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Word Gems
exploring self-realization, sacred personhood, and full humanity
John Ikerd
How Big Should A Small Farm Be?
A farm is a living organism – in many respects, like the body of a plant or an animal. A farm is a complex “organization” made up of biological organisms within the soil, of plants and animals above the soil, and of the farmer, who cares for the farm and lives from the farm. The health of the farm is dependent upon the health of its various elements, or “organs,” but also, upon the health of the relationships among the various organs that make up the living organism or farm as a whole. And, as with all other living organisms, each farm has a “healthy size,” beyond which its health begins to decline, and a “maximum size,” beyond which it will “become sick and die.” ...
In general, the health of a farm depends on its ecological, social, and economic dimensions. A healthy farm, as with any other living organism, must function in harmony within its ecological niche. The farm organization and the diversity of its enterprises must fit its natural environment and the diversity of its natural resources – its climate, land, and biological environment. A healthy farm also must function in harmony with the people who farm the land and the people affected by the way it is farmed – the farm family, community, and society. And a healthy farm must meet the realistic expectations of those who depend upon it for their economic livelihood...
Specialization allows the farm to be routinized, standardized, and expanded in size. With expansion comes the necessity of acquiring more land, inevitably creating conflicts between larger farmers and their neighbors. With expansion, farms begin to bypass local input suppliers and marketing channels, creating conflicts within the community. As farms become more specialized and larger, they adopt large-scale machinery and industrial farming methods, which pollute the natural environment with noise, dust, chemicals, and animal wastes, creating conflicts not only within the community but also with the larger society...
A farm is too big when its boundaries are no longer healthy, semi-permeable, or selective. A farm is too big when the farmer lives behind a wall of mutual contempt separating the farm and its neighbors because the farm has become a nuisance to the community. A farm is too big when it has become contractually dependent upon others to provide the technology, inputs, or markets the farm must have to survive. A farm is too big when the relationships between the farm and those who depend upon it have become purely economic relationships, with little consideration of how the farm contributes to their social and spiritual well-being.
How do you know if your farm is too big? Your farm may be too big if…
If the fence rows are either gone or so clean you no longer hear the birds singing.
If gullies appear on slopes and road ditches are filled with muddy water after a rain.
If the soil feels like pavement under your feet, or you don’t like walking across it anymore.
If the farm begins to look more like a sea or desert, rather than a patch work quilt.
If your cows no longer have names and your children wouldn’t know them if they did.
If your animals never feel the sun, don’t have room to walk, or never touch the dirt.
If your farm no longer smells like a farm but stinks like a sewer or a factory.
If it’s no longer safe for anyone but an adult to work with your machinery or chemicals.
If you work harder and harder, but it always seems there is more work to be done.
If a bigger tractor, combine, or new pickup truck seems like it might solve your problems.
If your banker or contractor owns more of your farm than you will ever own.
If the farm is keeping the family apart, or tearing it apart, rather than bringing it together.
If your children begin to dislike farm life and vow not to return to the farm.
If you no longer feel good about asking your family to live on a farm.
If you’re too busy to bother with community affairs, and rarely go into town anymore.
If you drive right through “your” town to buy things in the city, just to save a few dollars.
If neighbors complain about dust, noise, or odors from your farm, and you don’t care.
If caring for the land no longer gives purpose and meaning to your life.
If continuing the farming tradition feels more like a burden rather than a privilege.
If you’re too busy to notice changing seasons, to watch the sunset, or to feel the wind blow.
If farming is no longer exciting, no longer fun, if it’s hard to face a new season.
If you have forgotten why you wanted to be a farmer in the first place.
If very many of these things ring true, odds are your farm is too big.
How big should a small farm be? A farm is a living organism. Each farm has a right size and a size beyond which it begins to lose its health and vitality. A small farm should be big enough to fulfill its purpose, whether to generate income or support a desirable quality of life, but to do so without destroying the health or vitality of either the farmer or the land. A farm doesn’t have a natural biological process to limit it to a size that’s necessary to fulfill its purpose within the “grand order of things.” Thus, the farmer ultimately must decide how big a farm should be.
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