Tamarack River Ghost by Jerry Apps Page A

mills, hardware stores, and agricultural supply centers. When they shipped their animals to market, they were often sold at auction to several processing plants that bid against each other. It’s a system the country knew for many years, and it worked reasonably well.
    “Most of these family farms were diversified, that is, they may have raised beef cattle, hogs, and chickens, and here in Wisconsin, most had small dairy herds. They grew most of their feed on their own land. The farmers’ families provided most of the labor. Then, a new kind of agriculture came along and slowly began replacing the small family farm.”
    Josh wrote furiously in his notepad as Randy continued his lecture. He’d also brought along his digital tape recorder, to make sure he captured everything the young professor had to offer.
    Once more, Randy pushed the button on his laptop, and another image, a set of low-slung metal buildings, stretched across the screen with the caption
    CAFO: Confined Animal Feeding Operation
    “All these buildings are owned by Nathan West Industries, the third-largest agribusiness firm in the United States, with stakes in beef, poultry, and pork production. This photo shows one of NWI’s Iowa hog operations. These hogs never see the outdoors; the operation is known as a CAFO, a confined animal feeding operation. It is a prime example of vertically integrated agriculture. At this production site, NWI owns the land, the buildings, and all the hogs. Those who operate the farm are employees of NWI.
    “NWI has similar facilities scattered across Iowa, North Carolina, and a handful of other states. The fattened animals are shipped to NWI slaughterhouses. They have a huge processing plant in Dubuque, Iowa.”
    Randy went on to explain in considerable detail all aspects of the NWI operation. He noticed that several students were busily taking notes and listening intently to his lecture. Several others seemed to be dozing off or staring into space. His fellow professors told him to expect that not all of his students would be interested—one of the problems associated with required courses.
    A new image appeared on the screen. Big green letters spelled out
    Comparing CAFOs with Family Farms
    “The historic family farm surely had its problems,” Randy continued. “Problems with unpredictable weather, low prices received for products, and meeting mortgage payments on land and property. But small family farms had advantages, too. Probably the most important and far-reaching advantage—the farmer was his own boss. He owned and managed the land, and if he was a good manager and had some luck with markets and weather, he made enough money to feed and clothe a family. The familyfarm, by definition, involved everyone, young and old, working together— sometimes three generations. At a deeper level, important values about work, responsibility, and caring for the land resulted from the close working relationship the farmer had with family members. These family farms became the mainstays of rural communities, where not only family members helped each other, but neighbors also worked together, worshipped together, played together, and sustained the small towns and villages that served the farms.
    “The values and beliefs that sustained these rural communities became a part of the makeup of the young men and women who grew up in them. This dimension of the small family farm is often overlooked and seldom discussed.”
    A hand shot up from a student near the front of the room.
    “Yes,” Randy said, recognizing the student.
    “You’ve been talking about family farms and how valuable they were to rural communities,” the young man said.
    “Yes, there is considerable evidence to prove my point.”
    “Perhaps. But haven’t we passed the era of the small family farms— shouldn’t we drop them in the dustbins of history along with steam engines, horse-drawn reapers, and threshing crews?”
    Another hand from the left side of the