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Medium-size Farms Are A Dying Breed
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Driving down a county road one may not notice that there is a quiet revolution going on. As one passes by the farmsteads people usually don’t look close enough to see that there is something missing. Many hard-working people have fought in this revolution and unfortunately, many have lost. The revolution has intensified in the past two decades and truly brings a tear to my eye.
The revolution I am referring to is the loss of middle size farms. These are the farms that most Americans view as typical farms in which the whole family works on the farm and raises crops and livestock. These farms in the minds of many have a garden, an orchard and a hay mow and are a great vacation destination for the city cousins. “The Jeffersonian idea that a man and his family might live on their inherited ground, stay rooted as citizens of their local community, and pass on their land to the next generation may likely disappear in this century.” Economic, political and social forces are overwhelming the middle size farm in the U.S. After the great depression, my grandfather was able to resume the occupation of full-time farmer. He raised corn, oats, barley, hay, registered Hereford cattle, Spotted Poland China hogs, goats, geese and a few chickens on 118 acres. Grandma never worked off the farm and they raised six children. Want to try to accomplishing that today? I would not advise this unless you’re willing to live like the Amish. Even in the 1950’s and 60’s Grandpa never owned a car or a truck. There was no running water in the house and winter heat was wood and a load of coal. We always visited in the summer! “The Real McCoy’s” was the last TV show about a typical farm family (“Green Acres” was not typical, especially the county agent, Hank Kimball!) Like the McCoy’s, Grandpa chose to live very frugal. Today’s farm families prefer the standard of living their city cousins possess and I don’t blame them. Without the equivalent standard of living, how do you keep them down on the farm? As I have stated before farming is becoming two distinct and different agricultures. Tomorrow’s agriculture will consist of large commodity businesses that compete by producing a unit of generic goods for less than world-wide competitors’, and small farms which capture the whole dollar by having a niche market and on selling direct to consumers. This results in tremendous pressure for middle size farms to continue to exist. Several of these farms have survived by the wife and or the husband working off the farm in addition to continuing the farming operation. The new agriculture is most evident in the “Heartland” which comprises Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Dakotas and Illinois. In these farm states, there is little opportunity for off farm employment. Without off farm income, middle size farms in the “Heartland” have all but disappeared. This trend has now reached Indiana and Ohio and the 2002 Census of Agriculture scheduled for release this June will confirm this trend. All one has to do is the math. Recent Midwest university surveys indicate that the average farm family living cost is 40 to 47,000 dollars. This requires $225-300,000 gross revenue. In farming the average operating expense is 74% of gross. Since many farms raise corn and soybeans and gross less that $300 per acre, it is easy to see that 1000 acres may not be enough for family living, servicing debt and investing for the future. Only 14% of U.S farms generate more than $100,000 gross income. The next time you travel through the countryside, look at the farmsteads. Most will be void of equipment and livestock. That farmstead was once a productive middle size farm; now it is a rented one. However, it is still productive and supports a large family farm. There will always be opportunities in farming. You can help farm families by supporting laws that protect them, by buying directly from them and shopping at a local farmers market. I know I will. Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Admin. and Director, OSU Extension TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868 Updated: March 2004 |