The real problem with farming--conventional, sustainable, or organic
Greg & Lei Gunthorp (hey4hogs@kuntrynet.com)
Sun, 11 Jul 1999 21:27:38 -0500
This latest thread on social and political aspects of agriculture has
been interesting. However, I think the real problem out here with
agriculture is the fact that very few farms are actually supporting
families. I would think that sustainable and organic farms are doing at
least as good of a job in this aspect as conventional farms. Any research
on this? Unless I am an excellent marketer(I'm not!), I have no choice
but to figure out how to make a living within this industrialised
agriculture system. Unless I could convince my family that money was not
important, I have to make a decent profit.
I think the sustainable agriculture movement has made some great strides
in forcing us to question why we would even want a place in this current
industrialised agriculture. But we will never really change the fact that
sustainablity has to include enough profit to keep the farm going and
transferred to the next generation. That isn't exactly an easy task in
this current ag situation. Should living close to poverty be a necessity
to farm? (I guess that is better than filing bankruptcy like a large
percentage of the hog farmers in this area already have!!!!) And if we are
an extremely low cost producer with very little debt should we really have
to direct market? And can we pretty much expect absolutely no help in the
midwest on marketing and small farm support? Do you think my land grant
read that one?
I'm afraid we are down to the last generation of family farms in this
country unless something changes drastically and soon. The sustainable and
organic community might win a few battles but I'm afraid the war is going
to be lost to the industrial giants.
Just my 2 cents and rambling,
Greg Gunthorp
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