This week, Doug Stephan welcomes Warren Shaw, President of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF). The gentlemen cover a wide range of topics affecting family farmers in our country and the immediate economic problems. Warren, who is a farmer with his own Shaw Farm, discusses on his own farm hardships when the roof collapsed due to a snow storm, losing multiple cattle, shares how he’s rebuilding and moving forward with his farming operations.
Other conversation lands on the political climate and what it means for farmers, what American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall is doing to help family farmers, and more about the MFBF. For over a century, MFBF has been the Voice of Agriculture in Massachusetts, giving farmers a direct say in the policies and priorities that affect their land, their livelihoods, and the future of American farming. Warren shares how this grassroots, democratic model continues to empower farmers, influence legislation, and strengthen connections between local producers and their communities.
From shaping agricultural policy to preserving family farms in a changing economy, this conversation shines a light on how farmers leading farmers remains the foundation of progress in U.S. agriculture — just as it was when the Farm Bureau movement began in 1911.
Website: AmericanFamilyFarmerShow.com
Social Media: @GoodDayNetworks
Other conversation lands on the political climate and what it means for farmers, what American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall is doing to help family farmers, and more about the MFBF. For over a century, MFBF has been the Voice of Agriculture in Massachusetts, giving farmers a direct say in the policies and priorities that affect their land, their livelihoods, and the future of American farming. Warren shares how this grassroots, democratic model continues to empower farmers, influence legislation, and strengthen connections between local producers and their communities.
From shaping agricultural policy to preserving family farms in a changing economy, this conversation shines a light on how farmers leading farmers remains the foundation of progress in U.S. agriculture — just as it was when the Farm Bureau movement began in 1911.
Website: AmericanFamilyFarmerShow.com
Social Media: @GoodDayNetworks
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The American Family Farmer podcast, sponsored in part by Caldron,
The Safe, proven Way to lose weight. Check it all
out at toploss dot com. Everybody needs assistance, and here
to help us understand what there is available or isn't
available for assistance is Warren Shaw, who happened.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
To be a friend of mine. He's a president of.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
The Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, owns the Shaw Derry in Dracott, Massachusetts.
He's got a great operation. One of the reasons I
wanted to invite you here not just to talk about
what's going on in the immediate economic problems that the
farmers are having in Massachusetts and elsewhere around the country,
but to spend a few minutes describing what happened on
(00:45):
your farm. I had you here a year or so ago,
and I think that's about the time.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, no, it's been longer than that. Your barn roof collapsed.
And how many was that? Two years ago? How long
ago was that?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
That was in much of twenty three. Actually it was
the collapse under a snowload. If you all remember back
in twenty three, we had a late season snowstorm. That
was it. We're sure enough to lose a handful of cows,
but no people were hurt, which you know, in our
one hundred and sixteen year history, nobody's ever been earth there,
so we want to keep it that way.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Yes, exactly. So what are you doing to replace the
barn that went down?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well, I mean, operationally, we the cows that we own
on our friends family over industrial TELEFIM and then we
call the milk out of the air and purchase it.
And as we continue to have a supply for our
bottling plant and our retail sales. We are building a
new facility and that's going to be you know, totally
(01:47):
different than the previous one, will be loaded with all
sorts of technology upgrades and you know, hopefully set up
for another one hundred years.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
I'm chuckling the technology upgrade. That's a kind way of saying, robots,
what is right?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
And there really was no significant technology in the old
facilities other than a milk a pipeline milking system. Yeah,
so this one is we're making the leap to uh,
you know, to be able to operate, uh, you know,
going into the future.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
I guess that that's part of the reality. Your son
is sooner or later going to take over operations of
the farm. I'm sure, And so this was a collaborative
decision by the two of you, or did he do
the research and come up with a plan.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
He done. He has done the research on the on
what we're what we're currently building, and all of the
technology involved, made all those decisions. I mean from my
from my standpoint, I think it just as important that
we have a new facility. It's also as important that
that my son be sort of, you know, personally ready
(03:02):
for a lifetime of you know, what can be challenging
world of business, and I think it's worth you doing
really well.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
So in terms of what the challenges are, I think
that's what we ought to talk about. I know, the
American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union have
sent letters to the honorable mister Trump to get him
off of his butt and talk about what to do
to save American family farms. And this is something I
(03:32):
have been extraordinarily critical because I think the critical focus
on this needs to have assigned to the criticism what
the solution is, and the solutions actually kind of easy.
