Small Vs. Large Organic Farming - 1583 Words

Small vs. Large The general public sees any type of organic food as being produced â€Å"straight out of a backyard garden† or â€Å"right off of the family farm†. But is it really freshly picked tomatoes right out of Grandma Mae’s garden or chicken breast from a local farm? If the food purchased is from Whole Foods or the organic section at Walmart, then that probably is not the case. Large organic farms are what usually supply Whole Foods and other larger chain stores that have organics. They are not what people initially think of when imagining the typical organic farm. They usually think of a small plot of land with an old farmhouse, chicken coops, a red barn, and a large pasture of grass. Even though there are still organic farms like that,†¦show more content†¦Although the smaller farms do not need the expensive and large equipment, they have to pay farmhands to take care of everything by hand. Farm hands, on average, make about eleven dollars per hour. For three farm hands that work approximately an eight hour day, cost the farm two hundred and sixty-four dollars a day (Farm Hand). To power harvesting machinery for about an eight hour day, would cost two hundred and eight dollars a day just for diesel costs (Edwards). So, the price to run per day for both large and small organic farms does not have a dramatic difference. Another quite large expense is that of transportation. Products from large farms typically supply large markets and are usually not at small farmers markets. In order for the food to be transported from the farm to the supermarket, they have to use fuel. Not only is this costing them much more, but it is also affecting the environment. On the contrary, small farms typically sell their produce at farmers markets or at their farm itself. This is not only conserving them money, but it is also conserving fossil fuels. Another economic factor in organic farming, in general, is that organic food is typically more expensive that its non-organic counterpart. This observation goes along with both large and small organic farms. When people go shopping, they often look for the cheapest item. Since