Welcome to the world of work Beef.

There are 6 billion who suffer that, less the handful who direct it all.

Farmers are no different to the rest of us.

Where the 'lifestyle' of the 'man in the grey suit'?

Gone, once the manufactory was invented, years ago.

Anyway, in the farmers rush into neoliberalism, they sold off their protection, the various boards that sold their gear with some control on the markets.

Too busy 'getting big or getting out', too greedy for their shares in the flogged off entities.

The 'future' as you described it is here, and the farmers helped to bring it.

I have to agree with Rehtcub, and with Beef; it's ridiculous that some farmers reap windfall profits as a direct effect of others' misfortunes. A Farmer's bank, where one farmer's profits could be made available to cover another farmer's losses (due to no fault of his own) makes a good deal of sense.
Remember what the word 'bank' (levy, dyke) means? A way of saving for a rainy day; for spreading -common- wealth throughout the community -or industry.
Both Banks and Insurance companies started out as really good ideas; not just for the owners, but for the whole community.
The good folks at Edge.org organized a symposium, and 164 thinkers contributed suggestions. John McWhorter, a linguist at Columbia University, wrote that people should be more aware of path dependence. This refers to the notion that often "something that seems normal or inevitable today began with a choice that made sense at a particular time in the past, but survived despite the eclipse of the justification for that choice. ...
Remember when insurance was 'swings and roundabouts'? Once it was accepted that a healthy person could look forward to whinging about all the money he'd wasted, while unluckier ones could be grateful.
Now insurance companies expect to make a profit out of everyone, and don't they make you feel like a criminal, if you make a -perfectly justifiable- claim.
And banks used to be optional. Now they have our govmints so well trained, they are mandatory, even though in many cases we'd be better off putting our money under the mattress.