As Americans, does it concern you that small farms will be non-existent in the next 20 years?

Question

Young farmers are few and far between. Land is being parceled off and sold for residential and industrial use at an alarming rate. The diversity of the family farm is shrinking along with age of the farmers farming them. Who is there to take over?

Answer 1

Yes it does.  Even out here in the boonies of IL, it's getting crowded.  People are leaving the large cities hoping for a better life out here, but they are taking away our heritage.  Many children of farmers do not want to be farmers because their friends are going off to college and they want to go too.  What good is a college degree on a farm. How can we convince them to stay and continue the family way?

Answer 2

Move to North Dakota.

Answer 3

I'm not sure that I agree with this. I live in a rural farming community too. I do see more and more larger farms, but I don't see them as being an issue. The reason I say this is that the older folks (in this area anyway) will tell you that back in the day, there were a bunch of small farms, which were eventually made into a few large farms. Those large farms eventually went back into smaller farmsteads. So then the cycle continues and soon we will go back to the large farms for a few decades again.

I don't like how animals are being treated, one bit. I will agree with the comment that animals are not lasting as long or producing as much as the animals used to. It's not just the amount they are forced to work, but also what they are being fed for food and supplements. I don't like the notion that cows are given "supplements" to produce more milk. That isn't natural....who knows what that does to the milk that we consume?

What I have been seeing is that a lot of the younger people in my area ARE interested in farming because it is what they know and what they love. There is a great new generation of farmers coming up....maybe just not enough of them for the time being. But for that matter, there's also been "city folk" that end up in a rural setting for whatever reason, and end up working on a farm, and decide to go into farming. I've seen that too. I don't see people decide to NOT go into farming because their friends decide to go to college~~I see people not farming because they have seen their families and friends lose money, and endure some very tough times.

For now, farms will likely go to the next generation, or to the new hopefuls of tomorrow that genuinely respect the land and the animals that inhabit it.

And now I'm off my soapbox.

Answer 4

This has been scaring the cr*p out of me for years now.  Still too many people don't have the first clue about how singularly important our nation's farmer are to us.  The growth of the giant corporate farms, the financial pressures that forces smaller properties to be sold & converted into strip malls, and fewer and fewer young people going into full-time farming, AND the ridiculous growth in population...I'm really getting nervous.

Can we, as a nation, in the event of an emergency even feed ourselves anymore?  Do we produce enought food within our borders to feed 300 million people for 365 days of every year?

I hope someone out there is working on this, because I know that I don't know enough to even suggest a plan of action.

Answer 5

Yes, it bothers me a great deal. Prices will increase as demand will grow. Younger people do not see the money they would like to make in farming. It is an honorable profession but not a glamorous one. I applaud anyone that takes on a farm job. It is hard work, long hours, and very little respect.

Answer 6

Yes it disturbs me and the trend has not ended.  A huge part of America and what makes America great is falling away to corporate farming.  It saddens me greatly.  Big corporate farms, no farm communities, no farm life and no hanging around the local grain elevator drinking coffee and shooting the breeze.  No long neck Buds in the afternoon after a hard days work.  Oh for the good old days when we were a nation of hardworking, caring and trustworthy folks.  Your question brings a little tear to my eye!  Thank you for caring too.

Answer 7

This is a problem, but what is the solution?  Tax benefits for small farmers, perhaps.

Answer 8

I was raised on a small farm so I have been watching this.  I think that eventually they will all be corporate farms and the price of food will be whatever they say it will be.

Almost all of the small farms where I grew up (milking under 100 cows) are now combined into huge farms milking hundreds.  The are so automated that one farm I've visited have the cows only seeing people maybe 5 min a day.  The cows burn out after only 3 - 4 years instead of the 10+ my Dad had them.  Then they are cheap hamburg.

Answer 9

Yes, it does concern me.

That means we'll have less crops.

Less crops leads to higher prices for the few crops in the supermarkets.

