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I think the problem is much more complicated then just advocating a small farm at the end of each block and just buy expensive vegetables at whole foods and the problem will eventually go away. I grew up with a garden in the backyard that I was responsible for. I go to farmers markets and I know there is nothing better then eating fresh picked veggies. But how are you going to expect everyone to start canning their summer time fruits and vegetables if they want to eat the same type of produce in the winter time? Do you really see top notch restaurants in NYC to only be serving local winter harvest produce?

Sadie,

Of course the small farm gets way more for its crop. The Midwest farmer is forced by markets, government and Ag industries to grow wheat, soy and corn, all crap crops that are commodities. They don’t get to choose how much they will sell thier harvest for. So by a distorted result, a pound of corn is worth nothing compared to a pound of organic tomatos. You can argue why doesn’t the Midwest farmer grow organic tomatoes? Because the entire Midwest Ag system is built off of corn, soy and wheat. That’s just one of many things you have to change to fix our food problem.

I grew up near a bunch of small farms. Many don’t exist anymore. Where are you going to get the land for all these new small farms? How about permits? Like it or not, most people don’t like living next to farms. How are small farms going to feed the largest growing city in America, Las Vegas? There is no such thing as sustainable farming in the desert. The distribution from small farms to feed large cities that can’t grow its own food would be extremely inefficient. Where on earth are you going to find enough new framers? Fact, at the beginning of the 20th century, half the population was involved in AG. Now, only 3% of the population works in the AG industry.

Check out the statement from the UN:
http://www.un.org/ga/president/63/statements/foodcrisis60409.shtml

JP - I think they can be. On a pound-per-acre basis, these small family farms have been more productive than large-scale industrial farms. In fact, large industrial-sized farms with more than 200,000 acres only generate about $21 per acre per year in the U.S. while smaller farms with only 10 or less acres generate more than $1000 per year! That's good for biodiversity, the environment and the economy.

Your right Sadie, it’s all about the bottom line. Midwest Farmers are slaves to it if they want to keep their land and keep farming. Otherwise they will be swallowed up by even bigger farms. It’s a vicious cycle that only the framer and us the consumers are penalized by. Once again the sustainable movement has some good ideas on a small scale and are really good at telling the majority of farmers they are bad people. Yet as always, they don’t describe in any detail on a realistic solution to suitability and locally grow food for all 300 million people in this country and the millions more fed by our AG exports.

Are these AG movements or niche interests in framing even close to be large enough to start a so called slow food revelation of new local farms that will feed 300 million people that live in this country?

Isn't WNYC sponsored by listeners? I agree about Monsanto. An ad says "to feed 9 billion people farmers must double production again” when the problem isn't shortage at all but rather the problem of access which is caused by agribusiness. Monsanto certainly doesn't care about feeding the hungry, they care about their bottom line.

Leonard,

In the interest of full disclosure, please ask your guests about Monsanto.

Abstract discussion only goes so far, you should be calling the villains by name.

How much does the price of oil affect the profits that you make? I know that a lot of B.T.U.’s go into producing fertilizer, running tractors and transporting farm products to consumers so I wonder if it is difficult to make a profit by farming.

So were do you get all these new farmers?

How do you justify taking away land from a family owned for generations to give to other farmers who never worked that land?

If you divide 1000 acre farm into 10 100 acre farms, your going to go from using 5 tractors to 20 tractors to farm the same land. How is this ecologically better?

I believe WNYC is sponsored by Monsanto. They pay you to you read Monsanto's lie of a mission statement that claims a commitment to sustainability and humanity or thereabouts.

Of course Monsanto is a disgusting corporation. They sue small farmers whose own seed lines were accidentally cross contaminated/pollinated by Monsanto's lines for copyright infringement

Is your farm completely mechanized when it comes to seeding and harvesting? Or do you require a lot of hand work?

Please ask your guests what should happen to very large farms in the Mid west (1000+ acres), whether they are commercially owned or not. Should they just be eliminated? Should they be divided up? What happens to the families that own these farms if they should go away?