Farmers and ranchers make up 1.3 % of employed Americans, so very few people are producing the food for our country (excluding imported foods). The income of farmers and ranchers is based on market prices for the crops and livestock they produce. Market prices are influenced by the government and corporations. "Some corporate leaders have abused their power – for example, by allying with their few competitors to fix prices. In 2020 chicken processor Pilgrim’s Pride pleaded guilty to price-fixing charges and was fined $110.5 million. Meatpacking company JBS settled a $24.5 million pork price-fixing lawsuit." Small farmers receive a fraction of the price paid by consumers for food products, while the processors and distributors retain the bulk of that profit.
Also contributing to the small profit margin for farmers is the corporate consolidation of chemical and seed companies who control the prices of seed and accompanying chemical pesticides and herbicides. "Six large firms dominated the sale of seeds and agricultural chemicals in 2015 in the United States and around the world: BASF, Bayer, Dow Chemical, DuPont, Monsanto, and Syngenta. Known as the “Big Six,” these firms produced and sold crop-protection products such as pesticides (primarily herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) and seed treatments (seed coatings to protect against insects or funguses). They also produced and sold crop seeds to retailers and directly to farmers, and they developed seed traits—such as genetically modified traits for herbicide tolerance or insect resistance—to be bred into their own seeds or licensed to other seed firms."
Farmers have a limited choice of available seed and the herbicides or pesticides used in conjunction with them. Seed and chemical prices are continually on the rise with a steep climb in the latter part of this year (2021). In order to produce high enough crop yields to remain in business, farmers use these seeds, chemicals, and farming practices (whether they want to or not). "Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies were up 12 percent in the Midwest from July of 2018 to June of 2019; they’re up 50 percent in the Northwest. Tens of thousands have simply stopped farming, knowing that reorganization through bankruptcy won’t save them. The nation lost more than 100,000 farms between 2011 and 2018; 12,000 of those between 2017 and 2018 alone." Farmers who want to use unmodified seeds and older farming methods, find it almost impossible to do on a large enough scale to support their farms. My search for seeds that were not genetically engineered produced only one company that sells locally to "home gardeners and small farmers" and they market products primarily to modern homesteaders. These seeds aren't currently available in large enough quantities at affordable prices for farmers. Even if these seeds were available, a farmer's fields couldn't share a border with ones planted with GMO seeds as the chemical overspray would likely kill the non-GMO crops. Most farms wouldn't survive consecutive years of extremely low yields.
The losses sustained by family farmers are especially devastating when the land has been handed down through many generations. My husband is a 5th generation farmer who plants the same ground homesteaded by his ancestors in the mid-1800s. That's an uncommon legacy and one we don't want to lose. Thankfully, he is a good business manager and produces a variety of crops creating varied income streams for the farm. Farming isn't just a job, but also a lifestyle. Farmers typically live where they work. They walk outside in the morning and see what their hands produce - either rows of crops lining the fields surrounding their homes or cattle grazing pasture land. To lose the farm, is to lose one's identity.
I don't have the answer to this problem. I wish I did. I simply do the small things that are in my control to ensure we have food that is as safe as possible. I grow my vegetable and herb gardens preserving some of the harvest to use later in the season. I add more types of vegetables and fruits as I am able and learn new skills to become more self-sufficient. On my to-do list for 2022 is exploring more local options for buying meat and dairy and I hope to tour some facilities. I want to support small, local producers rather than giant corporations that don't care about my health.
Watch for announcements for Part 3 - the last in this series. We will explore a few examples of local options for buying better food! If there are specific options you would like to know more about, please leave them in the comments!
