Dramatic Increase in Number of Small Farms, Reasons for Optimism
Whilst the nation's largest farms get larger, small farms have been growing at a remarkable rate. Farms under 50 acres grew by 15 percent between 2002 and 2007 to 853,000, whilst farms under 10 acres grew by a massive 30 percent to 232,000. With younger operators, lowers sales, and fewer acres, this is exactly what the sustainable food movement have long suggested we need.
Many farmers only work part-time, but it's unclear whether this is down to a growth in the number of hobby farms, or whether the farms simply don't make enough money. Denise Beno Anderson runs a five-acre farm, she told the AP, "I had my taste of the city, and I got tired of the sirens and the helicopters and the traffic and the smells, and I felt more comfortable in a rural setting." She enjoys 50 customers who pay for a regular allotment of food.
With the Obama administration pushing Farmers' Markets harder than ever — USDA funds increased farmers' markets by 13% last year — farmers may enjoy success to complement their new numbers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told NPR that "in the last five years, we saw 108,000 new farming operations get started with sales of less than $10,000...very small farms, but they are a very important component of our agriculture." He channels Michael Pollan by linking this to the healthcare debate, and hopes these efforts make people more concious of where their food comes from — strong, encouraging words from a man often criticized for being too friendly with Monsanto and agribusiness.
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