May 5 , 2010 column from the Star Beacon and Gazette
by John Parker

We hear a few people use the term "factory farms," implying that much of our food today is produced on large, corporate farms where livestock is treated inhumanely and there is little concern for the environment. That idea is a myth, or simply untrue with no factual basis.

Let’s look at the facts, locally and across Ohio and the nation. First, a farm according to census definition is any parcel of land that grosses $1,000 or more in sales of agriculture products. That suggests we have many very small plots of land that might include a large garden selling locally or someone selling hay from a meadow or a few trees from the woods.

According to figures from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), Ashtabula County has 1,127 farms. Some are very small – 10 acres or less – with others much larger, 3,000 acres or more. Average farm size farm in Ashtabula County is 143 acres and they are all family farms. Does that even remotely suggest we have "factory farms" in the county?

Census figures tell us that in 2007 Ohio had 75,861 farms. Forty-eight percent of those were under 70 acres and used just seven percent of Ohio's farm land. Nine percent of Ohio farms are 500 acres or more, and farm 52 percent of our land.

What is important is that most of these larger farms are family farms, owned and operated by the family. Ohio is listed with just under 2,956 farms organized as corporations. About 2,749 of these are family corporations organized that way for protection of family assets.

The rest of the farm corporations are owned and operated by corporations that are not families. That is less than one quarter of one percent of all Ohio farms. These facts tell us that most of Ohio's farms are family owned and operated.

According to ODA figures, Ashtabula County has 20 farms of 1,000 acres or more. These family farms are highly efficient with top levels of production from the land. Most of them have been an established part of their communities for years and are major contributors to the economy of their community and county.

Remember, we need a balance of small, medium and large farms. Each one contributes to the economy of the area and is important. Smaller farms are usually hobby or part-time but do contribute to our food supply, sometimes by providing a local, readily available source of fresh food. Many of the medium-sized farms have someone working off the farm to provide supplemental income and fringe benefits. They have a major role in the county and across the state.

Those using the term "factory farm" to paint agriculture in a negative way are ignoring the facts. Some families, to provide enough income to keep family members on the farm, have moved ahead and enlarged to be more efficient and have reasonable family incomes.

The large family farms of our area, Ohio and across the nation are owned by people with the same community interests and values all farmers have. They made the decision and took the opportunity to grow and that is part of our American free enterprise system.

So remember that next time you see someone critical of factory farms, they are really talking about a myth, an idea that is just plain false. Our farms are family farms with few exceptions and we hope that they don't get so bogged down with unnecessary, costly regulations that they can continue to be those family farms.

John Parker is an independent agricultural writer and serves on the local Farm Bureau Board.

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