why is there a continued loss of Family farms, and an increase in Corporate farms?

Question

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Answer 1

Farming is a capital intensive enterprise. With the price of land, the taxes on the land, the price of equipment and the low cost of corn, soybeans, etc., there is no profit for the farmer. Unless the farmer goes into a labor intensive enterprise, such as producing organic products, they can't make a living off of what they produce. With the corporate farms, the same equipment can be used to farm 1,000's of acres which makes the per acre cost much less.

Answer 2

Family farms usually are less productive than larger, Corporate owned farms.

Answer 3

Because many Family Farms are unwilling to change and realize that they cannot be the same thing that Corprate Farms are. The idea that my daddy did it this way, my granddaddy did it this way, his daddy did it that way and if its good enough for them it's good enough for me.... Outdated.

For a Family farm to be sucessful they need to be diversified, and direct marketers. They need to realize that they will spend as many hours on marketing as they will on a tractor. If I can sell a customer $5 a pound lettuce, how many feet of lettuce does it take to equal one acre of soybeans? Not many...

In addition the national subsidy system benifits large corprate farms, and gives them the leverage to get bigger.

A great book is "Raising less corn, more hell" by George B. Pyle. Check it out.

Answer 4

Cuz the farmers' kids want to move to the city and become dentists, engineers, and investors.