New Look at Farms

David Sparks Ph.D.

  “I would say the U.S. Government should probably help the farming economy and the agricultural economy, instead of importing all this food that we do into the U.S., make a little more demand for our crops and our commodities. The second thing is, maybe get rid of some of these subsidies, and have the farmer say, do I want to put this in when I can actually make X number of dollars doing this. Those words were recently spoken by Idaho’s Roger Batt, Executive Director of The Coalition for Agriculture’s Future. Stated another way, Batt is concerned about where American farms are heading and is deeply troubled that they may be disappearing. But sometimes, when you take a look at things from a different perspective, pictures can look bright…not bleak.

 One way to analyze things is to look at what worked in the past…i.e., remember when farmers actually grew crops and took them to their own local markets? Listen to a familiar voice: “It’s the beginning of the farmer’s market season and there are 3 reasons to celebrate this day.”

 That’s Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack opening up the Farmer’s Market in Washington D.C., and he says the 3 reasons are: Farmer’s markets offer small producers a chance to sell their goods and make a profit, the markets offer consumers fresh wholesome produce and they help stimulate the economy. There are over 5000 certified Farmer’s Markets in the U.S. and Boise’s Capital City Market is one that is thriving.