2. THE PERSISTENCE OF THE SMALL SCALE FARMER
The persistence of the small scale farmer, particularly their fight against the trend to ‘get big or get out’ is central to the survival of the farmers’ market during its most difficult period. As larger, industrial agriculture farms enjoy a greater number of tax breaks and subsidies, the small-scale farmer has been forced to rely on niche markets. They have resorted to crop diversification which can provide products that grocery stores cannot or do not provide. Innovative marketing practices not only bring in more profit, but provide an attractive atmosphere for customers. The flexibility of the farmers’ market has provided a freedom for the farmer to continue and start new small scale practices, while providing a more intimate link with the customer.
The persistence of the small farmer can be readily observed. Writings by famous agrarian farmer/poets like Wendell Berry inspire and promote the importance of small scale agriculture. Numerous local news articles are written about innovative local farmers and the markets in which they participate. Many farmers have farm tours and other events that allow consumers to get a closer look and feel of the space from where their food comes.
In The Unsettling of America, published in 1977, Berry wrote extensively about abuses of farmland and farmers. He now argues that these abuses have become even worse twenty five years later. Berry laments that the agricultural businesses that were national at the time of the publication have since become global and are working against the world’s agricultural diversity. He quotes activist Vandana Shiva as saying that the purpose of this new global economy is to replace “food democracy” with a worldwide “food dictatorship.” Berry and other agrarian writers champion the independent and adaptable farmer who desires to stay close to the land and grow for a local population while promoting a network of local food economies for reasons of health, environment, culture and morality (Wirzba, 2003, p. 23).
Because government help is minimal for the small scale farmer, heavily subsidized industrial farming which can sell certain crops below cost is rapidly buying out family farms (Halweil, 2002, p.22). Within the past ten years, many farmers are finding that participation in a farmers’ market helps to continue a farming practice in a marketplace where the formal methods of sales are controlled by large corporations, mostly uninterested in supporting local agriculture.
The rise of industrial agriculture has coincided, not only with the disappearance of the small farm, but also to the dissolution of interdependent networks of rural communities that once existed in rural America. As large-scale industrial agriculture rapidly displaces land that once was the family farm, rural communities have agricultural interdependence replaced with reliance on centralized multi-national agricultural corporations. Noting a study from the 1940’s by Walter Goldshmidt, which compares similar sized rural towns Norberg-Hodge asserts that the town surrounded by family farms was far better off economically than the town surrounded by industrial agriculture. (Norberg-Hodge, 2002, p.80).
Industrial agriculture seeks to minimize costs by farming large tracts of land. Government subsidies though, provide a large amount of the income for industrialized agriculture. According to the New York Times, nearly forty percent of all farm income comes directly from government subsidies. Of the $190 billion in subsidies to be paid over the next ten years, farmers’ market funds were never appropriated (Egan, 2002).
Vikramaditya Prakash notes that “a paradigm shift is needed to understand the full impact of the development that is going on today” (Prakash, 1998). Writing about the new focus in cultural studies on subordinate groups,
“The subaltern movement...is not only about locations of resistance, but is also, and more importantly, about the location and description of development alternatives....subaltern histographers located the loci and contours of other historical resistance movements, not in the global narratives such as nationalism, but in the small scale efforts of the innumerable subaltern experiences” (Prakash, 1998).
The development alternatives I am examining come from the grassroots efforts of the small-scale farmer, in contrast to the top down centralized efforts of corporate farming. Five of the nine farmers interviewed are continuing to keep the viability of their family farms. While some farmers continue farming for the utility of making a living, others emphasize the pure enjoyment of their chosen vocation. The farmers interviewed persist for both reasons. The joys of working independently and spending time in the open air balance the long hours needed for this type of work.
☼
Farmer Ferree of Seldom Seen Farm near Danville, IN, has many reasons for market gardening. He has never liked working for anyone else, and prefers to work outdoors. Since he was living on family property he thought he could make an easy, good living by growing vegetables. He has found farming more of a challenge than he originally thought, but has persisted in his efforts for the past two years.
Farmer Brown of Brown Family Farms explains that his reasons for farming and selling at the farmers’ markets support his desire to look out for his own well being. He enjoys outdoor independent work. He also enjoys the aspect of getting to consume the healthy food he grows. He also says this is the most mentally stimulating job he has ever had.
