At one time demand had to be cultivated and nurtured and brought along in a
gentle fashion using almost maternal techniques. But demand for organic
healthful produce has steadily increased to the point that it is overtaking
supply. What is more, the growing concern over estrogen inducing growth
hormones and the overuse of organophospate insecticides is raising awareness
in the aging baby boomers - they want health giving foods and are
establishing ralationships with growers directly. Faith Popcorn in the
Popcorn Report and David Foot in Boom, Bust & Echo have both identified that
small farms producing healthful quality produce and products will pave the
road in meeting the growing demands of the aging boomers - quality will win
out!
Greg you indicate that you believe that very few farms are supporting
families. I believe some are and in many cases off farm income is required.
This is based on choice in some circumstances and necessity in others. I
work off the farm but my wife works on the farm allowing her to raise our
children and manage the day-to-day affairs of the farm. The farm allows us
to cultivate in our children the graces of nature, respect, interaction with
the public - it also provides them with a sense of and appreciation for hard
work and a source of income. Most urbanite family units have both parents
working outside the home, their children are raised by caregivers, they have
little time and ability to appreciate the simple pleasures of life and in
most cases both adult members of the family unit work as a result of
necessity. Who is nearer the poverty line?
If we chose to develop value added product lines to our farm operation and
endeavoured to market our products with a bit more effort I am convinced
that our farm operation could largely support our family. We must realize
that gone are the days of sow, grow, harvest and sell. Marketing now plays
a major part in the small sustainable farm operation - this is reality!
New Zealand went through a turbulent period with lamb production a number of
years ago maybe not as severe as with hogs in N.A. but they were able to
turn the corner with marketing zeal and the use of other creative means.
Please don't get me wrong - I have not walked a mile in your mocassins so I
am entirely unaware of your situation but I believe in the adage that when a
window appears to close ever so quietly a door is opening.
Best regards,
Gord Hawkes
Log Cabin Orchard
Osgoode, On
Canada
demand.been overtaken by demand as a result of nand motherly fashionAt 09:27
PM 7/11/99 -0500, you wrote:
> 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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