APB agenda 112205 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Here's the bottom line. Some farmers run prof- itable operations and enjoy a comfortable stan- dard. of living. Others earn i.-nore modest returns and count on outside income froi.n a spouse or a second job. Still others may have trouble paying farm expenses. Most farmers will tell you they love their work and way of life, even with the challenges-and stresses. Btlt regardless of size, profitability, or product, farming is a 24/7 com- mitment. New York farms have Become more productive over the years while the total amount of acreage farmed has declined. More than 225,000 farms were spread across an expanse of nearly 23 mil - lion acres in this state at the turn of the 20th. century. By the end. of the century, fewer than 40,000 farms were left covering about seven million. acres of land. Most lanai released from farming has reverted to forest. The rest has been "urbanized." What accounts for these trends? 1 Poor fi..n.ancial. returns 1 Marginal soils 1 No heirs to take over 1 High price offered for l.a..n.d. (e.g., alternative use as housing or commerci,U devel.o.pment) 1 Physical and mental exhaustion 1 Technological change and globalization of markets 0 Meanwhile, the number cif large. farms has increased. 'T'echnolagy tends to favor ex- pansion by letting farmers benefit from econo- mies of scale. Farmers save on labor and time by making greater use of their machinery in:iagine a highly automated milking parlor. Witli the latest equipment and up -to -date de- sign, one person*can milk 120 cows an hour. But a milking parlor can cost close to $1 mil- lion, which means the farmer needs a minimum of several hundred cows to justify the invest- ment. Now consider a more traditional, lower - tech barn. Given tl..).e equipment and design limitations, one person may be able to milk 40 to 50 cows an hour. It's hard to keep a large herd with this kind of setup. Bigger h.a.ppens to be preferred. by many food processors and retailers as well. In the fruit and vegetable sector, priority is often given to producers who can consistently deliver pre - determined quantities of product while meeting quality, size, and packaging specifications. But guess what? (And this is a neat paradox.) The number of small farms in New York lia.s also jumped- in recent. gears. Think organic letauce and eggplant, baby car- rots and zucchinis, artisan.al cheese from Bel- gian sheep. Small - scale operations, devoted to high value -added and niche products aimed at affluent urban and suburban markets, offer a fresh counterpoint to the Standardization that is typical of large- scale enterprises.