But let's see what you think and let's get the
message from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
From your point.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Of view, we have Warren Shaw with this, who's the
president of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, one of the
fifty states that belongs to the American Farm Bureau. There's
also there fifty there's like fifty one, right because in there,
like Puerto Rico, doesn't have a branch in the farm.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Why okay, Hawaii, Yeah, yeah, well they're still there's they
become a state, Warren.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
I thought about that because I really close to it.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
I got it, Warren Sean Doug Stefan here on the
American family farmer. Caltron is on the top of the
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Speaker 2 (04:32):
This time exactly.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
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(04:54):
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(05:16):
on Caldra.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Elizabeth Miller from a top loss dot com and Caldron
here back on the American Family Farmer. The President of
the United States received a letter from the President of
the American Farm Bureau.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Federation I have.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
It's like a three page letter or well there's two
pages and then copies to this person, that person, and
the other person. Basically, it underscores the situation for farmers
and the extreme economic pressures that threaten the long term
viability of our agg sector. So under the circumstances is
(05:57):
not really this program is not aimed at being political.
I would dare say that many of the folks listening
to this program right now, who are farmers voted. I
think at least fifty percent, maybe a little more than
fifty percent of the farmers around the country voted for
mister Trump. I would bet, however, at this point, this juncture,
that if the election were today, he wouldn't do so
(06:20):
well because there has been no real answer to the questions.
And so let's talk first about the what mister Duval,
the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a fellow
named Zippy Duval?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Why is he called Zippy? By the way, you must
know the answer to that. I never wondered.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
That's his name. I mean, I thought that I had.
He can't tell you what his real full name is,
but he's he's zippy about it all around the country.
Is if you ask President Trump, what the who the
president of American fineby is going to say Zippy?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah, okay, So what do you think Trump's relationship is
after before weren't after getting this letter that got to
him last week? Demand it kind of doesn't like, pound
your fist on the tables that we demand to have
some action. But there is action that's necessary, and it's
it's not this shouldn't be a gentle message, should it?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
No? No, And I agree with you and much of
what you said in the uh in the beginning of
this conversation. I mean, I do think that there are
a number of people in American acted voted for Trump.
I mean, I'm not sure that they wouldn't vote for him. Again,
here's the problem. If you say I'm not voting for
this guy, then who are you going to vote for?
(07:38):
And you know those things.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Were slim last time around.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Yeah, right, well it may be slim in the future
as well. So I to me, it's all this is
what it is with American Farm Bureau and Massachusetts Farm Bureau.
It's all a matter of who supports us and and
what are the policies and and I think Trump's issue
is he looks at the American agriculture economy from the macro.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
He's never been down in the trenches like you and
I and so many people that make their living that way.
