[Market-farming] Interesting Numbesr from USDA Family Farm Report

road's end farm organic101 at linkny.com
Wed Sep 12 09:36:46 EDT 2007


On Sep 12, 2007, at 9:00 AM, Bill Shoemaker wrote:

> Interesting data Brigette. Confirms my experience with Illinois farms, 
> most
> "corporate farms" are actually family corporations. Their holdings 
> (land,
> equipment, etc.) may have great value but when held against the net 
> returns,
> debt they manage and the risk they face, they are no major economic 
> force.
> Much of the politicking about corporate farms vs family farms is 
> misplaced.
> They're talking about the same thing.

Yes, it's a very blurry line. Some quite small operations are 
incorporated. Drawing a line based on size is also difficult, since 1) 
as you say, gross holdings can be misleading and 2) how much acreage is 
a family-sized farm varies drastically depending on the climate and the 
type of farming. Distinguishing as to whether it's run by a family or 
not doesn't help much either; ten acres of produce might be run by 
three unrelated partners living in three different houses, while 
Walmart is still, I believe, basically run by one family.

I think one criteria is, are the people running the business actually 
farming? that is, are they making day-to-day decisions about 
management, based on personal inspection of the crops/fields/livestock; 
are they actually out in the field doing a significant portion of the 
physical work (their health permitting)?

But it's difficult or impossible to put into a soundbite the difference 
between the three-partner corporation running a few acres of fresh 
market produce, and, say, Dole. Some of it comes down to, "I know it 
when I see it"; and even that involves a blurry line.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale
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