I own two small dairy farms in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. The farms were once able to support a family, but those days are long gone. Most dairy farmers are following the adage of “go big or get out”, offered in the 70’s by then Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz under Presidents Nixon and Ford, and whose policies played a large part in favoring agri-business over the family farm. Accordingly, there is a market for small farms by farmers “going big”. I found out a little about the economics of dairy farming. I studied the costs of raising and harvesting corn, soybeans and hay, and was amazed to find out just how high the costs are and how little the profit margin is given today’s methods of farming.
I rent the land to a local dairy farmer who started out just a few years ago. He and his wife and I have a gentlemen’s agreement that he will farm the land mindfully, and I will keep the rent low. He has converted my farms to “organic” methods and does not use the costly seeds and pesticides that go with them. In fact, he told me that if he didn’t farm organically, he would not be able to make a profit. I was both impressed by his commitment and reminded of the fact that all things are connected.
My wife and I bought these farms about thirty years ago around Earth Day because they were affordable, and the land was simply beautiful. I was therefore pleased to read a recent article in the NY Times on “regenerative agriculture” and the benefits such a system has in focusing on soil health as a means of not only increasing crop yields and supporting a diverse and healthy ecosystem, but of also capturing carbon out of the atmosphere. The article is entitled “Can Dirt Save the Earth?” by Moises Velasquez-Manoff, published on April 18, 2018. The article reminds me of the classic book “Becoming Native to this Place” by Wes Jackson, who is the founder of the Land Institute, a non-profit focused on regenerative agriculture based on developing plants grown in perennial polycultures that mimic natural systems in order to eliminate the negative impacts of industrial agriculture. The book talks about becoming “native” to a place by understanding and engaging in accounting of the material and energy flows across the ecological community system boundaries. Thus, this is a potential pathway for the revitalization of the family farm and the rich culture of rural communities.
