Making Small Farms Work
Small-scale farming systems already grow 50% of our food calories on 30% of the agricultural land. When access to inputs and conditions are equal, smaller farms tend to be more productive per hectare than much larger farms.
Making Small Farms Work
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Rural and urban societies and economies alike benefit from prosperous and productive small farms. This creates jobs and wealth for their communities, reduces pressure on young people to migrate, and contributes to more stable and peaceful societies.
First, we need to make markets work for small-scale farmers. Even in advanced economies, only a tiny fraction of the retail price of food reaches the farmer. The situation is even worse in low- and middle-income countries.
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Small-scale farming has both advantages over conventional farming as well as some drawbacks that you should be aware of. Here are some of our top arguments for and against small farms and some general things to consider.
Competition is a critical element of our free market economy and is particularly important in agriculture. Consumers understand almost instinctively that market domination by a single powerful business can lead to higher prices. Less obvious is the role that lack of competition has played in squeezing out small and midsize farms and ranches and in changing the nature of animal agriculture across the country.
Richard Perkins presents a clear and pragmatic approach to designing, installing and managing profitable small farms that are built around his vision of restoring the dignity of rural stewardship through intelligent human-scale farming. It provides a deep look into the ecological, practical, personal and financial realms of making small farms work.
This is a comprehensive farmer-developed guidebook showing how no-till approaches can lower barriers to starting a small farm, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases efficiency and profitability, and promotes soil health. It includes a decision-making framework for the four no-till methods: occulation, solarization, organic mulches grown in place, and applied to beds; ideas for starting a no-till farm or transitioning a working farm; and a list of tools, supplies, and sources.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, factory farms provide more than 80% of milk in the market. However, there is a continuing decline in the number of licensed dairy farms, which leaves opportunities for new entrepreneurs with available land in rural areas to explore. Note that dairy farms with less than 100 cows are considered small but still require considerable investment, not to mention, the numerous rules they must follow before being awarded a license to operate.
If you live in an area where cannabis use is legal, then you should take advantage of the available space and start your own small cannabis farm. Although you can produce better quality plants in a controlled environment, the easiest way to start is growing them outdoors. Having a large backyard is an advantage; It helps keep your investment low, while giving you a flexible space with which to work.
Agri- or farm tourism is a business model that derives the majority of its income from attracting visitors to experience and learn about farm life. Agritourism activities include visiting a working farm and selling fresh, organic, or even homemade produce. Both urban and rural farms benefit from this business structure, but business owners will have to invest more in advertising and marketing strategies.
Fruit picking is a popular weekend activity for families, and small farms have found this to be a lucrative venture. Most entrepreneurial farmers who consider offering fruit picking have had a running farm for some time and are looking to expand their income method. There are also hobbyists who are interested in starting from scratch, but they are more focused on generating income from the tourism aspect of the farm.
Anna is a retail expert writer for Fit Small Business, contributing to our POS and payments sections. She has evaluated dozens of software for small business owners. Her experience in business and finance led her to work for a US risk mitigation company in its regional Singapore office. She holds a degree in accountancy with a minor in financial management.
Hired farmworkers make up less than 1 percent of all U.S. wage and salary workers, but they play an essential role in U.S. agriculture. According to data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture, wages and salaries plus contract labor costs represented just 12 percent of production expenses for all farms, but 43 percent for greenhouse and nursery operations and 39 percent for fruit and tree nut operations.
Hired farmworkers are found in a variety of occupations, including field crop workers, nursery workers, livestock workers, graders and sorters, agricultural inspectors, supervisors, and hired farm managers. The majority are wage and salary workers, hired directly by farmers, but some are employees of agricultural service companies, including farm labor contractors, custom harvest providers, and management service providers. Many industrywide employment estimates also include support personnel on farms, such as human resource managers, sales agents, and truck drivers.
The sickle bar mower was the first mechanical mower and was originally pulled by horses. The design is much the same today as it was then. The mower works with a reciprocating action, moving triangular blades back and forth between stationary guard fingers. Each back and forth action shears off any grass or vegetation that is between the stationary fingers. The action is the same as a set of barber's clippers cutting hair. This type of mower can be used to cut hay as well as for other general mowing duties. The best sickle bar mowers currently being produced uses a double action where the guard moves in the opposite direction from the blades. This doubles the effective blade speed, and also greatly reduces machine vibration, making it quieter, more comfortable to use, and longer lasting. An example of this type of mower is the DCM ltalia 150, a 5 foot mower.
Belt rakes, however, have a number of advantages over rotary rakes. For the same raking width, belt rakes are much more compact in size, making them much easier to use and store. Their compactness and lighter weight also makes them easier for your tractor to lift, making transport and navigation of rough terrain simpler. They are available in a wider range of working widths, from over 10 feet down to 5 feet making them ideal for working in tight spaces like orchards and pine plantations.
The versatility of a belt rake cannot be matched by any other type of rake. Going from rake to tedder is as easy as removing the hay stop and making a wheel adjustment, requiring only a few seconds and no tools. Lowering the rake with a simple adjustment of the wheels allows the tines to aggressively contact the ground, which is great for dethatching lawns or preparing a seedbed for planting. The smaller sizes also make terrific leaf rakes, further increasing their value on the small farm.
The word is spreading about mini round balers, also called roto-balers. Once a rare oddity, many small farmers are finding that they are the best choice for getting their hay in the barn. The compact round baler works on the same principle as its bigger cousin, rolling the hay inside a chamber until it reaches a certain size, and then wrapping the bale with either twine or net and ejecting it out the rear of the machine.
Abbriata makes square balers in 3 sizes. The smallest of the three, the Mini/S, has a total width of only 59 inches, making it the narrowest baler in the compact square baler class. The narrow width is great if you have gates or trees through which you need to navigate. Requiring only 16 PTO horsepower, almost any tractor can power it.
While some South African dairy farms can number more than a thousand cows in milk, the average dairy herd in Argentina is far smaller. But dairy farmers in Argentina share a major obstacle with their SA counterparts: unfavourable agricultural policies.
Youth tractor and farm safety training teaches youth 14 years and older about safe equipment operation and general farm safety. This program is offered each summer at multiple training locations across the state. The cost of the training is $40 per student. Students who complete the program are eligible to receive a U.S. Department of Labor certificate of training. This certificate is required for 14- and 15-year-olds who wish to work on farms as employees. Visit -and-events/youth-tractor-and-farm-safety-training for more details.
The Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension has long recognized the value and importance of the sustainable agriculture practiced by small farms in the area. In 1994, the Chatham County Center created a new county agent position to support the unique needs of these small farmers. Today, this position is fully funded by the Chatham County government, which recognizes the value of sustainable agriculture to the county. Chatham County Agricultural Extension Agent Debbie Roos works with farmers to promote increased awareness, understanding, and practice of sustainable agriculture through monthly educational workshops, a website, on-farm visits, and other consultation.
The contribution small-scale farms make to the agriculture sector and their ability to survive in the current market was the topic of discussion on Day 2 of the Nation in Conversation series at the Nampo Harvest Day in Bothaville.
"We need to work with government so that we can access the markets in Europe and the Far East. If we don't create a bigger market to pull the smaller guys in, the pie is just going to get smaller. I think government hasn't worked closely enough with the private sector to enable us to do this. There's an opportunity now to do that." 041b061a72