☼
As family farms face a tax structure that draws them toward bankruptcy and/or the confusion of divided inheritance, the options of selling out can provide quick and easy cash. Since their peak in 1935 farms in the U.S. have decreased in number from 7 million to about 1.9 million in 1997. Indiana farmers who wish to continue farming often must resort to something more innovative than the growing of the common field crops of soybeans and corn. Farmers have experimented with new crops and new ways of marketing them.
Niche markets are vital for the market gardener. Some of these marketing strategies include: use of eco-labels like “organic” or “all-natural”, growing specialty crops like garlic, or mushrooms, and creating value added products through processing like cakes, pies, or hickory syrup.
Eco-labels are used to help customers identify a certain manner in which a crop was grown. The organic label is a nationally recognized standard that is increasingly being used. The number of certified organic growers nationwide has increased from 3,587 in 1992 to 8,035 in 2003 (USDA, 2006). Many farmers who don’t find it feasible to pay the fees for organic certification will advertise less formally as “no-spray,” “all natural,” or “poison free” to let customers know their growing practices which the customers will have to take on trust.
Many farmers grow varieties of crops that are not normally found in grocery stores. One example is the great number of garlic varieties available at farmers’ markets. Garlic is one niche market that has grown tremendously. From the eleven acres of garlic reported by the national Agriculture Statistics in 1992, New York’s Garlic crop has grown 265 acres in 2002. Hard-neck garlic harvested in New York as a prized specialty crop must be harvested by hand. Impossible to mass produce, new crops like garlic gain popularity among residents of New York, farmers quickly adapt to meet this attraction (Bowen, 2004).
Unique products like specialty mushrooms and value added products like hickory syrup and cakes and pies are able to reach the critical mass of customers that enjoy these, yet remain small enough markets that they are not taken over by supermarkets. Many farmers in Indiana are experimenting with new products that will help the farm businesses profit.
☼
It has been a long time dream for Steve Spencer and his brother Jeff of Sheridan, IN to create an alternative to corn and soybean growing. They found that alternative in growing shitake mushrooms which they have been doing for four years. Originally the mushrooms were sold wholesale. Now they find direct sales at farmers’ markets more profitable. Steve says the farmers’ market is like setting up a retail operation with a setup cost of only five dollars a day, while providing him the highest monetary return, because there are no middlemen.
Gordon Jones of Hickory Works, Inc., in Trafalgar, IN, says that about twenty percent of sales come from farmers’ markets. Selling hickory syrup is the sole livelihood for Gordon and his partner Sherrie Yarling. Much of their sales come from internet and catalog sales. His presence at the farmers market is profitable in advertising and networking as many customers have return sales through the internet. Word of mouth has caused internet sales to increase rapidly each year.
☼
The adaptability of the small scale farmer takes many forms. Farmers have found high tech means of keeping tabs on their customers. While niche markets add variety and excitement to the farmers’ market new products need new marketing techniques that can be executed with a small budget. The internet has been one means of communication that brings customers closer to the farm. Farm internet sites and electronic mail also help to keep loyal customers up to date on the latest harvest as well as other farm events.
☼
In addition to farmers’ market visits, Farmer Brown uses e-mail to provide customers a more intimate connection to the farm. He writes about daily farm excitement, joys and complaints. These weekly farm updates provide virtual farm visits. Here people get to know his family, his fields, and the produce that will soon be at market. People also have the chance to have items held in the case that they must come late to the farmers’ market.
☼
Seven of the farmers I interviewed do not feel like they have had a large effect on the farmers’ market. They feel like they have adapted to it more than they have affected it. Farmer Grabow says that he has changed more than the market has. Marketing strategies are constantly changing, he says, and wants to write a book on the subject.
One farmer has changed the market. Farmer Ring of Ring Family Farm did decide to create his own farmers’ market. In 2004, East Central Indiana’s Natural Heritage Farmers’ Market began its trial season. It was created in response to customers in Muncie wanting a farmers’ market that sells only organic or natural products that are also produced and sold by the farmer.
Five of the nine farmers I interviewed encourage visitors and are beginning to participate in statewide agritourism programs to help promote their farms. Grabow Orchard and Bakery in southwest Madison County, Indiana is one farm that has greatly benefited from local news coverage. In September 1996, an article from the Indianapolis Star featured the orchard’s apple dumplings. It brought enough customers to begin an annual apple dumpling festival that takes place each year on the last Saturday of September. (http://www.graboworchard.com/, 2004).
