Yes, many changes in farming communities all over. A few years ago, when I was in charge of the Ag-awareness section of one of the large fairs in my region, we were sent a display backdrop from the provincial department of agriculture. It had a graphic component that showed how many people were fed by one farmer over the past century. I can't remember the exact numbers, but in the 1880s, each farmer fed about 8 people. By 1900, it was probably around 12-15. By around 1940, that number was about 25-30. By 1960s, I think it was around 60-80 people, and by the 1990s, probably around 110. I expect the numbers are considerably higher than that by now.
Some of the change has been good, but in talking to farmers everywhere I go (and not just older farmers), many will say that they don't necessarily like having to operate their farms the way that they do these days. Most are under a great deal of stress as the cash flows which they are working with are immense. The profit isn't actually that large when all is said and done, but the input costs are massive and so the crop yields are critical year to year. Huge investments in equipment have to be continuously made -- buying larger and larger equipment, larger capacity corn driers, etc... There is so much riding on each year's crop yield that there can't be any "mistakes" -- including uncooperative weather. Crop insurance only covers so much and is a major expense.
The relationship between farmers and livestock has also changed dramatically. Many farmers don't actually care much for some of what goes on. It's a tough call -- you either go along with intensive livestock practices, or you probably have to go out of business. And then there's the impact on the environment -- a problem that is snowballing as farms are required to supply more and more food for an increasingly cheap price. Eventually, something has to give and the chickens will come home to roost.
It will be interesting to see where it all goes, and where it ends. |
