Farm Issues

I am not a poultry owner and I am not interested in getting into the poultry industry. However, I like to eat chicken and I also like sharing entrepreneurial agricultural opportunities with people. Also, with all the debate out there about various ways to raise the chickens we eat, I found Haslett-Marroquin’s proven, researched ideas very positive because they can be implemented on a small number of acres in a pleasing, environmental fashion – all while being profitable too! If you’re passionate about poultry, his ideas are worth looking into.

Today, 99 percent of American farms are still “family farms” owned by families, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). But increasingly, many of them are not actually family-farmed.

“I think when the traditional people disappear, the traditional values will disappear.”

So says Wendell Berry in a recent film that portrays the changing landscape and shifting values of rural America and describes the lives of farmers who have been deeply affected by the industrial agricultural era.

“Look & See: Wendell Berry’s Kentucky” features observations by this prominent writer, farmer and activist on how the agrarian way of life has been lost.

Demand for locally grown food is on the rise, as consumers take more interest in how their food is produced, and how food production affects their own health, and the health of their communities.

That’s a positive trend. But if consumers want more local food, shouldn’t we do more to ensure the economic success of the independent farmers who grow that food?

TAKE ACTION: Tell your members of Congress to support the Local Food and Regional Market Supply (Local FARMS) Act.