Were you as stunned as I was to hear that Stephen Colbert was going to appear at a House Subcommittee Hearing to discuss his views on farm labor? I'm used to Willie Nelson speaking on behalf of farmers, but that seems to fit his image rather well. Colbert, on the other hand, seems like a guy whose free market politics would steer him clear of any sort of stumping for US agriculture. To listen to his commentary was to understand that he was there to draw attention to the need for basic rights and fair treatment of farm workers -- not to contemplate what kind of capitalist he is. And what better testament to the urgency, gravity, and complexity of our food challenges than to hear a white entertainer in a suit ask us to consider the people responsible for getting food to our tables?
The testimony from both Colbert and Arturo Rodriguez of the United Farm Workers reminds us that, really, we have no idea what we're eating, whose bottom line we're supporting, or what agenda we are inadvertently furthering with our food dollars. Just as I dispute the FDA's claim that genetically modified salmon is not materially different from non-GMO salmon, I contend that not every tomato -- or apple, carrot, or bean -- is equal. Quite the contrary, we try to simplify our markets by commoditizing food, but we have reached a period in which the slightest differentiating factor, from what kind of fertilizer was used on the field to the origin of the seed, can affect the price, market destination, and end use of a crop.
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