The family farm is disappearing at an alarming rate. Every year the United States loses approximately 15,000 farms. Not long after the founding of the country eighty percent of people lived and worked on the farm. Today its less than one percent.
Although technological advances and specialization have contributed to incredible increases in production, the industrialization of agriculture is not without tradeoff. The unchecked consolidation and centralization of wealth and power within the industry threatens the very fabric of society.
The disappearance of the family farm has destroyed countless communities rooted in the values of rugged independence, hard work and diligence, frugality, family cohesion, and the belief in a higher power. The consequence is an overdependence on multinational companies and governmental institutions as a source of income, products, services, education, health and social care, and even recreation.
As was understood by both Stalin and Mao, the farmer poses a significant obstacle to the spread of their tyranny. Stalin and Mao both implemented a state-driven process of forced collectivization, livestock and grain requisitioning, and repression to destroy the family farm. Though the result may be the same, consolidation and centralization is now achieved through the “free” markets controlled by BigAg.