“Contemporary Agrarianism: A Reality Check” by Melissa Walker

I have decided to read “Contemporary Agrarianism: A Reality Check” by Melissa Walker. This essay is on the recent “good food” movement.  The truth is that agrarian ideology has become very mainstream. People all around us are interested in purchasing “organic” food labels and visiting farmers markets. In her essay, Walker studies the different aspects of the movement, as well as the wide array of social groups that participate in it. I believe that this resource is very valuable to my study because it will help me assess how the community is reacting to the movement, and what type of involvement from those whom are interested can actually benefit the farming community. Community involvement is a very important aspect in establishing a successful farmer- consumer relationship, and most farmers I have interviewed agree that this is a very challenging, but important step to having a successful career. 

Walker writes about how the “good food” movement is very far- reaching. She makes a reference to James E. McWilliams, who notoriously quoted that “New agrarians see agriculture as a counterculture ideal to understand the modes of production”. Although some people would argue that this movement began with Rachael Carson’s “Silent Spring”, Walker believes that writers such as Gene Logsdon were the true leaders of this movement. I read two of Logsdon’s books over the summer, and his writings and writings similar to his own focus on how farming is “the highest human calling”. There seems to be an overall great desire to return to the small-scale, “yeoman farmer” that Thomas Jefferson believed so strongly in. Walker identifies the general goals of this movement. One goal, for example, is environmental/ sustainable- agriculture stewardship. As the list carries on, Walker writes that these goals very far-reaching.  She also writes that the people who are able to take part in stimulating this movement are only those who can afford supporting local agriculture, because as we all know, our regular Walmart produce is a lot cheaper than purchasing fresh produce through a market or a CSA.

Walker covers all different aspects of this movement, and she is right- the goals are very far-reaching. The title of her essay is very fitting, because those interested in the “good food” movement need to have a “reality check”. From what I have gathered from her essay thus far, Farmer- consumer relationships need to be more well- established, and the goals of this movement need to be prioritized. 

As I am studying all these different aspects of my senior project, one theme is starting to really stick out to me- Farmer-consumer relationships. The lack of this kind of establishment in this community is becoming more and more apparent as I study statistics, interview farmers, and research about programs that help farmers across the nation. I love where this project is taking me, and I can't wait to dig deeper! 

Mt Pleasant Farmer's Market Survey

Today was my first out of three farmer's market visits for this week. In all, surveying crop farmers at the market took over an hour- and that was with the help of my Slow Food YCAC friends Grayson and Thomas. We surveyed the farmers with my own questions about the barriers to local, small- scale farmer success. These questions were based off of a Cornell Survey titled "Barriers to Beginning Farmer Success".
Our results from the survey were very interesting to compare to the statistics recorded in Shute's "Building a Future With Farmers". According to Shute's report, farmers in the South rated the following obstacles to success in order from the biggest to smallest:
1. lack of capital
2. land access
3. health care
4. access to credit
5. business planning and marketing skills
6. profitable markets
7. education and training
In this same report, farmers in the South also rated the following existing programs for assistance from most to least important:
1. apprenticeships
2.local partnerships
3. community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
4. land- linking programs
5. non- profit training and education
6. college and university training and education
The results in our data were slightly different from Shute's data. The farmers that we interviewed saw land access as less of an obstacle to success, meanwhile they saw health care as a bigger obstacle.
Our farmers' ratings for existing programs of assistance also varied slightly. Farmers neglected to place apprenticeships and CSA on top of their lists. In addition, when we asked what could be put into place that could potentially help farmers succeed, most responded that connections to provided aid programs, customers, and employees would be beneficial.
Reviewing the differences between my results and Shute's results, it makes sense that our group of farmers today did not see land access as a big issue. The reason for this is that most of the farmers inherited their land, therefore eliminating land access as an issue. Furthermore, they didn't see apprenticeships as a priority since most of them come from large farmer families, causing them to be less likely to leave their own "community" for farm assistance. This is also due to the lack of apprentice connections in the area.
Local farmers need a way to become more "in tune" to what is provided to them, just as the community needs to become more "in tune" to what barriers are causing farmers to struggle.

The image below is a tube of honey from Blue Pearl Farms. Ms. Ward farms blueberries and makes honey from her bees. Yummy!

"Building a Future with Farmers", by Lindsey Shute

“Building a Future with Farmers” is a report by Lindsey Shute, who is a profound member of the National Young Farmers’ Coalition in NY. For those of you that don’t know, the National Young Farmers’ Coalition (NYFC) is a group that is made up by, and for American family farmers in the next generation. The group’s mission is to “present a vision of policy change and achievable recommendations that will help the next generation of American farmers thrive”.

This report has been a very valuable resource. It focuses on the “challenges faced by young, American farmers and a national strategy to help them succeed”. Firstly, I would like to point out that although this report focuses on the barriers of beginning farmers towards farming success, the findings apply to older farmers as well. The three major obstacles (in order) for beginning farmers in the US are capital, land, and health care. The report highlighted the current size of the farming class in the US, which has been on a steady decline for quite some time. Shute writes, “for each farmer under 35 there are 6 over 65, and the average age of farmers is 57. It is estimated that between now and the year 2030, half a million (one- quarter) of American farmers will retire”. With the recent influence that the “good food” movement has had on agriculture, there is a great potential in the future of American farmers, but there are also big challenges.

Shute identified what’s working in the current state of small- scale agriculture as: apprenticeships, local partnerships, and community supported agriculture (CSA). She identified what’s not working as: lack of capital, land access, health care, access to credit, business planning and marketing skills, profitable markets, and education/ training.

As you can see, there are far more aspects in the current system that are not working than those that are working to help generate success among beginning farmers. This reading has been a significant step in my research. Using what I have learned about the broad issues in the system and what needs to be done to help, I would like to prioritize what would be most viable in helping farmers.

Trip to Basil Owen's Farm

This weekend I travelled to Pleasant Hill, South Carolina to visit a friend-of-a-friend's farm with Helen (one of my classmates). We explored all of the different crops on Mr. Owen's farm, which includes the following: corn, soybeans, wheat, and my personal favorite, cotton.
I interviewed Mr. Owens with a series of questions based of a survey created by Cornell University called "Barriers to Beginning Farmer Success." Through the help of my interview, I was able to grasp the issues among crop farmers. I asked Mr. Owens to prioritize what kind of help is necessary for a beginner farmer, even though he himself has been farming for many years. I won't list all of my findings for my readers about what needs to be put into place to help beginner farmers- instead I would like to interest you with some pictures of Mr. Owen's farm, as well as a video of Helen and I in a combine!
*For all of you who don't know what a combine is: A power operated machine that cuts, threshes, and cleans grain. (Well, in this case, corn!) Also noteworthy- new combines can cost a farmer anywhere from $300,000- 400,000!