Answer 10

Yes, it does very much so.  My grandfather (maternal) farmed in the Mississippi delta his whole life although his operation was not very small, and my father still farms about 1,600 acres in central Mississippi today.  I love farming and would gvie just about anything to be doing it today, but it is just not very feasible if you can't inherit about 5,000 acres.  It is sad that young people today cannot start out farming and make ends meet, but that is what it has come to.  I, like most other young people today, have decided to leave the farm and pursue another career.

Answer 11

the small farmers cannot make it - because production cost  are high and  what you get from the mill, elevator,

dog food co etc.. weather is another factor -- Texas flooding -CA burning - hope these farmers took out crop insurance or they not only don't have a crop they do not have any income either

But I have noticed that other farmers buying or renting the land from said farmer

word on the grapevine is a disatear payment is coming - not sure for what year or years  but a farmer if has crop insurance could get upto 65% of his crop claim if it goes through like before

Answer 12

PERMACULTURE ANSWER(return to Babylon)

I am always talking from a global point of view and visualise different countries and different conditions ,so my answers sometimes tend to be general

this section has participants from Australia,South Africa,India China ,England .and other english speaking people or places

In Many countries like Mexico its all going the wrong way.

People are getting locked into cities on top of each other ,with worsening environmental conditions ,physcologically  as well as physically with increasing  Air and Noise polution,greatly affecting peoples physical and mental health.

And the urbanization that takes place does not include as much small producers as it should ,

How ever many people who in the past would not have dreamt of growing their own food ,are now doing so

And many people are even growing a few veg in their back yards ,in many Countries ,perhaps not so much in the USA,

this concept should be encouraged much more ,(in England this is usual)

If the suburbs and freeholds were much more in to produce ,with for example fruit trees on the streets (i know they make a lot of rubbish underneeth ,but spaces could be reserved on the side ,slightly changing the urban design),

We would be talking about millions of people growing something ,taking pressure of agriculture ,having a positive effect on the climate ,putting much more humidity into the air and greatly assist carbon absorbsion.

With Permaculture  the bulk of the people  are/were  city people ,that became interested in a higher quality of life ,

there are very few Farmers at the courses ,most people are into home growing for the first time .

Not like in Mexico where only the farmers produce and hardly any normal citizans come to the courses ,but this is slowly beginning to change

How ever many small farms are being taken over by  corporations whose motives are purely profits ,with little regard for the Environment or public health

In South Africa many small groups of friends but a farm jointly and develop it as an autosuficient comunity

This idea should be greatly encouraged., to shift from an industrial culture in to a Garden culture

                                   AGRO URBANISATION

They did some experiments with rats in highrise building conditions and after the 3rd story they began to get weird

by the time they were on twenty they went insane and ate their own babies .

this gives you some idea what the bosses must be like in the penthouse offices

3 stories is a reasonable healthy hight for humans

so we cannot put to many people on top of each other

technically it is an impossible task to ensure a continues supply of good air for everybody

and the mental effects are drastic ,

but we can blend people into and under the landscape

------------------------------...

there is an Architect who designed a city in China that blended totally into the landscape ,the farmland ending on top of all the equal level roofs ,with the farmers moving about on bridges

All the rooms would have the sun at least once a day,The city to utilize all their own byproducts as gas for cooking or compost

With solar energy to power the lot

The land above would produce all the food and meat for the city

A totally autosuficient concept ,with argiculture build in in a sustainable way.

Very technical and advanced

it is talked about on this youtube at the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRjz8iTV...

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So the answer is urbanisation incorporated with agriculture

Agro urbanization,coupled to Agro forestry.

food and animals with in forests

and people hidden 3 levels underneath the farms ,all housing having what is called living roofs(have done some myself with pasture and goats on the roof ,and seen many of these) ,with pasture and vegetables ,this would also keep the dwellings cool.

