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Factory Farm or Family Farm? You Decide.

Krista Stauffer

For the past year I have watched drones become popular. Many members of the agriculture community are embracing this new technology as tools in crop production. To be honest, I have been amazed at the technology crop farmers use. Using GPS while watching movies, that is pretty cool. But drones, I haven’t been on board when it comes to drones. From the day I found out about them, I have just been patiently waiting for someone to take this technology & use it against their neighbor. Well folks, that day has come. Even worse, Americans are willing to pay other Americans to “spy” on other Americans.

Will Potter, a journalist based out of Washington D.C. has started a campaign to use drones to spy on the American farmers. His initial goal was $30,000 to purchase the latest technology to fly over family farms & photography them. Guess what? He surpassed his $30,000 goal in five days. NOW he is going for $95,000. I am sure he will get what he thinks he needs, especially when folks with deep pockets like Organic Consumers Association are backing him. My question would be, what is stopping him from flying into our barns too? Truth is, nothing.

 

I am sure by now that you have heard the term “factory farm”. Heck, you probably have used it in the past couple weeks. But what does it even mean? There is NO set definition for the term. Every person you talk to have a different opinion as to what it means. You ask one person about our farm and we are “a great family dairy farm”. You ask another and we are “a factory dairy farm”. So what are we? To a consumer, the farm pictured above is apparently a “factory farm”? To a farmer, this appears to be an old worn down farm. Not sure if it is even in use if you look closely at the tops of the barn. Either way, this picture from above shows what would be a view of most family farms in America. This picture from above would also include organic family farms.

There are 2.2 million farms in America. 2% of the United States population consists of farmers/ranchers.

I am proud to say that our family dairy farm is part of that 2%. I am also happy to say that I have many friends & family that are also part of that 2%. I have met so many great AGvocates for agriculture in the past year who are also part of the 2%. I think it is safe to say, we are all a little sick of the term “factory farm”.

So my friend Sarah of Nurse Loves Farmer & I have started a campaign. A campaign to share the truth behind the aerial photos, the truth behind the farms, the truth in which shows almost all farms in fact are family farms. You want the truth, just ask the farmers. We have nothing to hide. So I ask you this, is our farm a “family farm” or a “factory farm”. You can decide for yourself.

Join us! Share your blog posts, photos, etc. Make sure to use the hash tag, #MyFamilyFarm.

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Krista Stauffer

Owner at Stauffer Dairy
Krista didn't grow up on a farm but fell in love with a dairy farmer and now works alongside her husband on their family dairy farm, raising five children. Despite her non-farm upbringing, she embraces farm life, enjoys gardening, and remodeling their farmhouse. She also runs a successful women's boutique, manages social media for local businesses, and serves on the board of a non-profit creamery, showcasing her dedication to entrepreneurship and community service.
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