Michelle Morgan
Farming is a lifestyle. To a farmer, this phrase causes ripples of frustration, because farming is more than a lifestyle. At its core, farming is a business. Few people relish in waking up before the sunrise to bust up ice formed in water troughs or set alarms at hourly intervals to remove snow from greenhouse roofs. Of course, farmers don’t complain about these tasks as they are inherent and critical functions to the success of their farm business.
ASD strives to combat common misconceptions regarding agriculture in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. According to the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture there are multiple misconceptions.
common misconceptions regarding American agriculture:
» The United States imports more agricultural products than it exports.
» U.S. agriculture has a positive trade balance, meaning that we export more than we import. Next time you shop, check to see if your grocery store features locally grown products and try to purchase those items. This small change in your buying behaviors can lead to more locally produced offerings on your grocery store shelves and help preserve the rural beauty of your community.
» Most of the money spent on food goes back to the farmer.
» When shopping at farmer’s markets this is mostly true depending on if the person selling the produce actually grew the produce. If you aren’t sure, ask the person tending the market stand if they grew it or if they are reselling. When purchasing from grocery stores, the amount of money going back to the farmer is considerably less. According to Food and Farm Facts, 2013, of every retail dollar spent, 84 cents goes to off-farm expenses including marketing, processing, wholesaling, distribution, and retailing leaving only 16 cents per retail dollar to the farmer. Off-farm expenses continue to rise while costs of inputs on-farm continues to rise. Purchasing from local producers helps keep more of your retail dollar in the pocket of your farmer whether purchased at a farmer’s market or at your local grocery store because the product doesn’t require as much handling and transportation.
» Agriculture uses the greatest concentration of chemical pesticides per acre in the United States.
» Homeowners use the greatest concentration of chemical pesticides per acre according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Did you apply pesticides to your yard to get rid of dandelion? What about spraying for insects in your home? In fact, homeowners apply up to 10 times more pesticides per acre than farmers. Next time you see those early yellow flowers in your yard, leave them be because they are usually the first food available for valuable pollinators (like honeybees) that in turn help produce the food that you rely on.
When eating your next meal, think of the care that went into getting that product to your plate. Buy what you will eat, cook it well, eat it all and thank a farmer or rancher.
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