IN THE PAST

Montezuma looked out of his window one day and saw all his peasants in huts of adobe as a blemish on his panorama ,and he ordered the people to hide themselves beneath beautifull flowers (deoderant was not so big in those days),and so the central Americans were motivated to build living roofs ,turning their village in to a garden with themselves hidden with in ,So the idea is by no means original

Babylon was doing very similar things using sophistcated building methods and stone

This concept can spread into the country with out depleting it

leaving room for expansion

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Permaculture ,is  a collection of sustainable ideas from around the world coupled to present level of knowledge

ideally suited for those who want to get back to the country and build a autosuficient situation for themselves and the family or a comunity .

People plant rather for the quality of life and to feed their families, than for the market ,so the motivation and the manner are totally different from ordinary agriculture .

Although the basic concept of Permaculture also applies to Organic and sustainable farming,

Utilising soil manegement ,and mulching

The utilisation of space is more concentrated ,thinking in cubic and vertical terms instead or merely horizontal on the plain ,

Having many principle to follow such as utilizing all resoures and following and enhancing energy flows ,

for example the ditch around the house catches the rain water and leads it through the chicken house where it cleans and picks up the manure to deposit it in the vegetable patch

Permaculture means permanent agriculture

a concept put forward by Bill Mollisson in the 60`s

Which offers practical solutions for energy systems ,infrastructure ,inteligent design in housing,

animal shelter ,water systems and sustainable agricultural practises.

With the world and it`s history as it`s source

From the chinampas of Mexico to the teraced gardens of the Andes.

From the dessert whadis to the steppes of Russia.

Covering all climatic conditions temporal, dessert, humid and dry tropics.

with chapters on soil ,Water harvesting and land design,Bio diversity

Earth working ,Spirals in nature,Trees and water ,utilising energy flows,

Strategy for an alternative nation

The Permaculture designers manual by Bill Mollison,which cost about 40 dollars.

and is the best all round book you can get,on Environmental design,.(tagiari publishing, [e-mail])

this book also has many gardening tips,bio-gas,companion planting and ideas for structures ,how to cool down houses in hot climates ,how to warm up houses in cold climates with out using technology but rather by design.

Some other writers that are on the internet are

david Holmgren

Larry Santoyo

Kirk Hanson

Masanobu Fukuaka has written ,

One-Straw Revolution

The Road Back to Nature

The Natural Way of Farming

other permaculture links in Yahoo are

choosing a site

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

water harvesting

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

biodiversity

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

the rippling effect

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

organic pest control & growing your own food

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 13

The economic trends you raise concern me.... all the way over here in Australia (Sadly we are now pretty much another state of the USA)

It will take more than 20 yrs here. An by then their will be a trend in opposite direction I reckon....

Answer 14

In the UK medium farms may still be in decline but micro farms/smallholdings are increasing. The trend for locally grown produce, specialist markets and organic box schemes are supporting these. I agree that land is being broken down into smaller parcels; who can afford acres and acres of land today? Smallholdings and small parcels of land are definitely becoming more sought after and the new prices evidence this. Families are not only wanting to feed themselves but are starting new 'niche' businesses.

Look at the associated increase in interest in Permaculture, farmers' markets and small scale organic growing. Land is even being bought by local councils on outskirts of big towns for new allotment growing/small scale organic growing. Plots for many of these have massive waiting lists lasting several years.  

I disagree in the UK that diversity is shrinking I consider that it is increasing. We have more forest farms, orchards are being replanted and aquaculture is growing. It is becoming more diverse because small producers can change quickly to the market demand.  Farmers' markets are accessible to the smallest grower and produce commands high prices.

If I drive around my area now I can find locally grown honey, small scale fruit and veg producers, home grown flowers for sale on front drives. Where I could not even a couple of years ago.

Maybe in the UK the days of mono-cultures, large scale crops and intensive highly polluting farming is in decline? Maybe. Even local supermarkets are starting to serve the demand for very local/regional products. Maybe micro farms, back yard farming and smallholdings will have their day now?

Answer 15

Your facts are a little off and sensationalized.  

In many areas, the small farmer is making a comeback.

Organic farming is not profitable on a mega scale operation, and small farms will NOT disappear in the next 20 years.

