Elon Musk agrees: Trump's economic plans will lead to 'hardship' and cause markets to 'tumble'

[Farmer-Rick]

21. It's kind of what they've done with Farm products

So, small local farmers use to sell produce to local grocery stores. But the chain stores took over and started buying their produce from other states, produce whole sellers and contracted corporate farms. People liked the cheaper foods and got use to the poor quality of the vegetables, meat and eggs. Though they looked good they tasted and smelled bland.

Then other countries were allowed to compete in these same markets. This forced most small farms to live on the margins. The big markets weren't buying from them. So, some small farmers managed to stay alive by cobbling together a bunch of impossibly small markets. Markets too specialized to want bland and cheap food.

Then the grocery stores started raising their prices. Why pass on the saving of buying bland food in mass quantities to the customer? Small farmers are practically dead and are not competitors anymore.

And so the chain grocery stores keep upping their prices and customers no longer have a choice, unless you can become a small farmers' customer. But there are very few small farmers anymore who sell produce. Same thing happened to dairy farms in the US.

Ah the stench of "free" markets collapsing local economies.