So I don't think I don't think he gets it. Uh,
But there's certainly uh. You know, de Vall points out
in his message to the President that half of the
farms in the country are losing money. Half and that's
just that's that, you know, what happens. I mean that's
(08:25):
just that that that's not a good uh uh, forward
thinking statement for the agricultural community. And you know, it's
all related to some basic concepts of of economics that
you know, American agg is really in same in Massachusetts
had been put in a situation where they are not
(08:48):
competing on a level playing field with food product brought
in from out of the country, and that's what it's
dificult to do. And now they're talking about bringing in
meat from Argentina and and that's you know, such a
shockwave through the meat industry in terms of what their
market is going to look like. So it's all I mean,
I think the one critical comment I would make about
(09:10):
Trump is that is that markets have been unstable since
he's been president. And you know, the people in the
trenches doing business, whether it's Saga something else, can't reliably
make investments, hire people, any of those things. And whether
or not that's accepted by the people upstairs, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Well, it doesn't seem to be accept It's not good business,
to be sure, it's not good for the farmers twenty
billion dollars. Your talk about Argentina twenty billion dollars. What
to help the farmers of Argentina. Where's the money to
help the American farmer, That's the question. You know, you
look at the cost pressures, and Duval focuses on this
(09:50):
in his letter to the President, the labor costs, the
regulatory compliance nightmares that we have to put up with,
the cost of things that we use. I was just
talking in the news section of the program about seeds,
corn seeds, and what Monsando and now some of the
other producers of seeds are doing to put farmers out
(10:12):
of business, trying to make sure that they control the
seeds supply. There are a number of different challenges here,
but they all lead to one thing, and that's eroding
cash flow and the weather. Yeah, I mean, look at
all of the things that are part of what the
farmer has to put up with. And now we've got
(10:32):
trade problems with countries. And I don't mean to be
I'd rather put you on the podium than me, but
you know, you look at the numbers and none of
them are abstract, and the numbers for corn and beans
and that kind of stuff which the big farmers grow.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
A lot of. But with us here in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
You pointed out the other night at the annual meeting
of our County Farm Bureau. They're only one and ten
one hundred and ten dairy farms left in the entire state.
That's because they've been run out of business by bad
policy and people not understanding. Although I think with COVID
didn't that change somewhat because people couldn't find anything to
(11:15):
eat in the stories and they finally rediscovered farms and
people like you that have your own processing plant for
milk have done better since then.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Is that is that a fair state believing?
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yeah, I think it's you have to look at that
in terms of the these periods of time following COVID,
Because during COVID and immediately following that, the farm stores
were loaded up, but that's because people were a little
bit leery of going into the supermarkets and so they
returned to that. So I think we're back with the
market that you know that that is, you know, our
(11:49):
share of the market. But you mentioned Massachusetts, doug that's
just one of the few places that actually does support
its farms. And I believe that started with with Governor
Baker and continues with Governor Heale, with a solid mass
Department of Ag Resources, and they really are are sort
(12:13):
of engineered to support the industry, and they do a
good job. You also mentioned dairy I mean without the
dairy tax credit of the one hundred and ten dairies,
I'm going to say, I don't think they'd be forty.
So you know, you look to our north New Hampshire, Vermont.
The dairy farms are dropping life flies up there. They
have no support from the States. So it's a difficult
(12:37):
because we are such a small segment of the economy.
You know, whether it's labor bills or other regulations. Voice
isn't heard enough. No, that's that's the public.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
The public needs to understand, and that's one of the
reasons for having this conversation. Frankly, public needs to understand
what the ramifications of alls are.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Well, do you want to rely on other countries for
your food? I mean, that's that's the bottom line on this.
If you keep making the cost of production higher in
our country and then you know, bringing in meat as
they're talking about doing Margentina to balance the market out, Uh,
that that's a loser. That's that's a failed policy. And
(13:21):
you know, I think you know Trump and Biden before him,
they both had some policies that have failed agriculture.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Yep, not a good picture.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
We're painting a not particularly great picture, but it's the reality.
Warren Shaw from Shaw, Darry and Dracott Massachusett, president of
the Masters from Bureau Federation, is here. We're talking about
what needs to happen. So let's talk about what is suggested.
What do we have to do to get these people
to take some action. Meanwhile, let's talk for a moment
(13:52):
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Speaker 1 (16:44):
Back with Warren Shaw here from the Master's Farm Bureau Federation,
a dairy farmer of long standing in Drake At, Massachusetts.
