Believe it or not Democrats are farmer, too. There are more and more all the time as the American Family Farm returns with the GMO Free movement.
Since the 1970s American Family Farms have vanished from the countries landscape because of the rise of factory farms. The story in Iowa is not different than other states with a large segment of their economies as agriculture.
The GMO and organic foods demand has put family farms back in the forefront of agriculture.
American Farm Bureau Federation (click here)
...One in three U.S. farm acres is planted for export.
31 percent of U.S. gross farm income comes directly from exports.
About 23 percent of raw U.S. farm products are exported each year.
Farmers and ranchers receive only 16 cents out of every dollar spent on food at home and away from home. The rest goes for costs beyond the farm gate: wages and materials for production, processing, marketing, transportation and distribution. In 1980, farmers and ranchers received 31 cents.
U.S. farm programs typically cost each American just pennies per meal and account for less than one-half of 1 percent of the total U.S. budget....
US Agriculture still feed the world and without agricultural exports the balance of trade would be drastically different.
It is easy to discern where family farms exist. In the year 2016 there is less cropland for production than in past decades.
Off farm sales can be commodities and those commodities do not need trade authority. American agricultural exports have been a stable part of export products for a century.
August 11, 2013
By Lidia DePillis
...But here's the first untrue thing: (click here) Even while the average size of farms is going up, there are more small farms than ever, especially in small states with farmland preservation programs like Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Community-supported agriculture, plus the local and organic food movement, are starting to show up in the numbers. It's the mid-sized farm, between 100 and 500 acres, that's disappearing.
And here's the second thing that's wrong about our understanding of the disappearance of family farms: 96.4 percent of the crop-producing farms in the U.S. are owned by families, and they represent 87 percent of all the agricultural value generated (non-family owned farms are defined as "those operated by cooperatives, by hired managers on behalf of non-operator owners, by large corporations with diverse ownership, and by small groups of unrelated people"). That hasn't changed since about 1996....
Farm preservation is very important. In states where farm preservation is part of the law, farmers seek Circa status. In that is an additional income for the farm as they become part of the tourism industry, too.
Local school systems have new venues of education for class trips to successful family farms that have proven longevity in it's product production. The family farms also offer opportunity for "Pick Your Own" vegetables and fruit. There are sometimes farm markets on the property where preserves of farm products are sold along side other consumer products in demand.
The organic food market often sells directly to consumers asking higher prices for their stock and produce such as turkeys at Thanksgiving. These offerings to the consumer market is met with higher and higher demand in 2016. These side lines of farm income is a growing consumer demand. It doesn't matter the higher prices for GMO free and free ranging animals products; consumers want to know where their food comes from and demand these products.
The farmers that cater to consumers are finding acceptance and reliability in the demand. It is not unusual in 2016 for consumers to place their names on waiting lists for turkeys and hams for the dinner table on holidays. These farmers actually sell out during the holidays. It is the waiting list and success of their marketing that increases the demand which then drives production. These farms are family owned and like to market locally. Their income structures are tightly managed. These incomes are important to the viability of the farm.
These farms are definitely small businesses and can have employees for production and in their retail farm market on property.
These farms do not receive subsidies. The spending of subsidies by the federal government are taken by large corporate farms. These small family operations will tell anyone who asks that the only farms receiving subsidies have lawyers. And that is definitely more than one lawyer.
Farmers understand far more than commodity production, they understand markets and how those markets impact them. The new organic farmer likes to know their farm will have a sustainable income.
A growing percentage of these farms are owned and operated by American Veterans. That's right. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans enjoy the challenge farming presents including the physical aspect of their farms. They aren't suffering from PTSD so much as the challenge to develop their market strategy and keeping consumers happy. They are successful.
"Ground Operations" - Battlefields to Farmfields (click here)
Anyone Can Farm
bakersgreenacres.com/acf (email form on the site)
Mark Baker, Farm Owner
Learn to grow food wherever you live, taught by Air Force veteran Mark Baker and his family, on 80 acres in Michigan. Continuing in the spring of 2013, courses on the complete guide to Pastured Poultry, Pastured Pork, Bio Char & Rocket Stoves 101, Introduction to Permaculture & Soils, Grass Feed Beef (Rotational Grazing), and Growing Vegetables will be held here at the Farm.The courses will be multiple day courses and you will lodge in the Anyone Can Farm Bunk House, Camp in the Camp Ground or stay at a local hotel.
These farmers can be a focus of government tactics to show support for the corporate cronies such as Monsanto.
Mr. Baker's farm came under attack in Michigan, but, he rallied his own self-will and was joined by the Michigan farm community including their local customers to fight back.
January 25, 2014
...There are effectively no feral swine in Michigan.(click here) Oddly though, the DNR issued a declaratory ruling effective back in April of 2012 that all feral pigs had to be destroyed. In their description of feral pigs, they included characteristics often found in domesticated pigs, like having a curly tail or a straight tail or having hair or not having hair…you get the idea. For a full list, please visit here or here. The DNR’s description of feral swine fits every pig in the US; probably the world. Nowhere in this list of characteristics was there actually a requirement that the pigs be feral. Feral, as in, living outside of fences....
The truth is there are about 300 feral hogs in Michigan, but, they are usually killed and reported to the state. The feral hogs in Michigan migrated from other states, there are no native feral breeds in Michigan. Frequently these farmers have breeds little known on corporate farms. The pigs and other livestock including laying hens are "Heritage Breeds."
There are well researched species of plants and animals known to be good producers, but, lend themselves to greater care and supervision. The fanciful breeds and plants attract consumers. When species grown are chosen for their quality rather than quantity consumers like the added quality not found with factory production. There is also a growing movement for humane treatment of farm animals used for production. These farmers are very much ahead of that curve.
