I can hear the screams of NO, NO, and double NO!! as your wrists are pounding the table spilling our soda everywhere. That was my reaction the first time I read that question in an article a few years ago. If you remember our first article we wrote, we told you about our farming journey and how an article about grass-fed beef played a role in it. Well in that same magazine they asked this very question. That was six years ago and they clearly stated that this trend of food cost staying flat could not last forever. Man, were they ever right! Couple this with the cost of fuels and it is making everyone's pocket scream for relief. Since we have been farming we now have a clearer picture of why food cost has stayed flat for so long and what food truly cost to produce. We apologize in advance that this article is so serious but the truth is raising food cost is hurting everyone. Even more serious is the long term health issues cheap food is causing.

Food cost has managed to stay flat over the years by adopting an industrial model of highly concreted, confinement, and monoculture production. Since World War II, this large farm industrial model has been responsible for a reduction in the number of family farm by 90%. Among small minor own family farms we have seen a reduction of 97%. The industrial model has used the economy of scale and concreted feeds sources to increase plant and animal production.

This model of highly concerted number of animals housed in unnatural conditions has allowed us to produce cheaper meat, eggs, milk, etc. It requires less physical labor by using machines and automation to perform the back breaking routine chores. The problem is that this model requires a lot more energy to maintain and with crude oil at record highs this electricity is getting more and more expensive. Regardless of the cost, the machine has to run to feed the animals, vent the hot smelly air and to remove the mounts of manure. To make the use of machine more efficient the cows are confined to pens on concrete, the laying hens in cages stacked on top of each other, pigs in small cages on concrete, and the turkeys and chicken broilers all in houses of thousands. One person and their machine can greatly replace the labor cost.

We also used this wonderful wisdom to reduce feed cost. If science says the concrete feed receipt is “balanced” then it must be good for the livestock. Remember “mad cow” disease. It came from feeding cows to cows. Go to the fed store today and look at the label on the cheaper animal feeds and you see animal by-produce on the label for feed used for herbivores. While you are reading the label ask yourself would I want to eat that. I have never seen even one customer standing there smile, little a lone drooling, as they read the label. We are told this is the best way to produce healthy animals then why is all the young animal feed medicated.   Why is growth stimulates added to the commercial feeds in the industrial farms or milk hormones given to diary cows. We think second hand smoke at the restaurant is bad what about the second hand meds setting on your plate.

Things have to be better in the world of fruits and veggies, right? You can answer that one yourself. Remember that perfect looking tomatoes you bought at the grocery store to go on the BLT you made after reading about in last months article. Some of you complained it had no taste. Well say thank you industrial agricultural! Plant production is so dependent on petroleum based inputs for everything from fertilizer to insectides to feed killers and so on. Varieties all developed for size, fast development and disease resistant that little concern is given to taste and none to nutrient ion. Less not forget they are also genetically modified so we can use stronger weed killers and insect ides on them. We have forgotten the time proven techniques of crop rotation, coverage crops, companion planning, etc. This year many corn and soybean farmers are borrowing large amounts of money to plant more and more crops to take advantage of the record high prices and are dreaming of high profits. Now they are faced with high in put cost that have off set, if no eliminated, the profits from record high crops. Corn and soybean is the basis of our food supply so guess who is paying more and more for their food.

Also, the dependence of petroleum based inputs for everything from fertilizer to insect sides to feed killers and so on. We have forgotten the time proven techniques of crop rotation, coverage crops, companion planning, etc. The cost of all these produces have off set, if no eliminated the profits from record high corn and other crops.

This cheap fuel discussed above has allowed as to become more and more dependent on heavy machines for farming. We reduce the need for labor by having heavy equipment do a lot of this work but that equipment does consume more amounts of diesel fuel. Do get me wrong, we love our tractors and spending an afternoon cutting hay with a sickle mower is far better that spending days cutting hay with a sickle. The issue comes from the cost of transporting food across the country or from country to country went in could be grown and purchase in most cases in your own county.

Other reason for the flat or stable food cost has been the elimination of the fair price to the farmer. Many times the farmer produces the product and sales at or below their production. According to the 1910 census in South Carolina a dozen at that time cost 19.8 cent on average. Now let's think about that for a minute. That was also 100 years ago. There was no TV, cell phone, computers, in fact most in Kershaw County did not electric or indoor plumbing. There was no Wal-mart, Food Loin, Piggly Wiggly, IGA either raised your food or bought directly from the farmer. The farmer got the 20 cent directly for his labor and expense. There was no middle man. Compare that today when the USDA reports that the farmer only gets 19 cent on the dollar for our purchase at the grocery store. So if you purchase a dozen eggs in the grocery store for $3.30 the farmer is about 63 cent of that. Why? I will tell you it has less to do with economy of scale, cheap oil and cheap in-puts but more with the farmers shouldering the burden of production cost. Now you can understand why as a nation we have lost over 90% of our small family farms.

The high cost of food is here to stay and will only get higher. Our feed for our chickens has increased 50% in the last six months. Using our pasture based production method our feed cost to produce a dozen eggs cost $1.16. Understand that the $1.16 does not include the cost of the chicken (in this case the chicken has to come before the egg), the moveable chicken house, the labor, the carton, the label on the carton, processing, transporting, refrigerating, and on and on. The true cost of production is much higher then you think.

What can you do to help? Support a regional food supply. Buy directly from the farmer who rises. Buy from those who only produce products that are raised natural and sustainable. Better yet raise our own if you can. Remember the life of our pocket book and our health depends on it.