Russ Kremer, a diversified family farmer from Osage County, Mo., is president of the Missouri Farmers Union. He assists operations of Heritage Acres Foods, a farmer-owned and controlled network that markets family farmed, sustainable, natural and organic protein products.
The recently released Pew Commission report, “Industrial Farm Animal Production,” points out many of the practices and business structures characteristic of today’s industrialized systems are not necessarily smart, sustainable and acceptable to society.
The report simply raises the awareness the negative effects of these systems, backed by strong scientific evidence, are too great to ignore and changes must start now.
I believe common-sense change is inevitable. Several factors are coming together to cause this change: 1) We face the end of cheap energy. 2) More Americans are realizing intense concentration of livestock poses too many environmental and health risks. 3) Consumers today are wanting to know more about who, where and how their food is produced.
A sensible approach to this change is in the best interest of farmers, consumers, our communities and the environment.
During the past 40 years, two culprits — more concentration and less diversity — have taken away market power from farmers and confidence from consumers.
Before that time, livestock production was commonly part of a diversified farming enterprise in which farmers fed their home-grown crops to livestock and applied the manure as a fertilizer source. They could depend on profitability opportunity with a number of livestock buyers producing a competitive bidding system.
In fact, hogs used to be called the “mortgage lifters” because farmers could dependably bank on profits from their swine enterprise. Rural America prospered as well. Residents benefited from the economic diversity of a multitude of agricultural production and processing activities.
But, then the industry took on a new face. Markets became consolidated, concentrated, centralized and vertically integrated. Nowadays, in most locations in Missouri, livestock farmers are captive to one market choice. Numbers of livestock farmers declined dramatically. The 40,000 plus Missouri hog farmers in 1980 shrank to a mere couple thousand. The physical concentration of large numbers of livestock has spawned concerns: public health, environment, animal-welfare risks. Because the industry is consolidated by a few major players, food security has become an issue as well.
Supporters of the industrial farm animal production system contend inefficiency and environmental regulations forced the whittling of these farmers. I disagree.
There are sustainable livestock production models that can prove that overall cost of production is similar to the larger models. I have found very few producers, if any, who have made the exit due to regulations. It was corporate market muscle that forced this new, controlled production and marketing system.
The debate about size and production styles will continue. Hopefully, common sense will prevail. However, a switch to a smarter, more-sustainable, regional system of meat and poultry systems must be implemented soon.
This doesn’t mean we should abandon all of the information and technology we’ve adopted over the past decades. Nor does it mean we turn all of our hogs out on hillsides. We should take a smart and practical approach.
Economic opportunity through more decentralized, competitive marketing structure is of paramount importance if significant change is to occur.
We should enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act regulations. We must implement direct oversight of mergers, acquisitions and other market disruptions.
To avoid the tragic consequences of vertical integration — cornering the markets — we must monitor the consolidation of other segments of the food industry such as retail, distribution and brokerage. Policy should more easily enable the establishment of regional and local processing in a multitude of rural areas. Government must accommodate and help facilitate institutional purchases of sustainable, local, and regionally produced meat. Parents certainly prefer their school-age children consume a more natural, local selection rather than Class E beef.
Our education must highlight sustainable systems. I’m proud the University of Missouri was one of the nation’s first educational institutions to develop and implement a curriculum for sustainable agriculture. Good work is being done in Iowa as well. The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and other institutions are researching and developing alternatives that focus on sustainable and community-based systems.
As livestock farmers, we must accept this challenge of change and work proactively toward it. The demand by the masses for traceable, authentic food with integrity will be met only if farmers shed some of their independence for interdependence.
We can only meet the need for these meat products to be delivered in consistent quality and quantity in a superior presentation if farmers are willing to embrace concepts of cooperation, networking and strategic partnerships with those along the entire value chain. Building these authentic relationships is the key to the resurgence of family operated and controlled livestock operations.
With a common-sense approach, rural communities and society in general will benefit. A few years back, a Missouri Department of Economic Development study showed a greater number of farm proprietorships per capita was the most-positive indicator of child well being while the most deteriorating rates occurred in counties that had a large presence of industrialized livestock and poultry systems.
A change toward a more-equitable food system is in order. We need more profit opportunities for more farmers.
We need enhanced economic development in rural communities.
We need reduced threat to the health and safety of our people and our resources. And, obviously, we need to satisfy our consumer demand. Seems smart to me.
Russ Kremer, a diversified family farmer from Osage County, Mo., is president of the Missouri Farmers Union. He assists operations of Heritage Acres Foods, a farmer-owned and controlled network that markets family farmed, sustainable, natural and organic protein products. Go to www.sappingtonfarmersmkt.com for more information.