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The Future of Farming

Challenges to sustainability

Farmers always have faced serious challenges from nature, enduring storms and foul weather when work must be done, discomfort and sometimes danger. Pride in coaxing nutritious and flavorful foods from the land compensates for long hours and low pay.

Today, family-scale farms today are struggling more than ever to survive as policies favor agribusinesses and industrial-scale fields and feedlots.

The following topics and links provide information on some of the most serious challenges to sustaining our farm communities.

Attracting new farmers

• A new generation of farmers, Sound Consumer, October 2006

Flood control and conservation

• Creek restoration at Ames Creek Farm, Sound Consumer, April 2007
• Flood relief fund for Ames Creek farmers, Sound Consumer, December 2006
• Nourishing the life of soil, Sound Consumer, March 2006.

Health insurance for farmers

• A little help for our friends at Rents Due, Sound Consumer, April 2006.
• New farmer health insurance relies on collective bargaining, Sound Consumer, July 2007

Saving the bees

• The buzz that makes the world go round, Sound Consumer, April 2006.
• Need for bees, Sound Consumer, March 2005.
• Genetic engineering unfriendly to bees, organic is best, Sound Consumer, February 2007.