The Original How-to Magazine of Alternative and Traditional Crops, Livestock, and Direct Marketing—Established 1984
Editorials...
From the Ridge:
Mar/Apr 2008: Water, Water...
Jan/Feb 2008: Keeping the Fire Going
Sep/Dec 2007: A Look Back, and Moving On
Jul/Oct 2007: The Truth: An Irate Editorial
May/Jun 2007: Carbon Credits
Mar/Apr 2007: A New Year
Jul-Oct 2006: Say No to NAIS
May/Jun 2006: Planning Ahead
Jan/Feb 2006: Reading This Magazine
Nov/Dec 2005: Show Lessons
Sep/Oct 2005: A Farm by any Other Name...
Jul/Aug 2005: Poor Planning: Patenting Life and Preemptive Laws
May/Jun 2005: The Best Show in the Country
Mar/Apr 2005: Our Connection to the Earth
Jan/Feb 2005: Pricing Your Product
Nov/Dec 2004: Better Than Ever
Sep/Oct 2004: A Risky Business
Jul/Aug 2004: Sustainable Ag in Danger in Missouri
May/Jun 2004: Spring Renewal
Mar/Apr 2004: A Mostly Happy Anniversary to Us
Jan/Feb 2004: What Are Your Plans?
Nov/Dec 2003: Ramblings From the Ridge
Sep/Oct 2003: Some Risks You Have to Take
Jul/Aug 2003: Problems with the Farm Problem—Technology is Not the Answer
May/Jun 2003: Planning for the Show
Mar/Apr 2003: Old Breeds and Old Seeds
Jan/Feb 2003: A New Year, A New Cycle
Dec 2002: Start Planning Now! The New Year Brings New Opportunities!
Sep/Oct/Nov 2002: The Show is Here! Ten Years and Still Growing!
Jul/Aug 2002: Saving Seeds Makes Your Farm More Sustainable
May/Jun 2002: 10,000 for the 10th Show
Mar/Apr 2002: Biotechnology is NOT Saving the World
Jan/Feb 2002: Farm Numbers Dwindling? They Don't Have To.
Nov/Dec 2001: The Farm Program. Yes or No? or Why?
Sep/Oct 2001: Nothing is Inevitable
Jul/Aug 2001: A Problem With Soybeans
May/Jun 2001: Changes in Current Farming (and an apology)
Mar/Apr 2001: Trade Show Talk
Jan/Feb 2001: Changing Our Thinking
Nov/Dec 2000: Good Life, Good Money
Sep/Oct 2000: The GM Blues
Jul/Aug 2000: Eurofarming
May/Jun 2000: Doom and Gloom and Optimism
Mar/Apr 2000: Opportunity Knocks
Jan/Feb 2000: 2000 and Beyond
Oct/Nov/Dec 1999: Choosing the Right Solutions
Aug/Sep 1999: Attitude for Success
Jun/Jul 1999: Sex in the Field–and in the Laboratory
Apr/May 1999: The More Things Change...
Feb/Mar 1999: Protecting the Future
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2000 and Beyond
Editorial from the January/February 2000 issue of Small Farm Today® magazine.
I am writing this in the last month of 1999, at the close of this century. By the time you read this, we will have started down the road of the year 2000 and the century ahead. A few weeks will have elapsed since I wrote this, really no different than any other span of weeks, yet still seeming to have crossed a profound change. As farmers, as humans, we need change, so that we can grow–and grow up.
The real problem is that although we may need to change, it is hard to actually do it. I think everyone will agree that agriculture is in trouble–I would call it a crisis–but too many solutions involve just fixing up the current way of doing things. To try something new is just too hard for some to face. And even if you decide to do something new–say for a current "traditional" family farmer to try alternative crops and direct marketing–it is still very hard to actually do it. It is hard to market yourself and your farm if you have never been a salesman. It is hard to think in terms of square feet when you have been working with hundreds of acres. But usually, if you persevere and work hard, the change will be well worth it.
Maybe some of the Y2K fears were just an expression of fear of change–that some problems that needed correction were exaggerated just because they are occurring at a "time of change", the rollover to a new millennium. I, myself, do not believe that there will be any ill effects that last beyond a few days. (Of course, if I'm wrong and you're reading this by the light of a candle that you're huddled around for heat, you can write in and say how wrong I was.)
Although I do not believe there will be any special events or catastrophes connected to the year 2000, I still believe this is a time of change. We are witnessing the waning of one type of agriculture, the "traditional" industrial/monoculture/chemical-based megafarm, and the beginning of a sustainable, community-oriented, directly marketed agripreneurship. I have hopes that before the decade turns again, this will be the type of agriculture referred to as "traditional".
"But wait," some critics cry. "You say we need change and growth, but you're just turning back to the past, going back to old discarded ways." Well, to me change and growth do not have to involve rejecting the past. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's obsolete–just because it's new doesn't mean it's better. I believe that good growth involves taking the best of the past and combining it with the best of the present for a better future. That is what I try to do in this magazine.
Small Farm Today® will be turning 16 years young in March of 2000, and because of the loyal support of you readers and our advertisers, we are still going strong–and getting stronger. The magazine, too, will continue to change and grow in the coming years; hopefully as we change we will never lose sight of our vision, to preserve and promote small farming, rural living, sustainability, community, and agripreneurship.
Speaking of support, I want to thank the 3,251 farmers and farmers-to-be from 42 states who came to our 7th National Small Farm Trade Show & Conference™ last November. I also want to extend a heartfelt thanks to the sponsors who helped make it possible, including Orscheln's, the Missouri Beef Council, John Deere, the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, USDA-CSREES Sustainable Research and Education program, Liar's Lake, Stachowski Alpacas, NBC-8, and the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The support of our exhibitors and the genuine interest and energy of our attendees made this our best show yet (we admit to being biased, but we always are when it comes to small farmers)!
We listened carefully to the comments and suggestions of our speakers, exhibitors, and attendees, and hope to correct and improve those aspects of the show that troubled you. We intend the show to grow and change, too.
We have already started designing the 2000 show, and plan to bring you many more new and exciting talks and events. It is not too late to write, e-mail, or call in your suggestions, if you haven't already done so. The Show will take place on November 3-4, 2000, at the Boone County Fairgrounds in Columbia, Missouri. Sponsors include USDA-CSREES SARE, Missouri Department of Agriculture, and Alpha Ag. As a special New Year's present to me, I would appreciate if you would tell all your friends and neighbors about the show. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have 5,000 small family farmers from all 50 states gathered in one place, sharing their ideas, enthusiasm, and support for each other?
There is one other change that has taken place with the turn of the year, and it is a sad one. Mark Arends, who has been working for the magazine for the last six years, has accepted a job in Iowa, closer to his family. His help with the show, his ability to work with the budget and correct mistakes, and his keen business knowledge will all be sorely missed. Most of all, though, we will miss his steadiness, his friendliness, and his sense of humor. I wish Mark all the best in his new job–and if you ever want to come back, Mark, we'll always have a place open for you.
That's it for now. Here at Small Farm Today® magazine, we plan to keep bringing you the latest and greatest information you can use to keep your place profitable and sustainable. May all your small farm dreams and plans come true in the new millennium.
Happy New Year and Profitable Farming,
Ron Macher
Publisher/Farmer