Within all five farmers’ markets, that I studied, small scale farmers persist to seeking viable marketing strategies. They have created niche markets and new farmers’ markets. To maintain the family farm and to continue to sell the farm products that consist of months of invested sweat equity, these farmers strategize, network, and identify the best opportunities available in the variety of farmers’ markets to join, if not create. The varieties of farmers’ markets will be discussed in Chapter 4.
The persistence of the small farmer can be readily observed. Writings by famous agrarian farmer/poets like Wendell Berry inspire and promote the importance of small scale agriculture. Numerous local news articles are written about innovative local farmers and the markets in which they participate. Many farmers have farm tours and other events that allow consumers to get a closer look and feel of the space from where their food comes.
In The Unsettling of America, published in 1977, Berry wrote extensively about abuses of farmland and farmers. He now argues that these abuses have become even worse twenty five years later. Berry laments that the agricultural businesses that were national at the time of the publication have since become global and are working against the world’s agricultural diversity. He quotes activist Vandana Shiva as saying that the purpose of this new global economy is to replace “food democracy” with a worldwide “food dictatorship.” Berry and other agrarian writers champion the independent and adaptable farmer who desires to stay close to the land and grow for a local population while promoting a network of local food economies for reasons of health, environment, culture and morality (Wirzba, 2003, p. 23).
Because government help is minimal for the small scale farmer, heavily subsidized industrial farming which can sell certain crops below cost is rapidly buying out family farms (Halweil, 2002, p.22). Within the past ten years, many farmers are finding that participation in a farmers’ market helps to continue a farming practice in a marketplace where the formal methods of sales are controlled by large corporations, mostly uninterested in supporting local agriculture.
The rise of industrial agriculture has coincided, not only with the disappearance of the small farm, but also to the dissolution of interdependent networks of rural communities that once existed in rural America. As large-scale industrial agriculture rapidly displaces land that once was the family farm, rural communities have agricultural interdependence replaced with reliance on centralized multi-national agricultural corporations. Noting a study from the 1940’s by Walter Goldshmidt, which compares similar sized rural towns Norberg-Hodge asserts that the town surrounded by family farms was far better off economically than the town surrounded by industrial agriculture. (Norberg-Hodge, 2002, p.80).
Industrial agriculture seeks to minimize costs by farming large tracts of land. Government subsidies though, provide a large amount of the income for industrialized agriculture. According to the New York Times, nearly forty percent of all farm income comes directly from government subsidies. Of the $190 billion in subsidies to be paid over the next ten years, farmers’ market funds were never appropriated (Egan, 2002).
Vikramaditya Prakash notes that “a paradigm shift is needed to understand the full impact of the development that is going on today” (Prakash, 1998). Writing about the new focus in cultural studies on subordinate groups,
“The subaltern movement...is not only about locations of resistance, but is also, and more importantly, about the location and description of development alternatives....subaltern histographers located the loci and contours of other historical resistance movements, not in the global narratives such as nationalism, but in the small scale efforts of the innumerable subaltern experiences” (Prakash, 1998).
The development alternatives I am examining come from the grassroots efforts of the small-scale farmer, in contrast to the top down centralized efforts of corporate farming. Five of the nine farmers interviewed are continuing to keep the viability of their family farms. While some farmers continue farming for the utility of making a living, others emphasize the pure enjoyment of their chosen vocation. The farmers interviewed persist for both reasons. The joys of working independently and spending time in the open air balance the long hours needed for this type of work.
☼
Farmer Ferree of Seldom Seen Farm near Danville, IN, has many reasons for market gardening. He has never liked working for anyone else, and prefers to work outdoors. Since he was living on family property he thought he could make an easy, good living by growing vegetables. He has found farming more of a challenge than he originally thought, but has persisted in his efforts for the past two years.
Farmer Brown of Brown Family Farms explains that his reasons for farming and selling at the farmers’ markets support his desire to look out for his own well being. He enjoys outdoor independent work. He also enjoys the aspect of getting to consume the healthy food he grows. He also says this is the most mentally stimulating job he has ever had.
☼
As family farms face a tax structure that draws them toward bankruptcy and/or the confusion of divided inheritance, the options of selling out can provide quick and easy cash. Since their peak in 1935 farms in the U.S. have decreased in number from 7 million to about 1.9 million in 1997. Indiana farmers who wish to continue farming often must resort to something more innovative than the growing of the common field crops of soybeans and corn. Farmers have experimented with new crops and new ways of marketing them.
