I am going to call out a few different "hot topics" or controversial issues in agriculture. I am not a PhD, but this is what I do for a living. I can tell you some facts and the truth about how things are done on my farm. I WANT your comments and questions.
These quotes came from a website called www.sustainabletable.org/issues/. The reason I am surfacing these fallacies is to better explain what modern agriculture is really about. Farmers really do care, because we are raising families, too.
**QUOTE**Factory Farming
Meat and dairy production in the United States has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Small family farms have been replaced by huge livestock facilities, where animals suffer horribly, workers are mistreated, the environment is being destroyed, and where rural communities are falling apart.
Meat and dairy production in the United States has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Small family farms have been replaced by huge livestock facilities, where animals suffer horribly, workers are mistreated, the environment is being destroyed, and where rural communities are falling apart.
Family Farms
Family farmers are being forced out of business at an alarming rate, and hundreds of small farmers sell their land every week. The dramatic expansion of industrial agriculture has made it increasingly difficult for small family farmers in the US, but many small family farms have found hope within the sustainable food movement.**END QUOTE**
Family farmers are being forced out of business at an alarming rate, and hundreds of small farmers sell their land every week. The dramatic expansion of industrial agriculture has made it increasingly difficult for small family farmers in the US, but many small family farms have found hope within the sustainable food movement.**END QUOTE**
Factory Farming vs. Family Farms....actually a great question was just posed on www.watchusgrow.org about this exact topic. I find a few lines from the above text quite interesting. 1. "where animals suffer horribly, workers are mistreated, the environment is being destroyed, and where rural communities are falling apart." Interesting. Our family farm is considered by most a "huge livestock facility", but we do not participate in any of the above statements. Our animals do not "suffer horribly". On the contrary, they are in a comfortable, temperature controlled environment, just like at your home. They are given ample room to spread out and can move wherever they would like in their pen. They also have unlimited access to feed and water. Our workers most certainly are not "mistreated", namely because our workers are us. We are a family farm. Even when we will have a need to hire extra help, there will be no changes in the importance of maintaining a safe working environment. I am not even sure what they mean by saying a livestock facility is destroying the environment. I can tell you that we have the benefit of having manure available to us as an organic fertilizer. The primary nutrients in manure are nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. As you well know, these are vital nutrients to any plant and are organic materials. We do rigorous soil testing to ensure that the rate at which we apply the manure is exactly what that particular acre of ground needs. Using technology, we can vary the rate throughout the field to perfectly match the needs of that ground. We also have strict guidelines on where manure can be applied in relation to ground water supply. The IL Dept of Ag, and IL EPA both review our Nutrient Management Plan and both have approved it. Finally, nothing about the construction of our facility have made our "rural community fall apart". In fact, we feel strongly that the communication we have had with the community and media have strengthened the sense of community and provided positive views of animal agriculture.
2. "Family farmers are being forced out of business at an alarming rate, and hundreds of small farmers sell their land every week. The dramatic expansion of industrial agriculture has made it increasingly difficult for small family farmers in the US". In IL alone, 97% of farms are family owned. There is a perception from the public that over 50% of the farms are "industrial", but in fact they are not. Family farms are changing from the small "do all" farms of the past. Before most every farm had a variety of livestock on a small scale, plus a few hundred acres and some equipment. Nowadays, farmers are able to specialize in the type of crops they prefer to grow (in IL, it is predominantly corn, soybeans, and wheat), and the type of livestock they would like to raise. The amount of land owned by a family farm is on the rise, also. So, the truth is that family farms aren't disappearing, but they are growing, leading some to assume that more industrial farms are popping up.
3. "many small family farms have found hope within the sustainable food movement." Ummm....huh? All farmers are concerned about sustainability. We are concerned about how to keep our environment protected and yet maintain good productivity from the land. As I said before, we do soil testing and control the rate of fertilizer that we apply. We constantly assess what crop rotation cycle is the best for the land, and make realistic decisions that help promote the sustainability of the land. To be honest, sure, I wish every person had a garden large enough to support their own families. To be realistic, it isn't feasible. What we as farmers can do is continue to look at what practices we are using on our farm to ensure that we are protecting the soils that are so vital to us.
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