you
(30:07):
get to drink all night or they cut it off
at two o'clock in the morning, and versent of twenty
six to thirty four year olds, because evidently those are
the ones that are really into the night life, because
well they're young, unlike some of us who are well,
you know old. Based on that criteria, they came up
with a list of the best cities for nightlife and
(30:29):
along with it, of course, the worst cities for nightlife.
The best cities for nightlife were what you would expect,
you know, Chicago, Saint Louis, Milwaukee made the list. I
thought that was interesting. They were like number five on
the list. But then again, you know, they brew a
lot of beer in Milwaukee. Maybe that's why they're on
the list. Cincinnati, Boston, San Francisco, Buffalo. Yeah, Buffalo ranked
(30:52):
ninth highest in the country. Then again, if you had
to go through a Buffalo New York winner, you'd drink too,
and you drink a lot, and I guess, you know,
wings are always a fun time. But I was surprised
to see him there. In number ten was Washington, d C.
Houston was sort of towards the bottom of the list.
I think we're like thirty ninth on the list, but
(31:16):
we are. We're not the worst party towns. Here's the
top five worst party towns, the ones that they're not
having any parties at all. Salt Lake City number one, Well,
of course, hello San Jose. That surprised me. Virginia Beach, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, Hartford, Connecticut.
(31:36):
Is your top five. There you go. The worst places
for the nightlife are those places. And so one more
thing to do for today, because I always like to
leave with a little bit of a chuckle if we can.
On a Friday, Greg Gutfield talking about President Trump's week
as far as you know, dealing with the people he
likes and doesn't like, and you know, putting on the
show that he likes to put on. Here is Greg Guttfeld.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Making the rounds, roasted his critic so harshly they should
have apples in their mouths. First, you had Cheney Liz
Cheney and crying Adam Kinsinger.
Speaker 7 (32:11):
You had Cheney Liz Cheney and crying Adam kissing her,
crying at him.
Speaker 8 (32:18):
Every time I looked at him, he was crying.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
I think I was a crier. It's true. Kid was
always crying.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
And I wondered, do we have a couple of senators
here that he doesn't particularly like.
Speaker 8 (32:32):
We have a couple of senators here I just don't
particularly like him. So I want to introduce, over the
course of this amazing season, the members of this team.
(32:53):
I didn't think it was that big a deal Washington.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
It is, But what about Max Munsey. Well, someone congratulate
Max Mounsey.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
And Max Muncie.
Speaker 7 (33:05):
I want to congratulate Max from.
Speaker 8 (33:07):
The arms are very strong one I touch it. I'm
used to shaking politicians and hitting their armors like jello,
and now it's like and now it's like steel. All
these guys, He's not wrong.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
The only arm workout politicians get is when they reach
into your back pocket. But the joke's on them. That's
where I keep my live carpenter ants. Yeah, it stings,
but it's worth it. And when the coal miners paid
a visit, I bet it once again mentioned that beautiful
clean coal.
Speaker 8 (33:43):
I call it beautiful clean coal.
Speaker 7 (33:44):
I told my people never use the word coal unless
you put beautiful clean before it.
Speaker 8 (33:50):
Right dock, So we call it beautiful fleet, call.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Beautiful bleak, call beautiful clean coal.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
He's are the first president to make combustible rocks sound
like an appetizer at Chili's. But hey, I bet for
four long years, Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats try to
abolish the American coal industry.
Speaker 8 (34:11):
For four long years, Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats tried
to abolish the American coal industry. They did everything in
their power while he was awake, which wasn't much.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
Oh, the guy's a hoo though. Man, he is quite
the entertainment, is he not? All right, listen, it's time
for the weekend. You' all have a great weekend. I
will see you Monday morning, bright nearly five am over
on news radio seven forty KTRH. Hope to have you
here Monday afternoon, four am, nine fifty KPRC
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