As small scale farmers selling mostly retail produce, we always talk about prices. A dollar here or there on an item could mean selling out or feeding it to the pigs. You may be aware that the cost of fresh food from small farms can be more expensive that it’s “conventional” or even “organic” counterparts found in grocery stores & even food co-ops. However, the price one pays directly, whether to the store or the farmer directly, never completely shows the true cost of producing the food. There are costs hidden in behind everything you buy, be it a whole cooked chicken at Costco or fresh fava beans at a farmer’s market.
In the case of large, wholesale farms supplying massive amounts of produce, meat or milk to stores all over the state or even country, prices listed rarely include the costs of environmental damage, or externalities—costs delivered to the public indirectly from pesticide use, groundwater contamination, pollution from transporting food hundreds or thousands of miles, enormous health care costs of eating unhealthy foods or food-like substances—the list goes on.
In the case of small farmers such as ourselves, the hidden costs are quite different. Hidden behind the prices for many farmers are long hours & the lack of a fair wage. Many companies deliver their message of “fair trade” on bars of chocolate, bananas & bags of coffee, but I believe it should apply to domestic farmers too. We do not make very much money. If we calculated our wage, we would each be making $2-3/hour. During the growing season, it may seem like we make a lot of money, but this not only covers our cost of living now, but also during the winter. Between rent, off-farm food & transportation, I live very simply. I watch library movies, I shop at the thrift store, & I make Christmas gifts. Granted, we are living a lifestyle & I am not farming to make a large amount of money. I eat amazing food for every meal, work outside & sleep deeply.
I do not want this to come off as a complaint—I love farming & growing food for people. I love the farming lifestyle & owning my own business. I believe we charge fair prices. However, I am deeply concerned for people who cannot afford to eat our food. The truth is, as a country we are addicted to cheap food. Since the industrialization of farming (& gaining externalities) food prices have not risen along with the cost of other goods. We have slowly decreased the percentage of paychecks spent on food (not to mention time spent in the garden!) & gotten used to having extra money for other things. And that will be a difficult addiction to break.
So next time you’re considering the prices of food, consider the real prices & what may not be reflected in the number you see. After all, the numbers we pay for are completely arbitrary. What is most important is what YOU value. If that is supporting small farmers & eating fresh & tasty food, then you know what that means to you. And for those of you who continue to support us & all the other small farms—I thank you. See you at the market.
Chandler
1 Comment
August 4, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I just wanted to say this is a very considered and genuine piece of writing on the subject. It’s a subject that mainstream shoppers get a lot of very negative approaches on, which I think sort of works in the favor of mass producers who are telling them that the processed food they sell is ‘what consumers really want’. You’re efforts are the heroic ones, and as sentiment changes I think farmers who patiently explain the benefits of thinking about food differently are the ones that people will respond to. I’ve been doing tons of research on the food industry as a function of founding a startup in the space and I wanted to drop a note to say your rhetoric stood out in a sea of ‘alarmist’ approaches to highlighting the issues.