Small Farm Republic
posted on
May 10, 2025
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Contents:
Pasture Talk With Our Cows– Tuesday morning I was out checking on our cows and took the opportunity to record a short 2-minute story about the time I saved the life of one of the “pet” cows Number 608. Click to watch here. Small Farm Republic- is a book written by John Klar. A former attorney who contracted Lyme disease, John now farms in Vermont. I spent much of last weekend reading his book. He is very pro-small farms and presented a lot of evidence to support his position. On page 77 he makes a comparison to the number of farms and farmers during the Great Depression versus today. During the Great Depression the American population was 100 million. According to USDA charts there were 6.8 million farms with 30 million people (about 30%) directly involved as owners or workers. The following chart is according to the most recent census of agriculture. 
Today, our population is 320 million. Latest USDA data says there are 1.88 million farms (almost 75% fewer) and two out of one hundred people own or work on a farm (Note: I could not remember the source for this). I remember my aunts telling me that during the Great Depression strangers would come up to their home/farm asking for something to eat. They said it may not have been much, but they always had food to share with them. Remember the last limited food distribution interruption back in 2021? All of the big plants shut down and store shelves dried up quickly. However, all of the small regenerative farms that I know kept supplying their customers. What would the result be if America experienced another economic implosion with obstinate cognitive dissonance as the Great Depression? Most people don't want to think about this....but probably should. People who have read my newsletters know that I strongly state that Mississippi desperately needs more small farmers who sell direct to consumers because local food production is the foundation for national and local food security. Monday, I attended a dinner meeting in Flowood to discuss strategy for uniting farmers, consumers, homesteaders, etc. to engage our state politicians to deregulate laws that unfairly impact small farms. Unfortunately, Mississippi’s Ag Commissioner declined to attend. 
Senator Angela Hill (far left) made an interesting statement that 98% of food consumed in Mississippi is imported into the state. That is a big “F” for failing grade to our state leadership for failing to provide opportunity for Mississippians to supply the most basic sustenance necessary to nourish families and strengthen immune systems. Maybe this is partly why so many people are flocking into the rural areas and setting up their homesteads. “If Americans do not return to the land in significant numbers and cultivate it in ways of humble stewardship, the nation will have permanently abandoned any hope of reclaiming the ecosystem upon which it depends. But at the same time, it will have abandoned any hope to ever escape global enslavement, whether by conspiring governments or openly controlling multinational food conglomerates.” John Klar At Nature's Gourmet Farm, our intent is to create a community that evolves around one of the most intrinsically important things of the ages, and that’s the provision of sustenance. That's our passion - to raise healthy food to nourish families and strengthen immune systems. ** Product Availability Update **
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