Since the 1970s American Family Farms have vanished from the countries landscape because of the rise of factory farms. The story in Iowa is not different than other states with a large segment of their economies as agriculture.
The GMO and organic foods demand has put family farms back in the forefront of agriculture.
American Farm Bureau Federation (click here)
...One in three U.S. farm acres is planted for export.
31 percent of U.S. gross farm income comes directly from exports.
About 23 percent of raw U.S. farm products are exported each year.
Farmers and ranchers receive only 16 cents out of every dollar spent on food at home and away from home. The rest goes for costs beyond the farm gate: wages and materials for production, processing, marketing, transportation and distribution. In 1980, farmers and ranchers received 31 cents.
U.S. farm programs typically cost each American just pennies per meal and account for less than one-half of 1 percent of the total U.S. budget....
US Agriculture still feed the world and without agricultural exports the balance of trade would be drastically different.
It is easy to discern where family farms exist. In the year 2016 there is less cropland for production than in past decades. Off farm sales can be commodities and those commodities do not need trade authority. American agricultural exports have been a stable part of export products for a century.
August 11, 2013
By Lidia DePillis
...But here's the first untrue thing: (click here) Even while the average size of farms is going up, there are more small farms than ever, especially in small states with farmland preservation programs like Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Community-supported agriculture, plus the local and organic food movement, are starting to show up in the numbers. It's the mid-sized farm, between 100 and 500 acres, that's disappearing.
And here's the second thing that's wrong about our understanding of the disappearance of family farms: 96.4 percent of the crop-producing farms in the U.S. are owned by families, and they represent 87 percent of all the agricultural value generated (non-family owned farms are defined as "those operated by cooperatives, by hired managers on behalf of non-operator owners, by large corporations with diverse ownership, and by small groups of unrelated people"). That hasn't changed since about 1996....
Farm preservation is very important. In states where farm preservation is part of the law, farmers seek Circa status. In that is an additional income for the farm as they become part of the tourism industry, too.
Local school systems have new venues of education for class trips to successful family farms that have proven longevity in it's product production. The family farms also offer opportunity for "Pick Your Own" vegetables and fruit. There are sometimes farm markets on the property where preserves of farm products are sold along side other consumer products in demand.
The organic food market often sells directly to consumers asking higher prices for their stock and produce such as turkeys at Thanksgiving. These offerings to the consumer market is met with higher and higher demand in 2016. These side lines of farm income is a growing consumer demand. It doesn't matter the higher prices for GMO free and free ranging animals products; consumers want to know where their food comes from and demand these products.
The farmers that cater to consumers are finding acceptance and reliability in the demand. It is not unusual in 2016 for consumers to place their names on waiting lists for turkeys and hams for the dinner table on holidays. These farmers actually sell out during the holidays. It is the waiting list and success of their marketing that increases the demand which then drives production. These farms are family owned and like to market locally. Their income structures are tightly managed. These incomes are important to the viability of the farm.
These farms are definitely small businesses and can have employees for production and in their retail farm market on property.
These farms do not receive subsidies. The spending of subsidies by the federal government are taken by large corporate farms. These small family operations will tell anyone who asks that the only farms receiving subsidies have lawyers. And that is definitely more than one lawyer.
Farmers understand far more than commodity production, they understand markets and how those markets impact them. The new organic farmer likes to know their farm will have a sustainable income.
A growing percentage of these farms are owned and operated by American Veterans. That's right. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans enjoy the challenge farming presents including the physical aspect of their farms. They aren't suffering from PTSD so much as the challenge to develop their market strategy and keeping consumers happy. They are successful.
"Ground Operations" - Battlefields to Farmfields (click here)
Anyone Can Farm
bakersgreenacres.com/acf (email form on the site)
Mark Baker, Farm Owner
Learn to grow food wherever you live, taught by Air Force veteran Mark Baker and his family, on 80 acres in Michigan. Continuing in the spring of 2013, courses on the complete guide to Pastured Poultry, Pastured Pork, Bio Char & Rocket Stoves 101, Introduction to Permaculture & Soils, Grass Feed Beef (Rotational Grazing), and Growing Vegetables will be held here at the Farm.The courses will be multiple day courses and you will lodge in the Anyone Can Farm Bunk House, Camp in the Camp Ground or stay at a local hotel.
These farmers can be a focus of government tactics to show support for the corporate cronies such as Monsanto.
Mr. Baker's farm came under attack in Michigan, but, he rallied his own self-will and was joined by the Michigan farm community including their local customers to fight back.
...There are effectively no feral swine in Michigan.(click here) Oddly though, the DNR issued a declaratory ruling effective back in April of 2012 that all feral pigs had to be destroyed. In their description of feral pigs, they included characteristics often found in domesticated pigs, like having a curly tail or a straight tail or having hair or not having hair…you get the idea. For a full list, please visit here or here. The DNR’s description of feral swine fits every pig in the US; probably the world. Nowhere in this list of characteristics was there actually a requirement that the pigs be feral. Feral, as in, living outside of fences....
The truth is there are about 300 feral hogs in Michigan, but, they are usually killed and reported to the state. The feral hogs in Michigan migrated from other states, there are no native feral breeds in Michigan. Frequently these farmers have breeds little known on corporate farms. The pigs and other livestock including laying hens are "Heritage Breeds."
There are well researched species of plants and animals known to be good producers, but, lend themselves to greater care and supervision. The fanciful breeds and plants attract consumers. When species grown are chosen for their quality rather than quantity consumers like the added quality not found with factory production. There is also a growing movement for humane treatment of farm animals used for production. These farmers are very much ahead of that curve.
