Small family farms are ruined by big factory farms with cheap but unhealthy chemical laced food products!?

Question

These factory farms are destroying surface and ground water sources and air pollution along with reduced local jobs.

these are being done world wide with corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.

As a Individual what can you do?

Answer 1

Myself, I go out of my way to buy organic foods from local farmers.

Answer 2

I am one of those small farmers, on a permaculture farm.  Hands down, THE most important thing you can do to help farmers like myself it to purchase from us.  Go to farmers markets, and purchase.

Learn to put up your own foods too.  That means go to the farmers market, and buy several boxes of tomatoes, and make your own sauces, and dried tomatoes to use over the winter.  Don't fall back on using foods from the grocery store over the winter.

Realize that you are getting a real quality product.....don't walk away from our booth, stating loudly, "I can buy strawberries cheaper at WalMart."  The truth is, when people state that, we small farmers know they are complete and utter idiots.  Transportation of farm goods for the big farmers and grocery stores is completely subsidized by the Government.  You're paying for that food with your tax dollars, whether you know it not.  However if you buy from a small farmer, there were NO Government subsidies involved, no hidden costs you had no idea about.

When you buy directly from the small farmer, 100% of the money is going to the farmer.  When you buy food at the grocery store, about 6 cents of every dollar is actually going to the farmer.

If your family eats meat, realize that regualtions are such that the farmer cannot sell you a few steaks.  You have to be willing to buy a whole, half, or quarter of the animal, and pick the meat up from the butchers yourself.  That means you need a freezer.  You will not believe how much better that meat is going to taste though!  

Buy from the farmer who will proudly show you his farm.  Be polite though...this is the farmers home.  The farmer is proud of what they do, and usually willing to educate people.  This is not however a free daytrip.  Farmers don't appreciate having their time wasted, having your children running about like rabid monkeys, or having your dog Fluffy chasing their stock.

The exception to the farmer who does not proudly show you his/her farm, and livestock would be the farmer who has an extremely rare heritage breed of animal.  They simply cannot afford to have their rare and expensive stock contract a disease.  

Don't expect to enter any farm if their is an outbreak of some sort of animal disease.

Most important thing though, is BUY from us!

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Answer 3

Buy locally, buy organic, buy unprocessed foods, cook for yourself rather than eating out, and encourage others to do the same.

Answer 4

Grow your own...