Food, Family and Transparency
The holiday season is here which, for me, can be summarized with two words: food and family. Although this column usually revolves around food (I mean, it is about agriculture after all), I want to take this opportunity to focus on family — specifically farming families.
Here’s a photo of my farm family taken in 2016 by Kodee Roraback Photography.
This photo contains three generations of agriculturists, the other two generations before us passed on — however, their legacy of cultivating the land and raising livestock lives on. This holiday season, I’m extra thankful, grateful and blessed to call these people my family.
A common claim I see online is the idea that America’s farms are no longer family oriented. I often see and hear of people saying we have reached the end of “family farms,” and agriculture has shifted to more “factory farming operations.”
These people frequently identify “factory farms” with companies such as Monsanto and undercover investigations which expose mistreatment of animals. (Side note: Monsanto was bought by Bayer a few years ago. The two companies are in the process of integration so technically speaking, these people would need to take up their concerns with Bayer.)
At this time, I would like to use a phrase I learned in grad school: “Define your terms.”
Webster’s Dictionary defines Factory Farm as “A large industrialized farm.”
Webster’s also defines Family Farm as “A farm on which the farmer and members of his family do a substantial part of the work.”
We see these definitions and we hear these claims made by people who “don’t support factory farms,” and “only support family farms,” which is totally fine. Personally, I would rather buy from a family-owned operation as well. However, the claim that American agriculture is no longer built on family farms couldn’t be further from the truth.
The United States Department of Agriculture reported in 2015 that 97 percent of all U.S. farms are family owned.
“The latest data came from the Census of Agriculture farm typology report and helps shine light on the question, ‘What is a family farm?’” the USDA’s report states.
"As we wrap up mining the 6 million data points from the latest Census of Agriculture, we used typology to further explore the demographics of who is farming and ranching today," National Agricultural Statistic Service, Statistics Division Director Hubert Hamer, said. "What we found is that family-owned businesses, while very diverse, are at the core of the U.S. agriculture industry. In fact, 97 percent of all U.S. farms are family-owned."
The USDA went on to report Five Facts about Family Farms:
1. Food equals family — 97 percent of the 2.1 million farms in the U.S. are family owned.
2. Small business matters — 88 percent of all U.S. farms are small family farms.
3. Local connections come in small packages — 58 percent of all direct farm sales to consumers come from small family farms.
4. Big business matters too — 64 percent of all vegetable sales and 66 percent of all dairy sales come from the 3 percent of farms that are large or very large family farms.
5. Farming provides new beginnings — 18 percent of principal operators on family farms in the U.S. started within the last ten years.
Now that I have regurgitated the highlights from the USDA’s report, let’s discuss this topic using critical thinking.
Many anti-ag websites refer to factory farms as, summarized, “livestock hell.” They paint factory farms in a negative light, saying these facilities are used to torture livestock and reference brutal videos on YouTube which expose animal cruelty. In some cases, this could be true, however…
News flash: pretty much anywhere which crops are grown or livestock is raised could be classified as a factory farm.
Technically speaking, factory farms can also fall under the category of family farms. In fact, any farm which uses current farming technologies (industrial practices such as the usage of a push-plow, tractor, planter, GPS, etc.) could be classified as a factory farm. Basically, this means any farming which has been done since the first seed was ever planted on American soil, grown, harvested and sold to provide for one’s family could be classified as a “factory farm.” This means that even organic, non-GMO, gluten-free farm sanctuaries could be classified as factory farms.
So, if 97 percent of farms are family owned, how many of them are considered factory farms? Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t know any major farmers who walk down hundreds of acres of corn rows, make a small hole in the ground with their finger and plant a seed anymore. Do you? If someone is putting their food on the table using this method, I would love to meet them.
The fact of the matter is, we as a society have villainized the American farmer. We have twisted terms like “family farm,” and “factory farm,” and made them out to be more than they actually are. We have completely made a mockery of our food system — and at what cost?
In 2017, Michigan State University conducted a study titled “MSU Food Literacy and Engagement Poll: Wave I.” This study measured consumer understanding and attitudes to drive discussion on a variety of food topics such as public trust of the food system, labeling, food safety, purchasing behavior, GMOs, organic foods, food access, sources of information and general knowledge of the global food system. This online study was conducted over a two-day period with 1,059 participants (all U.S. citizens and all over the age of 18).
Only 38 percent of participants ranked their knowledge of the global food system above average. Thirty-five percent of participants said they rarely seek information about where their food comes from, while 13 percent said they never sought out info.
Riddle me this – if only 38 percent of the population feels confident in their knowledge of the food system, and 48 percent of the population rarely or never goes out of their way to learn about said food system, why is it that so many consumers have a distrust for farmers and ranchers? Why is it that we hear the words “factory farm” and automatically shut down? Why on Earth do people choose the typically more expensive, yet infamously labeled “Non-GMO” and “Organic” products?
The answer: Transparency.
A message to the consumer:
Family farms are this nation’s backbone — a claim which can’t really be disputed because, hello, 97 percent of farms are family owned. This means 97 percent of the food you eat was planted/raised by families. This also mean that you, the consumer, contributes to paying 97 percent of farmers’ bills.
A message to agriculturists:
Ninety-seven percent of you out there are considered a family operation. This means that 97 percent of you directly use profits made from cultivating the land and raising livestock to keep a roof over you and your family’s heads. So, why not go out of your way to be more transparent? Thirty-eight percent of the population feels they know more about the food system than the average person, but what about the other 62 percent? Where do they fall?
We’ve got to educate society about the food system. It’s your job, it’s my job, it’s your neighbor’s job — we are all held accountable at this point. People deserve to know where their food comes from and we deserve to get praised for feeding the world, no ridiculed.
