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  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Propaganda against small farms has a political agenda.
  • Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:35:42 -0700


"But what of the hardcore questions about the price of land, the expectable
income and the hardships of a farm life? we've been force fed, as a
society, several bushels of lies. Those lies have come from federal and
state agricultural departments, many county extension agencies, farm
organizations, agricultural magazines and books, our land grant colleges
and their experiment stations, tractor and chemical companies and almost
every corner of our culture. The realities and potentials have been so
distorted or buried that it is no wonder many people assume what they do.

"How often do we hear that the price tag for someone to start up in
agriculture today is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars? How often do
we hear of the poor prices farmers receive for their goods? How often are
we told that the minimum viable size for a family farm is 200, 300, or 400
acres? How often is the news filled with stories about crops being wiped
out by drought, bugs or virus? Very often on all counts.

"...Keep in mind that, if you succeed as a small farmer, you are creating
problems for agribusiness and government. Big business, and the federal
system, believe they can control agriculture best if the farm community is
made up of relatively few large operations (and no small outfits) who are
tied by credit and contract to the "system". Successful small farms, almost
by definition, means lots of people working outside of the "system". This
makes them difficult to control or monitor. .. be wary of any advice or
"information" you receive. You owe it to yourself, and your future in
agriculture, to be careful in the process of deciding what to believe."

from Ten Acres Enough: The Small Farm Dream Is Possible, 2nd ed. pp 210-211
publisher of Small Farmers Journal
--------------------------

paul tradingpost@lobo.net






  • [Livingontheland] Propaganda against small farms has a political agenda., TradingPostPaul, 02/10/2007

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