9. A young man denounces corporate control of agriculture on the steps of the Cathedral of St. Paul--March 1, 2000--wherein an estimated crowd of 1,300 were led in an ecumenical Christian prayer service by religious leaders of the Minnesota Catholic Conference and the Minnesota Council of Churches. The event, March First," was a "call to all Minnesotans to promote accountabilty and reform in Minnesota's food and agriculture system," and involved a "public witness event" which saw hundreds march upon the nearby State Capitol for a rally in the building's rotunda.

Citing religious principles such as human dignity and social justice, church leaders noted that the economic difficulties facing farmers have moral implications, and called upon those gathered to "cry out for justice," especially for small and mid-size farms. Said Bishop John Hopkins, leader of the United Methodist Church in Minnesota: "Large corporations control much of the agricultural system and are able to earn profits from processing and market shifts, while those strictly in food production cannot make a profit. Our farm friends can know they are not alone today."

During the prayer service Catholic bishop John Kinney of St. Cloud invited participants to "sow seeds for renewal and for justice." He called for justice based on moral principles--a justice that would protect the lives of all people, including farm families, and demand that profits be shared. He asked those present to demand stewardship, where all live within the limits of the earth [a somewhat ironic plea given the Catholic Church's stand on birth control]; to stand up for solidarity and exercise shared responsibilty for a sustainable agricultural system; to call on public officials to exercise their power to protect the common good; and to call on economists to see that economic benefits are distributed fairly.

10. Two farmers converse on the steps of the Capitol as the crowd around them swells with the arrival of more people from the cathedral. Inside the Capitol rotunda, Bishop Bernard Harrington of the Catholic Diocese of Winona, told the crowd that prayer wasn't the entire solution to farmers' problems. "Yes, we must pray," he said. "But we must also speak out."

11-12. One of the most interesting and encouraging aspects of the March First event was the diversity of those in attendance. As in Seattle, this event in St. Paul and others around the country, united farmers, union activists, environmentalists, students, and religious people against corporate domination. As Gary Berg, a member of United Auto Workers Local 125 said, "When the family farmer hurts, we don't sell cars, trucks or tractors. When farmers are hurting, we are hurting."

In particular, those gathered for the March First event were united around four legislative issues which in turn included demands for: 1) the labeling of bio-engineered food products; 2) the making of large-scale livestock operators partically liable for environmental damages caused by their operations; and 3) The rejection of House and Senate bills allowing limited liability companies--which church leaders and others contend give advantages to large-scale, investor-driven factory farms.

13. On Tuesday, March 21, 2000, thousands of farmers and their supporters converged on Washington, D.C., to participate in the "Rally for Rural America". Organized by the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the AFL-CIO, the rally's primary goal was to urge Congress to rewrite the 1996 Farm Law which has steadily eroded farm subsidies.

Around the country, similar events were organized to coincide with the Washington, D.C. rally. In Minneapolis, the Agriculture Action Network and GrainRAGE (Upper Midwest Resistance Against Genetic Engineering) organized a rally and action to show solidarity with U.S. farmers and farmers around the globe by demonstrating against the very agribusiness interests that are instrumental in driving small farmers out of business.

Off-Site Link: GrainRAGE

14. Joel Wainwright (left) of the Agriculture Action Network welcomes the close-to 100 people who had gathered at the gates of Cargill's corporate headquarters in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka.

Since its acquisition of Continental Grain in 1999, Cargill controls 45% of the global grain trade--including more than 40% of U.S. maize exports and a third of U.S. soybean exports. A leader in producing and marketing hybrid corn, soybeans, sorghum and sunflower seeds as well as canola, cotton and forage seeds in North America, Cargill is also one of the world's largest producers and distributors of synthetic fertilizers. The corporation, the largest privately owned in the world, also sells pesticides and animal feeds, operates feedlots offers "consulting" services, has joint ventures with Monsanto and Dow Chemicals, and develops genetically engineered organisms.

15. Local activist Freedom, speaks to those gathered at Cargill's corporate headquarters.

16. Part of the March 21 event included a mock trial of Cargill. The corporation was accused of no longer serving the public good and working against the interests of small family farmers worldwide. Testimony was provided by a number of "expert witnesses," including Kristin Dawkins of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Mike Jacobs, farmer and owner of Easy Bean Farm, Brian Levy of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and Stephen Schwen, an organic farmer of 25 years and founder of the Full Circle Organic Farmer Co-op.

Kristen stated that "Export subsidies from the government subsidize Cargill and encourage farmers to grow and sell their grains abroad. But when cheap imports come off of Cargill's ships and flood the local market, masses of farmers loose their livelihood."

17. Joel Wainwright - March 21, 2000.

During the Cargill protest, Joel explained that "The local demonstration supports the principles the National Farmers Union (NFU) is fighting for in Washington. The first major principle is social and economic justice for farmers. Farmers deserve fair wages and prices for their crops."

18-19. Brian Levy of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance dumps genetically engineered soybeans at the March 21 protest at Cargill's international office in Minnetonka.

Noted Brian: "Cargill increasingly monopolizes the food chain- keeping prices low for the farmer, high for the consumer, and pocketing the difference. The bigger this corporation grows, the more money and power they yield over local, state, national, and international policy. The unprecedented and monopolistic concentration of resources in a small number of transnational corporations like Cargill has drastically reduced farmer's capacities to make basic decisions about productions, use ecologically sound practices, and earn a sustainable living. Cargill is not just a danger to our farmers. Cargill, like any other form of concentrated capital, is a danger to our democracy and our right to self-determination . . . "

At the close of the mock trial, "Judge" T.J. Semanchin asked the "jury" to pass their verdict. The crowd responsed with "Guilty!" and demanded the revocation of Cargill's corporate charter.