Re: farm policy
Bob MacGregor (rdmacgregor@gov.pe.ca)
Thu, 31 Dec 1998 14:00:47 -0400
Cass,
I am well aware of the impact of decreasing farm numbers on rural social and economic structure. However, do you think that government policy -- purportedly to "support the family farm" has inhibited the consolidation of farms and the attrition in farm (and farm family) numbers?
If the government really wanted to maintain farm numbers, they could ban the technological advances -- notably mechanization -- that allow such big, low-labour operations to be created. Barring some such extreme action, consolidation of farms will continue as long as the larger units are more economically viable than the smaller ones. To date, government farm policies have, if anything, created a more favourable climate for the larger operations, not the smaller, traditional family farms.
I'm still not convinced....
BOB
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