The Family Farm
What is a family farm? The definition I was given in college in the 70's was a farm that utilizes the labor of not more than 1 and 1/2 people, which is normally the man and his wife or children or his retired father with the majority of the income derived from the farm. Most family farms today have additional income off the farm. The greatest product of the family farm is the young people it produces. They know the work ethic, value of a dollar, and how to deal with living things. These are things their urban counterparts have missed. The best example I have experienced is at the Mid-South Fair. The young people that exhibit animals are a different breed than some of the ones roaming the midway. The young people that show livestock are the best the world has to offer. Another example is the National FFA Convention. I had the pleasure of attending in the early 90's and there were thousands of young people in their blue jackets all clean cut and well mannered. Can you say that about the rest of the population?
The memories I have of growing up on a family farm in a small town in the 60's and 70's are of a different time than that of today. At harvest time you normally had a long wait at one of the two grain elevators in Fulton. Up until the later 80's there were several farmers with up to 500 acres of crop. Each one had a combine and a couple of grain trucks. Every summer after crops were laid by the 4 parts stores were busy with farmers getting ready for harvest. Today there are only 2 parts stores left and they have very little farm business. Today there is very little grain that stops in Fulton. The rest goes by semi to the river at Hickman, Ky. The combines and farm equipment have gotten so big and advanced that all parts and service have to come from a dealer.
The rest of the ag-related businesses have fared the same. In the 60's Fulton was home of the largest Wayne feed dealer, a Purina dealer, a Moorman's warehouse, and a Southern States co-op. On any given day in the winter, you could expect a long wait at the feed mill. Today the only thing left in Fulton is a Purina dealer, and it does what I consider a small amount of farm business, mostly pet, horse, and hobby farm business.
The trend was the same for farm equipment dealers too. In the 60's and 70's Fulton was home to a John Deere dealer, a Ford dealer, an International dealer, an Oliver-White dealer, and a Case dealer. Today there are none. You have to drive 15 miles to visit a John Deere dealer, 25 miles for Ford and Case-IH, and 40 miles for AGCO-White.
The downtowns in rural America were in the same boat. Most downtown stores have closed and been replaced by Walmarts. The banks have merged with larger banks and decision making has moved to corporate offices at another location. If you need a part, master link, spray nozzle, feed or even a pair of barn boots that used to be carried by mom and pop stores, you are in for a drive.
The family farms in our area in the 60's and 70's were diversified with most having a grain and livestock mix. Most farms had either dairy or beef cattle. There were 7 dairies within 5 miles of my house, all going out of business by the late 80's. Most farms other than dairies had beef cattle which were used to rotate cropland and utilize land not suited for crops. Today there are only 4 left with beef cattle. Most full time farms in the area had hogs also. They were said to be the mortgage lifters by the older farmers. There were 11 farms within 5 miles with 50 sows or more and by the year 2000 all are out of business. There are only 4 full time farmers left in this five mile area today. Family farmers were good neighbors. Each farmer didn't have to own every piece of equipment he would ever need. He could either borrow or swap out with his neighbor. They were always willing to help out in any possible way. The family farmer wouldn't always try to get rented land away from you. He would live and let live. We can't expect a corporate farmer to be a good neighbor. The main thing they want is for you to get out of their way so they can farm everything.
When we had diversified family farmers there was not the dependence on government aid. Now large farmers just try to break even farming because they can live on the government payments. The diversified farmer normally had at least one enterprise making money or he tightened his belt to survive. The Federal Government has put small family farms out of business because of the loan guarantees to large producers. The Federal Government provides loan guarantees on large loans, and banks love these loans because of the guarantee. These loans are what finances the corporate hog farms, poultry houses, and large grain farms. The end result is that more family farms are lost. I feel the family farm could survive on a level playing field, which is not the case today. I feel the government is trying to get rid of the family farm and small business so they can have complete control through corporations. For more, click here.