Farming Opportunities and Fair Competition

The family farm as the nucleus of American agriculture is in jeopardy.  The U.S. has moved to a significant extent to a dual system of agriculture.  At one end of the spectrum are small, often part-time farms, producing a limited amount of all farm products and depending primarily on non-farm income for their livelihood.  At the other end are very large farms that account for a majority of all farm product sales.  This group is small – just over one percent of all farms account for nearly half the total value of farm product sales.  In the middle, and hanging in the balance, are full-time family farms, intermediate in size, which still acount for a sizeable share of total sales.

The family farm matters to the viability of rural communities.  Family farmers buy most of their inputs from local suppliers.  They sell most of their products in local and regional markets.  Many of the business enterprises in rural towns and small cities are farm-connected.  A system of economically viable, midsize, owner-operated family farms contributes more to communities than systems characterized by mega-farms with hired managers and large numbers of farm laborers with below average incomes and little ownership or control of productive assets.  Replacing midsize farms with big farms reduces middle class entrepreneurial opportunities in farm communities, at best replacing them with wage labor.  The result is harmful to society.

Major Priorities for the Farming Opportunity and Fair Competition Committee for 2010 will be:

Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmer Outreach and Training Grant Programs & Conservation Programs

Minor Priorities for the Farming Opportunity and Fair Competition Committee for 2010 will be:

Livestock Competition and Contract Agriculture Reform Rulemakings and Public Hearings

For information on NSAC’s appropriations campaign priorities, check out this page.

Recent Actions Take by NSAC: