By: Patina Thompson
In today’s uncertain economic time, it’s important for farmers to be open to change. Change is so influential that President Obama focused his campaign around it and times are definitely changing; commodity prices for corn and soybeans are declining, the real estate market is not as active, and the world is increasingly looking for environmentally friendly alternatives to operate.
The faces of America’s farmers are also changing. According to the recently released results of the 2007 Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), during the past five years, farm operators in the United States have become more demographically diverse. The Census counted nearly 30 percent more women as the principal farm operator. The number of American Indian, Asian and Black farm operators increased as well and Hispanic farm operators grew by 10 percent.
The actual number of farms in the United States has grown by 4 percent. Nearly 300,000 farm operations have been added since the last census in 2002. Compared to all farms nationwide, these added farms tend to have fewer acres, more diversified production and younger operators who also work off-farm. The percentage of farmers that have internet access has doubled since 2002. Of those producers accessing the Internet, 59 percent have a high-speed connection.
In these times of change, one stable factor is the face and reputation of Scythe & Spade. At Scythe & Spade we are constantly updating and enhancing our skills and knowledge to prepare for these changes. With new acreage reporting tools and streamlined processes, our services have evolved with the times. With change being so influential we want you to be able to continue your operations and let Scythe & Spade take over the arduous tasks in order to simplify your life.
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