So we've talked about the problem.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
What's the fix because we're we've.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Referred to this letter that came from the president of
the American Farm Bureau Federation there. As I said, there
are a lot of letters that are coming to the
National Farmers Union has done the same thing.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
A lot of people are focused on this on what it.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Costs to run a farm and the number of farm bankruptcies,
that sort of thing. So what does Duval tell the
president he needs to do?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
So we as an industry really are looking for some
changes in policy that stabilize, you know, sort of the
work environment for for the national agricultural sector. And that's
that involves a whole lot of things that would involve
you know, the farm build that has talked about all
the time. I mean, you can't even blame that on
(17:39):
either party because neither one has been effective enough to
carry that ball over the finish line.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Blame it on both of them, right, exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
So that's my point. Farm Bureau is not like I'm
for this president of that president. That's we have to
look for support where we can find it, and and
that that's that's really what farb Burea is all about.
But there's just a lot of places that need work
that and most of it is in agricultural food policy
(18:08):
that can be very scary at times. Again, remember half
the farms in the country losing money.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Yeah, the essence is again back to the big beautiful
bill in the Farm Bill, which hasn't seen the light
of day. They keep throwing darts at the board to
see what can come out of it or come out
of these some of the.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Parts of it.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Trade agreements number one, the biofuel industry certainly renewable fuels,
a restoration of whole milk, and schools.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
So that's been done. How has that affected your.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Business your dairy in terms of the business you do
with local schools.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
We don't do any business with local schools, Doug. It's
just you know. So we're a you know, sort of
a microcosmic the whole industry, and we create our own
markets big enough to compete with with with the people
and a competitive procurement situation that the schools have to operate.
And so I mean we don't do that at all.
(19:07):
But you know, in truth, I mean we're in a
situation we control over our own destiny. That's why we
survived one hundred and sixteen years. Yeah, that's right, as.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
You control your own Yeah, and milking into the pool
is not a way to control your destiny.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
As is obvious. We still have lots of work.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
In the relationship with Ms Rowlins, who's the Secretary of Agriculture.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
If she'd stop.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Blaming everything on Biden and get to work, might be
it would be a little bit better. I had high
hopes for her so but so far not so good.
At any rate, we've got an overview here from Warren
appreciate it. Warrenshaw, president of the mass Farm Bureau Federation,
runs Shaw Farm and Drake and Massachusetts a dairy operation
for a.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Long time and friend of mine and friend of the program.
I'm Doug Stephan. This is the American family farmer. This
program was produced at bob k Sound and Recording Please
was a Bobcasound dot com.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
The American Family Farmer podcast, sponsored in part by Caldron,
which is the safe way for you to lose weight
and keep it off
The American Family Farmer podcast, sponsored in part by Caldron,
The Safe, proven Way to lose weight. Check it all
out at toploss dot com. Everybody needs assistance, and here
to help us understand what there is available or isn't
available for assistance is Warren Shaw, who happened.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
To be a friend of mine. He's a president of.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
The Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, owns the Shaw Derry in Dracott, Massachusetts.
He's got a great operation. One of the reasons I
wanted to invite you here not just to talk about
what's going on in the immediate economic problems that the
farmers are having in Massachusetts and elsewhere around the country,
but to spend a few minutes describing what happened on
(00:45):
your farm. I had you here a year or so ago,
and I think that's about the time.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, no, it's been longer than that. Your barn roof collapsed.
And how many was that? Two years ago? How long
ago was that?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
That was in much of twenty three. Actually it was
the collapse under a snowload. If you all remember back
in twenty three, we had a late season snowstorm. That
was it. We're sure enough to lose a handful of cows,
but no people were hurt, which you know, in our
one hundred and sixteen year history, nobody's ever been earth there,
so we want to keep it that way.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Yes, exactly. So what are you doing to replace the
barn that went down?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well, I mean, operationally, we the cows that we own
on our friends family over industrial TELEFIM and then we
call the milk out of the air and purchase it.
