The American Farmer, On the Endangered Species List.
Over two hundred years ago, our founding fathers established a nation that has survived to this very day. At that time, over ninety percent of the nation's population was involved in production agriculture. Today less that one percent of our nation's population produce agricultural products. It's ironic how a nation that was founded on revenue from agriculture products, now pays so little attention to the minority that is the American farmer.
It is hard to believe in that amount of time, that the economic reliance on agriculture products had decreased to it's present day status. Agricultural products are now taken for granted by the majority of today's population as well as by the government. Involvement by the government has ruined the market for crops grown in the United States. "When the grain embargo was placed on Russia in the mid 1980's, the grain market fell almost fifty percent"(Bierig, H, personal communication, February 25, 2004). Prior to the embargo, wheat was over five dollars per bushel, after the embargo, grain was rarely seen over three dollars and has been at the same level ever sense. .
As we enter the twenty-second century, the family farm is now becoming extinct. The government does offer some help, but it is no-where close to being enough. Young people are not looking to production agriculture as a career option because very little or no money can be made. It is impossible to start an operation from scratch and be successful. The cost of equipment is at an all time high, but grain prices have steadily decreased to their present amount. The average age of the American farmer is now over sixty years. With the average age rising, one-day farmers will become extinct.
The size of the family farm has risen over the last fifteen years tremendously. In 1987 the majority of farmers farmed anywhere from four hundred fifty acres on up.