Niche markets are vital for the market gardener. Some of these marketing strategies include: use of eco-labels like “organic” or “all-natural”, growing specialty crops like garlic, or mushrooms, and creating value added products through processing like cakes, pies, or hickory syrup.
Eco-labels are used to help customers identify a certain manner in which a crop was grown. The organic label is a nationally recognized standard that is increasingly being used. The number of certified organic growers nationwide has increased from 3,587 in 1992 to 8,035 in 2003 (USDA, 2006). Many farmers who don’t find it feasible to pay the fees for organic certification will advertise less formally as “no-spray,” “all natural,” or “poison free” to let customers know their growing practices which the customers will have to take on trust.
Many farmers grow varieties of crops that are not normally found in grocery stores. One example is the great number of garlic varieties available at farmers’ markets. Garlic is one niche market that has grown tremendously. From the eleven acres of garlic reported by the national Agriculture Statistics in 1992, New York’s Garlic crop has grown 265 acres in 2002. Hard-neck garlic harvested in New York as a prized specialty crop must be harvested by hand. Impossible to mass produce, new crops like garlic gain popularity among residents of New York, farmers quickly adapt to meet this attraction (Bowen, 2004).
Unique products like specialty mushrooms and value added products like hickory syrup and cakes and pies are able to reach the critical mass of customers that enjoy these, yet remain small enough markets that they are not taken over by supermarkets. Many farmers in Indiana are experimenting with new products that will help the farm businesses profit.
☼
It has been a long time dream for Steve Spencer and his brother Jeff of Sheridan, IN to create an alternative to corn and soybean growing. They found that alternative in growing shitake mushrooms which they have been doing for four years. Originally the mushrooms were sold wholesale. Now they find direct sales at farmers’ markets more profitable. Steve says the farmers’ market is like setting up a retail operation with a setup cost of only five dollars a day, while providing him the highest monetary return, because there are no middlemen.
Gordon Jones of Hickory Works, Inc., in Trafalgar, IN, says that about twenty percent of sales come from farmers’ markets. Selling hickory syrup is the sole livelihood for Gordon and his partner Sherrie Yarling. Much of their sales come from internet and catalog sales. His presence at the farmers market is profitable in advertising and networking as many customers have return sales through the internet. Word of mouth has caused internet sales to increase rapidly each year.
☼
The adaptability of the small scale farmer takes many forms. Farmers have found high tech means of keeping tabs on their customers. While niche markets add variety and excitement to the farmers’ market new products need new marketing techniques that can be executed with a small budget. The internet has been one means of communication that brings customers closer to the farm. Farm internet sites and electronic mail also help to keep loyal customers up to date on the latest harvest as well as other farm events.
☼
In addition to farmers’ market visits, Farmer Brown uses e-mail to provide customers a more intimate connection to the farm. He writes about daily farm excitement, joys and complaints. These weekly farm updates provide virtual farm visits. Here people get to know his family, his fields, and the produce that will soon be at market. People also have the chance to have items held in the case that they must come late to the farmers’ market.
☼
Seven of the farmers I interviewed do not feel like they have had a large effect on the farmers’ market. They feel like they have adapted to it more than they have affected it. Farmer Grabow says that he has changed more than the market has. Marketing strategies are constantly changing, he says, and wants to write a book on the subject.
One farmer has changed the market. Farmer Ring of Ring Family Farm did decide to create his own farmers’ market. In 2004, East Central Indiana’s Natural Heritage Farmers’ Market began its trial season. It was created in response to customers in Muncie wanting a farmers’ market that sells only organic or natural products that are also produced and sold by the farmer.
Five of the nine farmers I interviewed encourage visitors and are beginning to participate in statewide agritourism programs to help promote their farms. Grabow Orchard and Bakery in southwest Madison County, Indiana is one farm that has greatly benefited from local news coverage. In September 1996, an article from the Indianapolis Star featured the orchard’s apple dumplings. It brought enough customers to begin an annual apple dumpling festival that takes place each year on the last Saturday of September. (http://www.graboworchard.com/, 2004).
Within all five farmers’ markets, that I studied, small scale farmers persist to seeking viable marketing strategies. They have created niche markets and new farmers’ markets. To maintain the family farm and to continue to sell the farm products that consist of months of invested sweat equity, these farmers strategize, network, and identify the best opportunities available in the variety of farmers’ markets to join, if not create. The varieties of farmers’ markets will be discussed in Chapter 4.
posted by Anthony Noble at 7:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home