And as we continue to have a supply for our
bottling plant and our retail sales. We are building a
new facility and that's going to be you know, totally
(01:47):
different than the previous one, will be loaded with all
sorts of technology upgrades and you know, hopefully set up
for another one hundred years.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
I'm chuckling the technology upgrade. That's a kind way of saying, robots,
what is right?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
And there really was no significant technology in the old
facilities other than a milk a pipeline milking system. Yeah,
so this one is we're making the leap to uh,
you know, to be able to operate, uh, you know,
going into the future.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
I guess that that's part of the reality. Your son
is sooner or later going to take over operations of
the farm. I'm sure, And so this was a collaborative
decision by the two of you, or did he do
the research and come up with a plan.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
He done. He has done the research on the on
what we're what we're currently building, and all of the
technology involved, made all those decisions. I mean from my
from my standpoint, I think it just as important that
we have a new facility. It's also as important that
that my son be sort of, you know, personally ready
(03:02):
for a lifetime of you know, what can be challenging
world of business, and I think it's worth you doing
really well.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
So in terms of what the challenges are, I think
that's what we ought to talk about. I know, the
American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union have
sent letters to the honorable mister Trump to get him
off of his butt and talk about what to do
to save American family farms. And this is something I
(03:32):
have been extraordinarily critical because I think the critical focus
on this needs to have assigned to the criticism what
the solution is, and the solutions actually kind of easy.
But let's see what you think and let's get the
message from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
From your point.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Of view, we have Warren Shaw with this, who's the
president of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, one of the
fifty states that belongs to the American Farm Bureau. There's
also there fifty there's like fifty one, right because in there,
like Puerto Rico, doesn't have a branch in the farm.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Why okay, Hawaii, Yeah, yeah, well they're still there's they
become a state, Warren.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
I thought about that because I really close to it.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
I got it, Warren Sean Doug Stefan here on the
American family farmer. Caltron is on the top of the
food chain, if you will, when it comes to losing weight,
and because it is full, it's time to focus on
what we seem to get into every year at.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
This time exactly.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
You know, we call it the eating season. There's candy,
there's food everywhere, warm bread, the leftovers, and you know,
while this season is full of joy, it is just
also full of temptation. Caltran's working with your body naturally
to rebuild lean muscle, tissue, to repair joints. So overall,
you know, just within the first week or two of
(04:54):
taking Caltrin. You are going to be sleeping better, waking
up refreshed, having more energy throughout your and even less
joint pain. And really around the one month mark is
when you're going to start to notice your clothes fitting better.
Inch loss, maybe even a few pounds on the scale.
The West side is toploss dot Com. There's a big
fall sale going on right now though. Whether you have
a little bit of weight to lose or a lot
of weight to lose, it's a great time to you
(05:16):
on Caldra.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Elizabeth Miller from a top loss dot com and Caldron
here back on the American Family Farmer. The President of
the United States received a letter from the President of
the American Farm Bureau.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Federation I have.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
It's like a three page letter or well there's two
pages and then copies to this person, that person, and
the other person. Basically, it underscores the situation for farmers
and the extreme economic pressures that threaten the long term
viability of our agg sector. So under the circumstances is
(05:57):
not really this program is not aimed at being political.
I would dare say that many of the folks listening
to this program right now, who are farmers voted. I
think at least fifty percent, maybe a little more than
fifty percent of the farmers around the country voted for
mister Trump. I would bet, however, at this point, this juncture,
that if the election were today, he wouldn't do so
(06:20):
well because there has been no real answer to the questions.
And so let's talk first about the what mister Duval,
the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a fellow
named Zippy Duval?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Why is he called Zippy? By the way, you must
know the answer to that. I never wondered.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
That's his name. I mean, I thought that I had.
He can't tell you what his real full name is,
but he's he's zippy about it all around the country.
Is if you ask President Trump, what the who the
president of American fineby is going to say Zippy?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah, okay, So what do you think Trump's relationship is
after before weren't after getting this letter that got to
him last week? Demand it kind of doesn't like, pound
your fist on the tables that we demand to have
some action. But there is action that's necessary, and it's
it's not this shouldn't be a gentle message, should it?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
No? No, And I agree with you and much of
what you said in the uh in the beginning of
this conversation. I mean, I do think that there are
a number of people in American acted voted for Trump.
