Something I hold very near and dear to my heart is having grown up on a small family dairy farm. I learned many valuable life lessons, made some amazing friends in my animals and through agriculture organizations, and I learned to appreciate the hard labor that goes into food and animal product production. I think that these small family farms, where individuals can grow their own food, are a great idea and we should be incorporating them more into society.
Right now, there is a large trend in increasing farm size, with the average farm currently being 444 acres. Compared to my small 140-acre farm, this is huge. This transition to farms that are larger than life pushes many small farmers out of business. Across the nation, dairy farmers especially are closing down and selling their cattle because they cannot keep up with those large companies with 5,000 dairy cows. It is a shame to see this happen and it absolutely breaks my heart. Families that have been farming for generations are forced to give up the only life they’ve known all because they cannot afford to pay the bills.
Now I know what you’re thinking— there’s no way this is possible, families in cities will never go for this— and you’re right. Many families in cities, even suburbs, would NEVER dream of having cattle and this just shows the serious problem we’re facing. People are willing to eat meat and enjoy all the products that animals provide us, but we’re so separated from the system that many people don’t want anything to do with the actual animal that makes these products for us. This is where education comes in. Teaching people, especially those most separated from agricultural life, the importance of agriculture is essential. And what’s one of the best ways to teach these important lessons? Local products.
Having small, local, family farms would greatly help educate people on where their food comes from because more people could buy meat, vegetables, and eggs from local farmers and see firsthand how their products are raised, cared for, and produced. Having small family farms would also benefit the animal welfare issues that plague society. Family farmers are more likely to show more affection and care for their animals than large-scale farmers are. This is because they have fewer animals and can get to know them on a very personal level. Small farmers put more care into their animals and produce because it’s all they have, and they need to make sure that it thrives and is at the peak of its ability.
Although my ideas are well-known and shared by a lot of farmers and promoters of sustainability, it breaks my heart to say that there is a good chance they are unrealistic. I fear that at this point, society is too far removed from the farm and people will never care. I usually don’t get political, but many in American society’s upper-class, most recently Michael Bloomberg, believe that farming is a lot easier than it actually is and this promotes issues. It distorts the vision of farmers as hard-working, well-educated individuals who work extremely long hours in a tiring job. The most important thing I can say, especially to small family farmers, is don’t give up and share the importance of what you do with those around you. Education is essential for the agriculture industry.