Taken from USDA Report: See footnotes
I grew up on a row-crop farm in Southeast Missouri. I enjoyed the farm life. We recently purchased a 20 acre farm here in Graves County, KY. I knew some of the information I am going to share with you, but did not know the stats were this significant.
Statistics
In the early 1900’s there were approximately 6.5 million farms in America. Most all of these were family farms. In 1900, 41% of the workforce was employed in agriculture. In 1930, 30% of farmers worked off-farm for more than a 100 days for off-farm income.
Today things are much different. Today there are approximately 2 million farms in America. Only about 1.9% of the employed work force works in agriculture. About 4.6 million of the U.S. population live on a farm or about 2 percent of the population (see graphic). In 2002, 93% of farmers had off-farm income.
While the number of farms has declined, the size of farms has not. The agricultural industry produces a tremendous amount of food and product that feeds our nation and much of the world.
In the last 100 years we have seen the commercialization of the agricultural industry. The “family” farm of yesterday is gone for the most part, replaced by small and large agricultural businesses. Farmers had to get bigger to survive, good and fortunate farmers did, while others went out. Even now, much of the farm land is being purchased by businesses and individuals who are not farmers, but are buying land as a financial investment.
What effects has this had upon our culture?
1. I was riding with one of our deacons to play golf a few weeks back. He grew up on a working family farm. We were talking about our nation and present culture. The discussion focused on the problems in our nation with entitlement programs and the lack of work ethic. This led us to the thought that many of our problems are connected with the move away from the family farm. How different is our society today, than a hundred years ago, because kids grew up on a family farm learning to work, having to produce food, and gaining a connection with the land?
2. I was talking to Jim Savage, a counselor one day. He made this statement, “I believe that most of the anxiety, mental, and emotional problems would be resolved if children or adults had the responsibilty everyday to take care of an animal that depended upon them and do something to produce their own food.” This was just his opinion, but I think there is much to this thought. Consider how in the last 50 years our nation has seen an epidemic of anxiety and emotional issues within children and adults. Maybe much of this increase could be attributed to the move off of the family farm.
3. We struggle in our culture to be grateful for the sustenance of life. Jesus taught us to give thanks for our daily bread. Consider how those of Jesus’ day viewed food, compared to our culture. It was not something always assured and easy to attain. Consider the difference in our nation when people depended upon their own livestock and garden to produce their food. It seems that when you gathered around the table and gave thanks for the food it meant a little more, than just buying it at the local grocery.
4. Finally, it seems there is a significant correlation to the decline of the family farm and the removal of God in our culture. Our nations morals and the pushing of God to the fridges of our lives may be connected with the disconnect with the land and nature. We spend our life starring at screens rather than stars! We are detached from nature and are not that dependent upon the weather.
These are some of my thoughts. What do you think? Agree or disagree? Feel free to add your thoughts on the effect of losing the family farm.
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Sources for the Statistics:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/259572/eib3_1_.pdf
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/CollegeRelations/AGRICU.htm