I mean, I'm not sure that they wouldn't vote for him. Again,
here's the problem. If you say I'm not voting for
this guy, then who are you going to vote for?
(07:38):
And you know those things.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Were slim last time around.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Yeah, right, well it may be slim in the future
as well. So I to me, it's all this is
what it is with American Farm Bureau and Massachusetts Farm Bureau.
It's all a matter of who supports us and and
what are the policies and and I think Trump's issue
is he looks at the American agriculture economy from the macro.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
He's never been down in the trenches like you and
I and so many people that make their living that way.
So I don't think I don't think he gets it. Uh,
But there's certainly uh. You know, de Vall points out
in his message to the President that half of the
farms in the country are losing money. Half and that's
just that's that, you know, what happens. I mean that's
(08:25):
just that that that's not a good uh uh, forward
thinking statement for the agricultural community. And you know, it's
all related to some basic concepts of of economics that
you know, American agg is really in same in Massachusetts
had been put in a situation where they are not
(08:48):
competing on a level playing field with food product brought
in from out of the country, and that's what it's
dificult to do. And now they're talking about bringing in
meat from Argentina and and that's you know, such a
shockwave through the meat industry in terms of what their
market is going to look like. So it's all I mean,
I think the one critical comment I would make about
(09:10):
Trump is that is that markets have been unstable since
he's been president. And you know, the people in the
trenches doing business, whether it's Saga something else, can't reliably
make investments, hire people, any of those things. And whether
or not that's accepted by the people upstairs, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Well, it doesn't seem to be accept It's not good business,
to be sure, it's not good for the farmers twenty
billion dollars. Your talk about Argentina twenty billion dollars. What
to help the farmers of Argentina. Where's the money to
help the American farmer, That's the question. You know, you
look at the cost pressures, and Duval focuses on this
(09:50):
in his letter to the President, the labor costs, the
regulatory compliance nightmares that we have to put up with,
the cost of things that we use. I was just
talking in the news section of the program about seeds,
corn seeds, and what Monsando and now some of the
other producers of seeds are doing to put farmers out
(10:12):
of business, trying to make sure that they control the
seeds supply. There are a number of different challenges here,
but they all lead to one thing, and that's eroding
cash flow and the weather. Yeah, I mean, look at
all of the things that are part of what the
farmer has to put up with. And now we've got
(10:32):
trade problems with countries. And I don't mean to be
I'd rather put you on the podium than me, but
you know, you look at the numbers and none of
them are abstract, and the numbers for corn and beans
and that kind of stuff which the big farmers grow.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
A lot of. But with us here in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
You pointed out the other night at the annual meeting
of our County Farm Bureau. They're only one and ten
one hundred and ten dairy farms left in the entire state.
That's because they've been run out of business by bad
policy and people not understanding. Although I think with COVID
didn't that change somewhat because people couldn't find anything to
(11:15):
eat in the stories and they finally rediscovered farms and
people like you that have your own processing plant for
milk have done better since then.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Is that is that a fair state believing?
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yeah, I think it's you have to look at that
in terms of the these periods of time following COVID,
Because during COVID and immediately following that, the farm stores
were loaded up, but that's because people were a little
bit leery of going into the supermarkets and so they
returned to that. So I think we're back with the
market that you know that that is, you know, our
(11:49):
share of the market. But you mentioned Massachusetts, doug that's
just one of the few places that actually does support
its farms. And I believe that started with with Governor
Baker and continues with Governor Heale, with a solid mass
Department of Ag Resources, and they really are are sort
(12:13):
of engineered to support the industry, and they do a
good job. You also mentioned dairy I mean without the
dairy tax credit of the one hundred and ten dairies,
I'm going to say, I don't think they'd be forty.
So you know, you look to our north New Hampshire, Vermont.
The dairy farms are dropping life flies up there. They
have no support from the States. So it's a difficult
(12:37):
because we are such a small segment of the economy.
