Get Big, or else!
In this day – farmers absolutely could not survive on a 40 or 60 cow dairy, or 100 pig operation, etc because our government and food system have so much control on pricing, processing, and regulations that make it just short of impossible for the small farmer to survive. For example, dairy farmers must milk hundreds or thousands of cows now to survive vs years ago with a manageable 60 cows. Who has benefitted from this structure? Big Bully Processors – that’s who.
Granting so much power to these processors is clearly going well. Have you read about the latest $24 million JBS lawsuit settling for price fixing accusations? Or the Tyson lawsuits regarding its mal-treatment of employees? To name a couple that are out there…
And that’s not even getting into recalls on the meat they process! The USDA website has an entire page dedicated to keeping Americans alert of all the current recalls on foods – E. Coli, Salmonella, mislabeling, the list goes on…
Call me crazy, but I trust the small farmer down the road who feeds the same food they sell to their family A LOT more than I trust these big farms and processors.
But… aren’t we told again and again that we need to embrace human-replacing technology, mono-cropping, etc to feed the world’s population and battle food insecurity?
Take a step back and really think about this. Because of so much control being consolidated in the hands of few, the issue of food waste has been shoved under the rug. According to RTS, America is the ‘global leader in food waste, with Americans discarding nearly 40 million tons of food every year.’ But, the U.S. is constantly tooting its horn for having the safest and most secure food system of developed nations around the world… Hmmmm…
Food waste is not something to be proud of. Personally, I will not have a conversation about battling hunger via conventional mono-cropping and soil depleting practices until the issue of food waste is addressed first.
Encouraging smaller, more numerous and diverse farms selling locally to their communities would without a doubt aid in addressing food insecurity. It takes the food chain back into the hands of the community and creates independence from sticky fingers Big Ag.
Big Ag has stripped farmers’ pockets for years, forcing them into lives of literally managing debt instead of profits. Unfortunately, many farmers have accepted this way of life because - what can they do about it? We have a choice to make as consumers. Please, do your research and draw your own conclusions. My research and instincts tell me that my food dollar is doing a lot more good supporting small and transparent farmers vs the big companies that are constantly settling lawsuits addressing their crimes. It does usually cost more to support the small, local farmer instead – but think about why.
Do you really think that a gallon of milk at the store (from start to finish, raising calf for 2 years before it begins milking, labor, vet, feed, fencing, etc) costs only $3/gallon? Nope. And keep in mind, the farmer does not get that whole $3…. When butter prices went up drastically last spring, did the farmer see an increase in pay from the processors that sold their butter? Nope, none that I heard from!
Here at our farm, we beg the opportunity to show you how your meat is being raised and why you are getting the most out of your food dollar spent with us.
Food for thought :)
Mary