Commercial farms have a place in the system, some farmers say

By PAULA BARR
Daily Journal Staff Writer

Monday, October 5, 2009 12:20 PM CDT

More than 15 bands, individual artists and Native American dancers led the fight against factory farms in support of small farmers during the sold out Farm Aid 2009 Concert Sunday at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Maryland Heights.

In keeping with Farm Aid’s mission, the concert featured concessions that used local, organic ingredients from family farms to create traditional festival fare such as corn dogs, candied apples and cheeseburgers.

In the Parkland area, however, farmers are divided on the issue of commercialized farms versus small farms.

It takes the whole system to make this work,” said Matt Hardecke, who raises cattle. “We’re not going to feed America or the world by everyone having a couple of chickens in the back yard. Agriculture is a business, just like a restaurant or a convenience store. You have to be efficient; you have to be productive.”

Tim Rhoads of Washington County believes the quality of livestock and produce are sacrificed when animals are overcrowded and given antibiotics and growth hormones.

“I think there’s a huge difference in the quality of food between the industrial farm and from a small farmer who takes great care in what he grows, without using pesticides (and other chemicals),” he said. “Customers of local growers trust their farmers and the quality. That doesn’t happen with commercial, monocrop operations.”

Supporting small farms

Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Nelson is the organization’s president.

Sunday’s concert began the 25th year of Farm Aid efforts to promote small farmers and family-run farms. Organizers said they were encouraged by a growing interest in organic foods and healthy living, including a growing number of farmer’s markets in Missouri.

“There is this hope, this awareness that’s growing,” Matthews said during a press conference Sunday before the concert. “With this growing awareness, the good food movement, we need to keep people aware about… supporting small farmers.”

Funds raised by Farm Aid – approximately $35 million before Sunday’s concert – go to programs and resources to help small farmers.

Nelson pointed out that agriculture “is the backbone of our country” and farmers are the bottom rung of the economic ladder.

“Against all odds, they have persevered and found ways to stay on their land, growing good food for all of us and creating strong communities,” he said. “It’s time now for policy to rise to meet their needs with fair prices and support for their innovations.”

Young takes a strong stance against commercialized farming that packs animals in small spaces in the name of increased production.

“The commercial farms keep growing and takes away from the little guy,” Young said. “Now it’s happening to dairy farmers. They can’t get back half of what they spend.”

Young said that through the years, Farm Aid has found little support from the government. Turning to Gov. Jay Nixon and U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, Young teased, “We have had plenty of government officials in the past and it hasn’t helped anything. One of them lost his job as a result of being with us. So you gotta lot of nerve to be here today.”

In 1986, Mellencamp held an impromptu concert at a rally in Chillicothe for the Missouri Rural Crisis Center to show his support for the farmers against the USDA's unfair lending practices. He told farmers at the press conference that small farmers – the little guys – do count.

“Calling something progress doesn’t make it right,” he said. “Judging success by how much money someone makes doesn’t mean it’s successful. If we want a better world, it starts with each one of us.”

Helping each other

University of Missouri Extension Livestock Specialist Ben Davis works with farmers in St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Washington counties. He said many area farmers disagree with Farm Aid’s philosophy.

“The challenge in any business is to remain profitable,” Davis said. “If a business is unprofitable it either has to go bankrupt, become more efficient, or improve marketing. Every segment of our society chases progress, technology, and profits.  I don't know why agriculture is supposed to stay 100 years behind.”

According to Davis, there are 719 farms in St. Francois County. Those farms have a total of about 21,500 cattle, which are worth an estimated $18.5 million. The farms in the county also raise about 1,200 acres of corn and soybeans.

Americans have lost the connection between the cost of producing food and the amount of money a farmer needs to make a living.

“Some consumers are making the choice to buy locally from someone they know and that is a great thing for the farmer and the community,” he said. “However, we need to understand that some people can't afford to buy locally at a price a small farmer can survive on.

“We have a definite need for inexpensive food choices.”

Hardecke raises Angus cattle. He believes commercial agriculture is necessary for all farmers to survive. He sells his calves to feed lots, which put weight on the calves until they are ready for slaughter.

“I need some large feed lot in Kansas that puts together 100,000 head of cattle to take my calves,” he said. “There are some great opportunities for local farmers like myself, but for the mass public it does take large agriculture. Big agriculture can’t survive without small agriculture and small agriculture can’t survive without big agriculture.”

Hardecke said large multinational agriculture companies contract with small farmers in parts of Missouri to buy their products.

“I’ve seen a lot of the agriculture in our state and our nation,” he said. “I’ve been on small farms, I’ve met with larger family operations. When I see that side of the market, they’re just trying to make a living like anybody else.”

Larry Sebastian has made changes in his 500-acre cattle farm through the years. For example, he once herded his 130-head on horseback. Now, he drives the truck into the field and honks the horn. The cows and calves come running, thinking he has food. When he drives into the next field, the cattle follow.

“I grew up on this farm,” Sebastian said. “I love it.”

Sebastian’s cattle rotate from one large, green pasture to the next. He also grows corn and some other crops. Until recently, he was able to farm full-time. He has had to take a second job, but that is because of the tougher economy, not because of commercial farms.

As for the taste quality of products, Sebastian said he isn’t sure there is much difference between small farms and commercial farm products.

Washington County farmer Tim Rhoads, on the other hand, believes there is a big difference between farms that run organically and those that keep animals confined throughout their life. The lack of diversity in crops has adversely affected honey bees, and keeping animals crowded together leads to an increase in pathogens, he said. When the animals are given growth hormones or antibiotics, humans end up ingesting them through the meat.

“When you feed just grain to some animals, they make a different type of fat that is less healthy,” Rhoads said. “This also increases the bad type of cholesterol.”

While small farmers can spread manure throughout the property, commercial farmers have so much manure, it builds up or ends up in a manure lagoon, creating a bad smell.

Rhoads acknowledges that cost is higher for crops and livestock grown organically, but said the higher cost is due to two things: better quality, and the lack of government subsidies to offset costs.

Whether a farmer runs a small business or a commercial operation, he or she still faces some of the same problems, Hardecke said.

“We’re in a very capital intensive industry with, sometimes, low return. Is it hard? Yes, but it always has been,” he explained. “It’s a struggle and not just for the small farmer. We’re in a business that is dependent on so many factors that you have no control over.

“But there are some great rewards!”

Paula Barr is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 172 or at pbarr@dailyjournalonline.com.

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