Lauver: Family farming -- an American tradition that
must be preserved
By Andrew Lauver,
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/opinion/article_1a9d0ffc-3ffa-11e2-80ac-0019bb2963f4.html
This Article talks about the importance of keeping
the family farm. One of the great things about working in a place like this is
that it makes the family so much stronger. There are siblings working right
next to each other as a team... long ago most people use to live on a farm. Now
only about 2% of Americans live on a farm. Soon that number will drop again because
the average age of a farmer is 57, not many more years for them to keep the businesses
open. When it come to the new generation
replacing their parent there are many things that make this very difficult. One
thing is that is making it hard when the children try to plan a future for the
land is they often do not agree about what to do with the land. They can
sometimes make $20,000 an acre if they sell it. If the family keeps the land,
the taxes are a huge burden on the children. To help the family out there are
some organizations that will help but not many. To operate a farm it can cost
up to one million dollars to set it up and that will make it just reach industry
level. A way to help this cause is to education people on this matter. In
addition, the government needs to help the family farms. Hopefully, if both of
these things are done the agriculture lifestyle can become more popular.
Then Now
I think that it would be great to have a family farm but it is just not practical for the size of our nation’s population for family farms to be the only option. The small family farm is good to serve a family, a community and local manufactures but it is not a good way to feed the country. I also do not agree with factory farming. I think that animals should not be treated as they are in factory farms. It would be good if we could mix the two and have a farm where animals get great care and make enough food to feed a nation as big as America. The use of GMOs on factory farms makes them suitable for producing the majority of the nation’s agriculture but small farms offer safe and humane ways for livestock to live. Perhaps a blending of these two ideas would allow both institutions to succeed.
Questions
What is a benefit of Factory farm?
Should the government be helping in your option?
Which farming is the best to be the major was to farm?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IH_my56FkuQ#!
ReplyDeleteI found this interesting video that talks about the unfair treatment of family farm owners. The video talks about the struggles small farm owners go through including the government putting pressure on them and terrorizing them. The video emphasizes the importance family owned farms and the right for Americans to choose healthy food.
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteThe family farm is too small for the food needed to be produced for America. Like Mikayla said, it is suitable for a family, community, or local businesses. Besides, with factory farming, there is almost no need for family farms as they are far outmatched from the industrial farm production rate. Factory farms are the future for America and the world. Animals are not treated cruelly. If they were given a more sanitary place to live, people would understand that the animals are treated fairly, with enough food and water to survive. The factory farm is fine as it is, and the family farm era is over, because new technologies are rising, and the amount of hard work humans are producing is depleting.
Questions:
1. Do you believe animals are treated badly on small farms? If the living quarters were improved, would this change your answer as well?
2. What do you believe family farm owners should do?
3. Would you want to be part of a family owned farm or a factory farm? Why or why not?
I found a local family farm in Pennsylvania, which is called the Dillner Family Farm. They are self-sustaining and use the least amount of pesticides possible. I thought it would be a good idea to ask them, because they are a professional on family farms since they own and operate one! I emailed the people who own the farm, and the email was:
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Nicole, and I am a freshman at Hatboro-Horsham High School. In my Environmental Science class, we are working on our farming and agriculture unit, and we were interested in you commenting on our blog about family owned farms. The link to the blog is http://bndmdeluca.blogspot.com/2012/12/is-family-farm-better.html. Thank you for your time!