You know, whether it's labor bills or other regulations. Voice
isn't heard enough. No, that's that's the public.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
The public needs to understand, and that's one of the
reasons for having this conversation. Frankly, public needs to understand
what the ramifications of alls are.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Well, do you want to rely on other countries for
your food? I mean, that's that's the bottom line on this.
If you keep making the cost of production higher in
our country and then you know, bringing in meat as
they're talking about doing Margentina to balance the market out, Uh,
that that's a loser. That's that's a failed policy. And
(13:21):
you know, I think you know Trump and Biden before him,
they both had some policies that have failed agriculture.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Yep, not a good picture.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
We're painting a not particularly great picture, but it's the reality.
Warren Shaw from Shaw, Darry and Dracott Massachusett, president of
the Masters from Bureau Federation, is here. We're talking about
what needs to happen. So let's talk about what is suggested.
What do we have to do to get these people
to take some action. Meanwhile, let's talk for a moment
(13:52):
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They're looking the same as it did like last spring
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Good, lost a little bit of weight.
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But now we're going into and I had the first
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Speaker 1 (16:44):
Back with Warren Shaw here from the Master's Farm Bureau Federation,
a dairy farmer of long standing in Drake At, Massachusetts.
So we've talked about the problem.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
What's the fix because we're we've.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Referred to this letter that came from the president of
the American Farm Bureau Federation there. As I said, there
are a lot of letters that are coming to the
National Farmers Union has done the same thing.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
A lot of people are focused on this on what it.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Costs to run a farm and the number of farm bankruptcies,
that sort of thing. So what does Duval tell the
president he needs to do?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
So we as an industry really are looking for some
changes in policy that stabilize, you know, sort of the
work environment for for the national agricultural sector. And that's
that involves a whole lot of things that would involve
you know, the farm build that has talked about all
the time. I mean, you can't even blame that on
(17:39):
either party because neither one has been effective enough to
carry that ball over the finish line.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Blame it on both of them, right, exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
So that's my point. Farm Bureau is not like I'm
for this president of that president. That's we have to
look for support where we can find it, and and
that that's that's really what farb Burea is all about.
But there's just a lot of places that need work
that and most of it is in agricultural food policy
(18:08):
that can be very scary at times. Again, remember half
the farms in the country losing money.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Yeah, the essence is again back to the big beautiful
bill in the Farm Bill, which hasn't seen the light
of day. They keep throwing darts at the board to
see what can come out of it or come out
of these some of the.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Parts of it.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Trade agreements number one, the biofuel industry certainly renewable fuels,
a restoration of whole milk, and schools.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
So that's been done. How has that affected your.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Business your dairy in terms of the business you do
with local schools.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
We don't do any business with local schools, Doug. It's
just you know. So we're a you know, sort of
a microcosmic the whole industry, and we create our own
markets big enough to compete with with with the people
and a competitive procurement situation that the schools have to operate.
And so I mean we don't do that at all.
(19:07):
But you know, in truth, I mean we're in a
situation we control over our own destiny. That's why we
survived one hundred and sixteen years. Yeah, that's right, as.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
You control your own Yeah, and milking into the pool
is not a way to control your destiny.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
As is obvious. We still have lots of work.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
In the relationship with Ms Rowlins, who's the Secretary of Agriculture.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
If she'd stop.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Blaming everything on Biden and get to work, might be
it would be a little bit better. I had high
hopes for her so but so far not so good.
At any rate, we've got an overview here from Warren
appreciate it. Warrenshaw, president of the mass Farm Bureau Federation,
runs Shaw Farm and Drake and Massachusetts a dairy operation
for a.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Long time and friend of mine and friend of the program.
I'm Doug Stephan. This is the American family farmer. This
program was produced at bob k Sound and Recording Please
was a Bobcasound dot com.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
The American Family Farmer podcast, sponsored in part by Caldron,
which is the safe way for you to lose weight
and keep it off
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