Promoting Traditional and Sustainable Farming

‘Till the Cows Come Home says it right in the name. There is no substitution for traditional land tillage.

Traditional vs Modern Farming

Farming practices are generally categorized as “Traditional vs Modern” or sometimes “Organic vs Chemical”. Below is a quick guide on the benefits and drawbacks to each. While this guide is only meant to “scratch the surface”, it does give a pretty clear picture as to why traditional farming outperforms modern farming.

Benefits to Traditional farming…

  • Soil health

  • Water retention

  • Increased nutrients

  • Friendlier to environment

  • Cover crops (weed control)

  • Compost

  • Rotational grazing

  • Improved drinking water quality

  • Creates more jobs

  • Sustainable

Drawbacks to Traditional farming…

  • Increased labor

  • More fuel consumption

  • Less production per acre

Benefits to Modern farming…

  • Requires less labor

  • Higher productivity per acre

  • Meets global food demands

Drawbacks to Modern farming…

  • Decreases soil health

  • Requires expensive chemicals

  • Less healthy food and crops

  • Additional equipment

  • Negative environmental impact

  • Negatively impacts drinking water

  • Requires spray certifications

  • Not sustainable

  • Decreased worker safety

  • More upfront cost per acre

Finding a Balance

Over the last 80+ years we have seen a steady decline in small farms. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of small farms in the United States peaked at 6.8 million in 1940. Today, there are less than 1.8 million small farms in the United States, each doing roughly 100 acres or less. The data tells us that unless you “get big” you are essentially forced out of competition in terms of producing enough to support your business.

We are hoping that we can find a way to turn the curve around. There needs to be a balance between meeting local and global economic demands, while also ensuring small farms can remain profitable. Often times herbicides and pesticides are a necessary part of farming, and just the same, there is often times no need to apply these harsh chemicals to your ground. The goal is to not completely eliminate nor rely upon these modern farming techniques to remain profitable. The balance is in the knowledge on how to keep your small farm sustainable and healthy.

Aspiring young farmers across the United States need to feel like they aren’t “losing ground” to Big Agriculture.

Source: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=58268

Image Sources:

Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017778193

https://www.pexels.com/photo/farm-tractor-used-in-a-cornfield-14242188/ (free to use)