It’s sad on so many levels to drive by farmland that is “Up for Sale.” First, it means that the farmer isn’t doing well financially and probably having a hard time making the farm a viable business – maybe the taxes are “killing him”? And second, it often means that the land will be developed for industry or housing. While no one begrudges folks a place to live, or a way to make a living, for many reasons, we mourn the loss of that farm, that beautiful open land.
At Woodstock Farms, we support farmers all over the globe. We acknowledge the important work they do, and we work with them to ensure the continuance of their livelihoods. Without the folks engaged in agricultural endeavors, we would have no food, textiles or fuel. It’s as simple as that. How many of us have the time to grow all of our own food, weave our own cloth and cut our own timber. Our lives are not structured that way. We depend on farmers to do this for us
But farmland does not just produce crops, it creates wildlife habitats, provides a home for indigenous plants and improves the quality of the air we breathe. It also soothes our souls. Our emotional health, as well as our physical health, is improved by the existence of open farm land.
Preserving farmland can be achieved a number of ways, such as instituting tax relief for the farmers, developing flourishing local marketing strategies, creating farm subsidies and so forth. But we, the consumers, are also responsible for preserving the farms by purchasing the produce grown on them.
One current potential for economic disaster that should be acknowledged is the regulation of farm land. If land use is restricted by law, it constrains the farmer in his ability to use that land in the way he sees fit. If the land ceases to be as profitable because of these constraints, then the value can drop. Since the land is the farmer’s primary collateral for financing crops, he is at serious financial risk. The old saying “money makes money” is just as true in farming. A farmer has to show he is making money before financial institutions will lend him money. A Catch-22...
Land, in its natural state, benefits us in so many ways. It’s emotionally refreshing to see open land, it’s gratifying to know that this land provides a habitat for so many animals and plant life, and the botanical processes, such as transpiration, provide us with healthier air to breathe.
But the land that provides us with food and sustenance is the best of all.
Farming is a tradition and a heritage that is important to our way of life, and we must all help to preserve it.
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