Greg wrote:
> >I think we keep getting closer and closer back to discussing the biggest
> >obstacle to sustainability on American farms--Profits--especially on a small
> >scale. In the midwest pigs and dairy were always a good way for farmers to
> >support a family. Up until the last couple of years it didn't even require
> >any marketing skill. I'm afraid those days may be over. They may not be
>
Roberto Verzola wrote:
> I believe one problem with the earlier discussion is that the output
> of an ecological farm is being measured (remember that term? "if I
> can't measure it, it isn't real") in terms of $$$. In a way, this is
> another unfair criterion because the prices of farm products are being
> pressed down by state-subsidized corporate mega-farming.
>
Robert,
To a researcher or an agriculture philosopher is dosen't *really* matter if you
make a profit from the stuff you grow or theories you talk about, because you are
making a *profit* (getting paid) regardless if the system makes money or not.
If you are a farmer who earns his/her living from the land it *does* matter if you
make a profit. There is no way around this. Profit is the number 1 key to
sustainability. Greg is exactly right! As a full time farmer I share his
frustration at the posters on this list who don't understand this. Now don't get
me wrong, I'm not saying we can trash the planet in order to make a profit.
Rather, I'm suggesting that we be the best environmental stewards we can be while
still making a profit. Most of the time, in the long run, that is the way to to
financial sustainability anyway. But we can't sacrifice environmental idealism for
profits.
Steve Groff
"Enhancing the Environment" http://www.cedarmeadowfarm.com/
Cedar Meadow Farm
679 Hilldale Road
Holtwood, PA 17532 USA
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