#10 - Small Farms are Unimportant - In many ways, small farms are the backbone of agriculture. They range in size from 3 to 150 acres or so, but they probably do the best job of any farms to provide local food. Many small farms sell directly to the consumer through roadside stands, on-farms sales, farmers' markets and events. They are at the heart of the Buy Local movement and not only provide food but also provide that all-important one-on-one relationship between farmer and consumer. They are also one of the fastest growing segments of agriculture.
#9 - All Large Farms are Corporate Farms - Nearly 97% of our farms are family owned and operated. Many family farms are incorporated for business purposes or to ensure an orderly transition from one generation to the next, but incorporated is not the same as corporate. The vast majority of our farmers live on the land they work, and they have a very special bond with the land that may go back several generations. Their roots run deep.
#8 - Farmers are Destroying the Environment - This is absolutely not true. In fact, farmers are the original good stewards of land and water resources. These resources are, after all, how they make their living, so it makes sense to protect them. I find it interesting that many of the complaints to our Ag. Stewardship Program about perceived environmental problems are unsubstantiated. What the public perceives as an environmental problem often is not. At the same time that farms give us environmental benefits such as green space and wildlife habitat, they use far fewer resources than the average urban or suburban home.
#7 - There's No Future In Agriculture - I'll admit that for a few years, many of us were concerned about the future of agriculture and the next generation of farmers. But things are changing. Fox News recently ran a feature that said ag degrees are the hot ticket for job growth. They quote data from the Food and Agriculture Education Information System that says enrollment in U.S. college and university agriculture programs are up 21% since 2006. The data show more than 146,000 undergraduates in ag programs. This growing interest is critical for the future of food production, as world population growth is creating a greater demand for food, and the average age of farmers in many states is nearing 60.#6 - Farmers are Uneducated - This is a persistent myth and one we need to bust. The days are long gone when you learned everything you needed to know about farming from your grandfather. That doesn't mean we discount grandpa's advice, born from years and years of experience. It does mean that today's farmers need post-high school training in a variety of areas: animal science, agronomy, environmental science, business, marketing, communications, perhaps even law and psychology. Today's farmers also need to be life-long learners. If you have been on a farm recently, you've probably seen a farmer using his cell phone in the field to make decisions about planting or applying fertilizers. That's the kind of on-the-job training every farmer needs these days to stay competitive and make a profit.
#5 - The Cost of Food Goes Directly Into the Farmer's Pocket - A persistent myth in the eyes of the public and the media is that the only factor in food prices is what the farmer charges. Don't we wish this were true? But in reality, only 15-16 cents of every food dollar goes to the farmer. The rest goes to things like transportation, processing, packaging and marketing. Farmers can barely pass along their direct costs for feed, fertilizer, labor or insurance. Their indirect costs are even more difficult, and when drought, hail, hurricane, flooding or other natural disasters wipe out a crop, they can lose most of their year's income, but still have to bear all of those direct costs.#4 - Food Costs Too Much - In some parts of the world, this is definitely true. It not only costs too much but is unavailable to many people. But in the United States, we have one of the most abundant and affordable food supplies in the world. In 2011, the share of final household consumption on food in the U.S. was 6.7 percent The percentage in Switzerland was 10.2%, in Japan, it was 14%. China checks in at 21.3%, in Cameroon, it is 46.9%, and in India the cost of food is 51% of the household budget. (Source: Economic Resource Service, USDA).
#3 - Our Food Is Unsafe - Sometimes we get overwhelmed by the headlines of a problem with one commodity or one producer. The reason these stories are called news is because they are not normal. Normal in the U.S. is a safe, abundant, affordable food supply. I Googled "safety of the U.S. food supply" just to see what would pop up, and I found many articles and studies with this same fundamental message: The American food supply is the safest in the world, thanks to industry and government efforts. Because our food supply is so safe, we have a luxury that people in many countries don't have; we can take it for granted.
#2 - Farmers Abuse Their Animals - The very idea sends me into orbit. In any industry you will find a few bad players, and agriculture is not immune. But, consider this, why would a farmer abuse his or her animals when those animals are the source of his livelihood? That's just nuts. It may be a marketing ploy, there there is a lot of truth to the statement that "Our milk comes from contented cows." Contented cows are going to produce more milk than cows that are stressed, neglected, starved or otherwise treated ill, and farmers know it. The same goes for any other food animal.
#1 - All Farmers Are Rich - Do you hear the farmers among you laughing? I can't think of a single farmer I've known whose goal was to get rich. It's usually more like, "I hope I can make a decent living for my family." If your goal is to get rich, frankly, there are many ways to accomplish that goal that are easier and quicker than through agriculture. We do have some wealthy farmers, yes, and I am proud of them. But even among those who are wealthy, I think the motivators for farmers tend to be of a more noble nature. We farm because we love it or because we love the lifestyle, or we think it's a good way to raise our children. We may farm out of a deep-seated desire to help, to make a positive difference in the world. Or, we simply may realize that farming is not only the world's oldest profession, but that it is the only one that is truly necessary. Bottom line, when we can't feed ourselves, nothing else matters, because we will be dead in 4 or 5 days.
THANK A FARMER, THREE TIMES A DAY!
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