Farmers getting the short side of the stick

Farmers dealing with rising fuel and water cost are having a hard time making a living in today’s world. And, nothing makes it worse than having to throw away 50% to 75% of all unsold produce at the end of any given day at a farmers market.

Over the last few years the craze in the U.S. has been over fresh natural “organic” food. But, is the person growing the produce even benefitting enough this year to plant for next year?

Farmers at any given outside farmers market including the University Market complain about losing the waste that happens after any farmers market. Whether caused by the consistent hours in the sun or uncountable hands that touch and bruise the produce throughout the day.

Mark, a long time South Jordan farmer says; “farming is a gamble, but it’s hard to keep gambling when you lose year after year after year.” “Farming is a tough business, if you don’t have a good winter the water price goes up, if you have too much rain then your root crops will rot in the ground, and if you have an early frost than say good bye to breaking even that year, because there goes your tomatoes, peppers, beans and an assortment of other vegetables.”

When mother nature decides to cooperate, and you end up losing a good chunk of your profit due to careless buyers at the farmers market. Or lack of interest and buyers at the market, the farmer starts to really reconsider the offers he receives weekly from different real estate buyers.

With a little education on farming and the work involved, plus a conservative effort by all to buy something fresh and local we can all help save the small land farmers in the community. It will just take a little bit of awareness to change a lot of things from going south.