Set in Wyoming and Ukraine, Voices Rise from the LAND is about the universal struggle of farmers against global corporate tyranny and America's dance with Ukraine after the demise of the Soviet Union.
The novel humanizes the growing farm crisis caused by the corporate abuse of market power in American and world agriculture. A stark picture is painted between farm life in the former soviet nation of Ukraine and America--so different yet so similar.
Voices Rise from the LAND climaxes in a show down between American cattle ranchers and monopolistic global corporations in the largest racketeering trial in US History to decide the fate of a way of life--dying in America but re-born in Ukraine.
Dr. John W. Helmuth was an agricultural economist, writer, and consultant from Kansas City, Missouri. He served as an economic expert in numerous legal proceedings on behalf of agricultural producers advocating the importance of fair competition in agricultural markets. While he was writing Voices Rise from the LAND he lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Winner of the Aaron Wildavsky Book Award for outstanding economic policy books published since 1975, Dr. Helmuth lived in Ukraine in 1996 and 1997, served as economic advisor to Leonid Kuchma, President of Ukraine, and directed a project to establish competitive agricultural commodity exchanges. He has also served as economic advisor to the Agriculture committee of the Russian Parliament. From 1991 to 1997, he worked primarily in Ukraine and Russia, as well as Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
From 1987 through 1996 Dr. Helmuth held various positions with the Center of Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) of Iowa State University, most recently as Director of International Programs.
Prior to his position at ISU, Dr. Helmuth was Chief Economist for the Committee on Small Business of the US House of Representative where he directed an extensive investigation of the US livestock and meatpacking industries under the Chairmanship of Congressman Neal Smith of Iowa. Dr. Helmuth also conducted investigations of grain and livestock futures markets for the Committee.
Dr. Helmuth held positions with the US Department of Agriculture and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He served as Executive Director of the 1988 World Food Conference and has been a commodity futures broker.
Dr. Helmuth held a Ph.D. in agricultural economics and B.A. in mathematics from the University of Missouri and an M.S. in agricultural economics from the University of Connecticut.
