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The
Future of the Family Farm
Rural
decline and loss of family farms is not inevitable, according to
Chuck Hassebrook of the Center for Rural Affairs, a non-profit organization
advocating healthy rural communities and quality of life for their
citizens. He contends that rural decline is the result of decisions
made by people, and that it can be reversed by decisions made by
people through commitment and citizen involvement. Hassebrook believes
rural people control their own destiny, and he implores them to
ensure that one generation into the future, the question will not
be whether or not family farms will survive, but whether corporate
giants can compete with them. He promotes the following strategies
for citizen involvement and public policy to reach this end.
Foster
small scale entrepreneurship.
Wealth is created by small businesses. Substantial financial assets
held by retirees in rural communities could be invested to foster
entrepreneurship and assist young farmers given appropriate government
guarantees and assistance.
Research
initiatives to help family farmers. Much research is directed toward technology that requires large
capital investment. New research initiatives should be directed
toward management systems, business relationships, and low cost
production systems that capitalize on family farmer's skill, hard
work, and ingenuity, and should not require farm consolidation to
gain economies of scale in order to efficiently capitalize investments
in new technology. Research institutions should be held accountable
for serving the public good.
Develop
new markets for commodities produced sustainably. Small family farms do not have the purchasing
or marketing power of larger operations. However, those who employ
sustainable practices may be able to sell commodities at a premium.
New marketing institutions must be developed to reward stewardship.
Reform
public policy to support small-scale enterprise and to reward stewardship. The bulk of government support of agriculture
must not continue to go to the relatively few large producers. It
should instead go to small entrepreneurs on the farm and in rural
communities, particularly those who value stewardship. This is where
new jobs and community wealth will be created.
Hassebrook
concluded by imploring rural citizens to define their own destiny
and to work against a future that would leave subsequent generations
a "feudal" system where land ownership is held by a few
and all others work for them.
Concepts
described in this report were provided by Chuck Hassebrook of the
Center for Rural Affairs at a community meeting held in Davenport,
Washington on February 13, 1999. Briefing prepared by Tom Platt,
WSU Cooperative Extension.
Agricultural
Sustainability. Highlights from a seminar series conducted by Washington
State University's Ag Horizons Team and funded by USDA Western Region
SARE.
Thomas
E. Platt
MSPO Box 399 (mailing)
303 6th Street (street)
Davenport, WA 99122-0399
Phone: (509) 725-4171
FAX: (509) 725-4104
 plattom@wsu.edu
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