Family farms started to disappear during the 70's & 80's and were for the most part consolidated into huge operations that actually run at a profit.  Where have you been?  The US is no longer an agricultural based society and hasn't been for decades.

Answer 16

Absolutely but I think that because of the all the recent issues (food-borne illness linked to factory farm sources, the pet food poisonings,  diminishing nutritional quality of food, etc.)  the average American is becoming more concerned about where their food comes from.  Hopefully this will have some impact in the market and it will become more feasible for the local farmer to exist.  One of the growing trends is community supported agriculture and local co-ops.  I think this trend first became popular in California but we are starting to see them here in Georgia.  I have visited a couple of CSAs and at both places the people involved were young and had a great work ethic.  Some of the higher end restaurants are starting to demand locally grown produce because of the quality.  If that concept continues to grow then that will also help to support more small farmers.   Maybe we are just figuring out what the French have known for centuries -  that the best food is sourced from small farms in our own regions.     I also want the small farms to survive because I think it is an important part of our culture.

Answer 17

I think everyone is concerned about this..At least those who take the time to think about it..I actually did a speech for FFA on small farms/large farms slowly decreasing..

But there is something that farmers/ranchers can do to help save their farms..PACE(Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements), Land Trusts and FRPP(Farm and Ranch lands Protection Program) do a search on it you'll find out alot about it. Thanks to my speech 4 PACE programs have been established here..You can help start these, just get the word out about what they do..

And actually I dont think alot of people realize that our farms and ranches play an important role in keeping our taxes down...

Answer 18

I will not ever let my family sell mine, but yes farming is decreasing, they want fewer yet bigger farms, to take care of the basic needs. Besides Agriculture is such a big area, there are hundreds of jobs available.

Answer 19

Absoutly.  Without the farmers, especially the small ones, our food will all be mass produced.  This will be unhealthy for us and a horrible torture for the animals involved.

Answer 20

Oh h*e*l*l* yeah!

I grew up in a farming community.  It is a dying art - and a sad shame of all the good and much needed information that is being lost...

And the sad fact is that our government could step in and actually be useful here - and help out the farmers plight!  I mean, do we REALLY need to import all the food we could be growing here?

It bothers me a lot...that is why I try supporting our local farmers by buying their produce...

I wish I could do more.

Answer 21

Yes.  As most of the people who have replied I too grew up on a small subsistence farm.  I married into a dairy family who are struggling to make ends meet.  Farming has now become a one-man operation because what 13-18 year old kid wants to get up at 4 a.m. to muck out the barn and milk cows? They are more interested in a lot of other things. It scares not only me but my whole family.  We have been forced financially to use some of our farm land for gravel and sell it off!  It is such a shame...I just hope the next generation will want to farm!

Answer 22

Yes, it does bother me a lot.  But the answerer who said that niche farming is on the increase is correct.  However, there are not and never will be again, the number of family farms that existed in the 20s.  I'm also making that comparison as a percentage of farms vs. urban families.

One of the scary things about this is the coming depression.  We will have another depression like the 1930s again.  No, I don't know when but it will eventually happen.  In the 30s 25% of the workforce was without jobs.  Many of those people went back to the family farm to wait out the depression.  This time around there's no place to go back to.  That leaves unemployed city dwellers with few to no resources to keep from starving to death.  It's not going to be pretty.

Answer 23

Actually the small farm has been on an increase, slow but sure, as many farmers, quite a few fresh from Agro school, try their hand at filling the many niche markets. Even a small parcel can allow a greenhouse and some land production, and can start a business, or feed a large family. Been there done that. It is the niche market farmer that fills the voids locally and the small grower can offer a diversity not found anywhere else as well as the ability to swiftly change with the demand in their area. I expect the small farm business to be around for a long time to come, and one reason (and I pass this on to everyone) is local level support. Give your business to the small local business, and even if the prices are a little bit higher, consider that to be a contribution to your town and way of life. It is an anchor that keeps us centered on our lives and our community.