A panel, mainly composed of local farmers, discussed the pressures that have
led to the increasing size of farms, which in turn has led to tensions with some
residents who fear the impact large farms will have on their quality of life,
in a session sponsored by the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Bill Robinson, president of Kreamer Feed in Middlecreek Township, Snyder County,
said the region suffers as farms disappear, not only because a cherished part
of rural life is being lost, but because turning farmland into developments adds
to the burden of local municipalities, which in turn have more roads to maintain
and people to serve.
Most farmers are involved in agriculture for the money and
none are in it for the satisfaction of annoying their neighbors, Mr. Robinson
said.
"We do it for the love of the land and the hope our children will be able
to farm too," Mr. Robinson said. If farmers can't find a way to make ! a
living in the business, then, "We'll have no choice but to sell out to developers,
which a lot of your neighbors have done."
Kurt Brubaker, a farmer from the Lewisburg area, said the increased reliance on "vertical integration" — a business model in which agribusinesses control all aspects of the production, from birth to processing, and rely on fewer, but larger farms — is driven by the desire to create food products that taste consistently the same and are consistently cheaper. The push to produce food with the same price and taste year-round and nationwide is intended to satisfy the desires of shoppers, he said.
Doug Goodlander of the Pennsylvania Conservation Commission, joined the local farmers on the panel. He spoke of the role government regulation plays in ensuring that farms aren't harming the environment.
"(Regulations) establish a consistent set of standards to show (farmers) are doing the right thing," he said.
But he no! ted that increased regulations may be a factor in the increased use of larger farm operations. If farmers have to spend a lot of money to comply with environmental regulations, they may be more inclined to expand the size of their farms to offset those increased costs.
Mr. Brubaker said one of the ways to resolve the conflicts
between farmers and non-farming neighbors would be to make living in towns and
villages more attractive so people wouldn't feel the need to move into the country.
"We need to figure out how to get along with each other," he said.
John Hopkins, an organic farmer from Columbia County, said another solution would be for more farmers to welcome their neighbors onto their farms to show them how the food's produced. By building relationships with neighbors, farmers not only stand to benefit financially, but also they're more likely to enjoy the support of those who live nearby, he said.
Article was written by John Finnerty for The Daily Item.