These past few weeks we’ve been discussing a considerable range of topics in class, including (but not limited to) pest management, organic certification, and food safety. We are also finalizing our crop plans, getting a sense of the land, seeding onions and leeks and doing anything and everything we can to sell CSA shares (meaning more vegetable costumes). The biggest thing I’ve taken away from all of it is an understanding of just how hard it is to be a farmer. The phrase “having a lot on your plate” comes to mind, but that doesn’t even come close to doing it justice. Rather, it’s the realization that essentially the entire system is against us (“us” being the small scale-organic farmer). Or at least that’s how I’ve been feeling lately.
Growing food organically is not glamorous. Many farms are opposed to organic certification: to some it only means spending money (on top of the extra costs of growing organically versus conventionally), and lots of paperwork and records. To us, we collectively decided, the organic seal is essential for our markets-especially Big Y.
However, we recently were notified that in order to continue this relationship with Big Y we must soon comply with new food safety regulations that are costly (especially for small farms), reduce efficiency, and require records so thorough that each product sold has to be able to be traced every step of the way on its journey from field to supermarket. Not to mention some absurd regulations (try to keep wildlife and their feces out of your fields!??)
On top of all this we are forced to deal with the politics of the university and more regulations- the greenhouse we put together, we decided, was so structurally sound it could survive an apocalypse. Permits are required for almost everything, no matter how temporary. Almost everything we have to do in order to stay afloat requires brainwork, figuring, money…nothing is straightforward.
This realization of the extra costs and work put into running a farm organically brought up the question of whether we should charge more for our products than conventionally grown ones. Our product should be available to those of every income level…right? The question got a lot more real when we were told how little the average farmer earns and how close that number is to the poverty line.
Again and again I felt like there was no solution or easy way around any of it. All of it left me feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, certain that there is no way to grow a significant amount of food sustainably while supporting yourself and keeping your product at a reasonable price.
Yet, there is hope! Despite all of this, there are people that are doing it! Last week we got the chance to visit a rad farm close to campus called Queens Greens, a decent size operation specializing in (you guessed it) greens. Too many farms fail or are managed poorly when folks go into farming not understanding the work it takes, adding to the feeling of hopelessness… but seeing a farm first hand that does it really really well can sometimes make up for all of it.
Alas, we still need all the support we can get. So next time you begin to tell us farming isn’t a “real job” think about all of this, and then think about what you would be eating if it wasn’t for farmers.
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