Regarding the Environment isn't anyone else concerned with the loss of food producing farms??

Question

In America small farms are being bought out by huge corporations and we are losing about 5 farms a day. All of the food that has been in storage is being depleted.

Perhaps many who don't know Agriculture just think food pops up in the stores and at McDonalds and they don't realize that it must be grown, harvested, processed and purchased before it magically appears.

This seems like shooting holes in the bottom of the only ship we have.........

Someone Please????

I plant vegatables and support small farmers

Correct Chuyito !
I understand (not verified) that Beets [which aren't allowed to be used] are 30 times more efficient than corn....

Answer 1

Actually, the whole issue is completely ridiculous. Farmland is disappearing left and right, yet no one complains. All the big companies are up each others' asses.

Cheap housing is being put in at a risk to everyone. If a fire were to break out, it would spread like a forest fire, jumping from house to house (seeing as most of these disgusting buildings are less than 10 feet away.)

Even more an issue is the way we obtain our food. Yes, farmland is being wiped out at an unbelievable rate. However, to compensate for this and for various other stupid reasons, farmers and corporations turn to genetic engineering. Birth control is used in corn, phosphorescent products are used in tubers, and sterile plants are sent overseas to third world countries. This means that the seeds they receive and plant are one time use ONLY...therefore meaning that they will have to result in purchasing products EVERY YEAR from big companies that are in it solely for the profit.

As you mentioned, people do not consider these things. To elaborate, McDonalds and KFC feed their chickens with soy products grown in the Amazon Rainforest in South America. The rainforests are being destroyed at an alarming rate to become farmland. The downside is that the rich, fertile soil only remains rich and fertile for one or two growing seasons. The land is raped. And after that, it is useless; almost nothing will grow.

Then you reach the topic of ethanol. In my personal opinion, this is a black hole going nowhere. This will take even more farmland away from America and other countries worldwide. Why are people persuing and funding so much money into research of ethanol rather than hydrogen where emissions consist of H20 and nothing else? Why ethanol rather than furthering the hybrid age? Why ethanol instead of finding something better than what we know of now? People are blind.

Millions of acres of our homeland are being wiped out as we speak, whether it be for logging, housing, or industrial growth. People need to be awakened, yet no one acts unless it affects them directly.



The world will not wake up until it is much too late.

Answer 2

It's not about running out so much as losing quality. The worst part about the huge corporate farms is the bottom line is all they care about, not quality. My vet told me about a huge 5000 cow dairy about an hour from here. She hates getting calls from them, because they only call when the cow is too far gone to save. She doesn't come off the line until she's down for good. There is another dairy, 5 generation owned and operated, another hour from me. They use 100% natural feed and the best stuff for their cows, and the milk is 100 times better than anything else. They bottle it in returnable glass bottles too. It costs a little more but it's worth it. I try to always buy local grown or direct from the farm when I can. I'd rather my money go to someone who actually cares about producing a quality product.

If people actually SAW how their food was produced by the big guys, vs how it was produced by the smaller farmers, they'd understand, but most people don't get it.

Answer 3

yes this could definatly be a problem, But consider this:

With the new fuel "ethanol" being made from corn, the amount of corn available for food will go down, and therefore with a Higher Quantity Demand for Corn, the Prices will go up.

Mexico is already suffering from this, the price of corn has gone up 2 to 3 times of what it was simply last year, all because investors are buying it all to make fuel out of it,

well does it seem fair that people might be starving because they dont have enough money to buy food just because others want to find a cheaper alternative for fuel?

This is but one of the many examples of agricultural related problems that will strike and grow within the next few years.... People just act without thinking of the consequences...

Answer 4

I agree, I understand exactly what you are saying. I live in a relatively small town area. I know personally that larger farms have took over small ones. You find that they do what is best for their bottom line, profits.

The bigger the farms are the higher the prices they can charge. The small farmer cannot compete with big farmer.

Answer 5

I live in a rural area in Ohio and see it all the time. My biggest aggravation is seeing all the farmland being bought by developers who build enormous subdivisions on it. Then people move out here from the city and end up hating it because it's alot of work. They love the idea of having 2-5 acres to live on, but they don't account for the fact that alot of their free time is spent mowing and taking care of things. My house is 100 yrs old and has character. I refuse to take land to build a big new house on when there are plenty already built to choose from. I wish more people would take that into consideration before building a new house that looks just like the one next to them.

Answer 6

Ok, I see where you can say that we are losing 5 farms a day, but I think those are small farms being bought by larger conglomerates. Those larger companies still farm on that land, right? So are we losing farmland, or just mom & pop farms?

I don't see where food in storage is being depleted, can you expand on that? Grain threshers are now driven by GPS because farms are getting so big.

Answer 7

Why, have you noticed your grocery store running out of food? I didn't think so.

Perhaps many who don't know Economics just think that if a small farm sells out one day that we have that much less food. It isn't true on a number of counts:

1) if any particular food is scarce compared to the demand, then more farms will grow it.
2) if a farm is inefficient relative to its competitors, it may quit being a farm
3) if the best use for a particular piece of land changes from being farming to being a subdivision, the farm will eventually be sold.
4) if enough farms quit being farms, the remaining farms may be able to make more money and survive better

Answer 8

We are one of the small family farms. We milk 30 cows. We know of people who have 500 cows and call it a family farm. Maybe it is with several generations working on it.
Our state, Mn, has lost several farms and so have other states. It's expensive to farm; cows, grain, hay, equipment, and for many years low milk prices.
The small farms may be going out, but someone buys the cows and adds to their herds, so the cow numbers and what they produce may be the same.

Answer 9

Yes we are very worried that the U.S.A. is losing too much farmland and that we are becoming too dependent of foreign products.

All persons can help protect farmland by contact their local government officials and urging them to protect existing farmland by passing "farm friendly" legislation that prohibits the "taking" of farm land for commercial purposes.

You can also help support your local farmer by buying local fruit and produce, and shopping at your local Farmers' Market.

Answer 10

I know one thing, the moment there is a food shortage because all the small farmers are gone, there will be a million aspiring farmers in one year. the next year the food will be gown again... the human race simply cant do without and in the countries where they have the resources to grow it, it will be grown. But I agree, it's scary that it is not better managed and cared for. blublubblub...