Semi View: Century Farm stories provide look at history, hope for future

On Nov. 14, the Saline County Extension Council and Saline County Commission honored the latest Century Farms in our county. This year, there were 16 new farms recognized that have been in the same family for 100 years or more.

Once again, our county had the most new Century Farms in the state and leads in the total number of Century Farms.

As we have the past two years, The Marshall Democrat-News starts today with a series of stories featuring the farms and their history.

They are my favorite stories to write because each time I discover a little slice of our history, kept intact by the family that had the strength and determination to pass their farm on to the next generation.

Farms are unique compared to other businesses, because not only do they provide a living, they also have through the years provided a place to live and a way of life.

I can't think of many other small businesses that have been passed down from generation to generation since the 1800s, with family members still making a living in the same profession.

Most of that is possible because technology has changed the way we do any business in America and farming in no exception.

But because of that technology, United States farmers feed our country and also provide the world with food.

Today, Americans pay only 10 percent of their take-home salaries on food, less than any other country in the world. In Europe, people pay more than 30 percent for food.

Although we hear a lot about "corporate farming," the truth is that over 98 percent of American farms are still "family-owned" and operated. There are definitely fewer farms now, down from a peak of 7 million in 1935. Today, just over two million farms remain, with over half of those hobby or retirement farms.

That means that only one million farms today provide the food, fuel and fiber for our country.

One of the biggest reasons we have lost farms is because of urban sprawl. Even in Saline County, which isn't close to a big city, we have lost a significant amount of land. In 2002, we had 413,166 acres in production, however that is down 7 percent from 1997, when we had 445,540 acres in production.

We have also lost farmers because young people have found there were easier ways to make a living -- without having to fight weather, volatile markets and government red tape.

Although, I, like others, wish there were more, I believe the farmers left are the best and the brightest. They, like the families who have kept their farms intact for 100 more years, obviously are committed to farming.

The good news is that we lost a large percent of our family farmers in the 1940s through the 1960s. We are now losing farmers at a much slower rate than we did then. In Saline County, we have many young people who have come back to join their family farm and others who have come back to work in agriculture-related jobs.

Sometimes, I, and others fear the family farm will become a thing of the past, given up for large corporate agri-businesses, run by nameless, faceless companies that don't care about our county.

I also fear that we will someday become dependent on foreign countries for our food.

However, when I visit with families who have managed to keep the farm going despite droughts, floods, two world wars, depression and numerous farm crisis, I realize that the farmers and farm owners are adapters.

It gives me hope.

As residents of a small town, we are fortunate to have so many farmers and long-time farm families. They provide our town with a basis of families who are invested in Saline County.

Those farmers are also invested in making sure that other family owned businesses stay here. While we should always encourage others to move to Saline County, we need to support the businesses already here.

So for the 100-plus Century Farm owners in our county: Here's hoping for 100 more!