The following dialogue represents some of my own personal observations,
those who responded from a questionnaire I submitted on Sanet and
observations from a CFSA Conference on Small Livestock Initiatives in
November 1999. Our project is funded by SARE. I think our best angle or
approach is to identify real taste differences (due to diet, genetics,
management systems) in the pork raised by small producers. We're out to
find “Lost Taste of Pork” (The Art of Eating, 1999; vol.51).
What is the importance of small scale (livestock) farmers?:
Agricultural statistics repeatedly remind us of the demise of the small
scale/part time farmer and trend to increase agricultural efficiency through
technology. Research and Academia have done an excellent job in promoting
animal and labor efficiency through utilization of large, environmentally
controlled confinement operations. Through this transition, we have
basically ignored and written off the importance of the small producer as a
vital resource for maintaining food security (if only from the stand point
of trying to stay ahead of the viruses and bacteria), enhancing (or
sustaining) the environment and rural communities, and ensuring market
competition. With less than 2% of the population involved with producing
food, even fewer people understand the biological and agronomic systems in
their entirety. For example, large corporate hog farms in North Carolina
train workers to specialize in administering to farrowing sows (250-500
sows/FTE) or specialize in caring for weaned or grow/finish pigs at other
locations, possibly out of state. The point being is that fewer and fewer
people understand food production from start to finish, further jeopardizing
our ability to produce food outside the technology paradigm. I am not
suggesting that large confinement operations should be replaced; I am merely
advocating the importance of small farmers as a knowledge base for producing
food and enhancing our nation’s food security.
(Kelly Zering/NCSU responds) Small scale and part time farmers are also
important to society in that they have a wide range of competing production
and marketing systems. Small scale farms can act as a "low barrier" entry
into hog production. They can also act as an incubator for invention and
innovation, a way of serving small specialized markets, and a way of
maintaining diverse genetic stock.
How can small scale or part time farmers survive?:
(Kelly Zering responds) Small scale and part time farmers will survive.
Their numbers will remain a small share of the population. There are
entrepreneurial people who simply enjoy small scale farming and are
ingenious enough to make a living at it. There are others that enjoy it and
will do it despite not making much money at it. Opportunities for small
scale and part time farmers (and societal benefit from their operations) can
be increased by developing infrastructure to support them. By
infrastructure I (Zering) mean professional support and information networks
as well as physical facilities and marketing channels. A fundamental problem
of small farms is that a very small gross dollar amount is available on any
one farm to spend on management activities including hiring professional
services, conducting research and education, and developing markets.
Obviously, this fact was a major factor in the development of the extension
system and the agricultural research service. The primary process to nurture
this infrastructure is networking by producers with similar interests. While
no one farm has much cash, 20 or 50 of them may attract the interest and
service of a veterinarian, a feed dealer, a pharmaceutical dealer, et
cetera.
Networking can serve several functions on the marketing side of the
business. It may simply provide an inspection, certification, and regulation
authority to weed out bad actors that damage all producers' reputations. An
example of the regulatory role would be a program to certify food safety for
producers participating in such a program. It could also certify organic or
green production methods and processing methods. A network can also form the
basis of a more formal business arrangement such as a group of farmers
cooperating to supply a small packing and processing operation and/or
marketing their products under a common label. Working as a group may allow
them to employ people (possibly some of the part
time farmers) to market products to retailers, restaurants, further
processors, and directly to consumers through farmer markets or roadside
markets. Some farmers strongly prefer independence and so might prefer the
looser association described previously. Note that these networks do not
have to be commodity
specific. They are simply groups of people who are seeking similar services
and can benefit from cooperation. As an example, a small farmers’ marketing
association could employ people to market a range of products. This makes
some sense since the same buyers and outlets will likely be interested in a
range of products.
"In terms of access to slaughter and processing plants for small producers,
what questions should we be asking USDA, NCDA and ourselves (farmers and
support groups)?":
(Zering’s response) I think the primary questions are: what is the minimum
cost method of obtaining inspection services that allow us to operate? How
do we need to organize our slaughter and processing activities to achieve
this minimum cost of compliance as well as minimizing the cost per pound of
slaughtering and processing? The answer may involve making arrangements with
an existing plant to dedicate its operation to your farmers on a certain day
of the week or it may involve making use of several local small scale meat
lockers/butchers to handle the operation. What are the relevant size
thresholds of packing and processing operations and what minimum level of
inspection/certification is required by law for each size? How do we
identify our customers and develop standards that we will impose on
ourselves to set our products apart from the large volume sources? How do we
enforce those standards? How do we promote our products and standards to our
customers? Where do we look for examples of successful small farmer
marketing efforts: in other states, in other commodities, in other
countries, in other industries, ...? Perhaps the most important questions
begin with the word "who". Who will participate in the networks? Who will
take leadership in various areas? Who in NCDA will provide support in
various areas? Who are the key contacts in various areas of support for the
farmers involved?
I think the limits to what can be accomplished will be set by the farmers
and what they are willing to commit themselves to in this effort. No one can
do it for them.
Charles W. Talbott, Ph D
Adj. Ast. Professor, NC A&T SU
101 Webb Hall
Greensboro, NC 27411
(336) 334 7672
Fax (336) 334 7288
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