Why are our Farm-Raised foods more expensive?
I was recently asked to answer this question. The question was sincere & she genuinely wanted to know so I’ve been studying up a bit on it because I wanted to give an educated answer… so here goes.
Our Farm-raised meats & cheeses
First of all...
In America, our average budget for food is a whopping 6%.
Yep. 6%!
You might not think that’s all bad but look at what % of wages our great grandparents were spending on food.👀
In the early 1900’s, food was 40-50% of people’s budgets.
And yet we know farming is hard work. And we see the small farms disappearing because they can’t survive.
What are we missing?
Food is literally what keeps us alive.
Why are we not spending more on this amazing sustenance?
A little history…Back after World War 2, Roosevelt decided to make all food cheap because of the depression.
Ever since, we have been socialized to believe our food should be cheap.
In fact, I might even say, we pride ourselves in getting ‘good deals’.
I understand Roosevelt’s wanting to help, but in hindsight, it seems the farmers are the ones who lost out.
The Farmers have suffered. At least the smaller ones have.
Back in the 80s when I was a little girl, almost everyone in my church, neighborhood, & community farmed for a living. It was our way of life.
Now, 30 years later, there is only a handful left.
Why?
Simple. And yet, complicated.
Farmers aren’t paid what they need to make a profit, much less a living.
My family is mostly made of farmers, die-hard dairy farmers… they keep going when everyone else quits.
They are proud dairy men, willing to get up early every day, milk cows in all kinds of weather, seven days a week, 365 days a year, year after year.
It’s a hard life, but a good way to grow up, & the only life I’ve ever known.
My Grandpa was one of the most influential dairy farmers in the whole area.
It crushes me to see the next generation (my brothers & cousins) can’t take over the family farms that my dad & uncles have poured their whole lives into, because there is no money to be made… at least in the old ways of doing it.
And to be very honest, dairy farming, processing, + retailing the way Loyd & I are doing it… is A LOT.
Not many dairy farmers want to invest in the skills that are needed to sell directly to consumers.
They are already putting in so many long hours into producing milk; how will they have time to sell it? I get it.
And selling directly to you, the consumer, is different. In the farming world, it takes a looong time for people to be convinced of new ways of doing things.
Here at Borntrager Dairy, we are committed to making it work for the next generation.
We want our sons & daughters to physically see that farmers can & should be able to make a living, esp. when they pour so much of themselves & their time into producing food… food that literally keeps people alive.
What does that look like?
We track our Inputs.
We have 100s of spreadsheets to show the inputs: labor, utilities, equipment, supplies, etc. & we add on a business margin (like every other business does) to make sure we are sustainable.
Because if we are not, we won’t be around for very long.
So yes, a lot of time is spent in tracking all of our expenses… yes, even farming equates to a lot of desk time.🥹
Our spreadsheets show what prices we need to ask for to continue making our delicious dairy products.
Here are a few other comparisons:
Store-bought:
Government Subsidies: Most conventional farmers get monthly payments from the government to keep going.
Borntrager Dairy Farm-raised:
All of our income comes thru our on-farm store; no monthly government payments.
Store-bought:
Lots of hidden costs; for example, unhealthy food = more medical bills (you might not be paying for it upfront, but in the long game, you will be paying more).
Borntrager Dairy Farm-raised :
Our prices are upfront; this is exactly what it costs to produce our life-giving food.
Store-bought:
Bulk discounts; getting things by the truckload is often cheaper per lb.
Borntrager Dairy Farm-raised:
Because we are a small farm, we don’t get bulk discounts.
Store-bought:
Slave labor (this one hurts me to the core).
Borntrager Dairy Farm-raised:
We pay our employees & our children fair wages.
Store-bought:
No idea who buys their food.
Borntrager Dairy Farm-raised:
Everything is produced, processed, & sold with you in mind. We know many of our customers personally. We take great care in producing our food because we are feeding our family & friends.
Store-bought:
Raised for quantity
Borntrager Dairy Farm-raised:
Raised for quality
Personal Connection is also important to us.
We spend a lot of time getting to know you, our customer. (This is my fav!🥰)
What are you struggling with?
How has Real food made a difference in your life?
How can we better serve You?
Spending time listening to you ensures us we will have people buying our food for a long time, thus setting up our farm for success for future generations.
There’s lots more than could be said on this issue.
It’s really not something I enjoy talking about but it is one that I’m passionate about.
What does this all mean for you the consumer?
In a nutshell, yes, our products are more expensive, but in reality, this is what lifegiving food costs.
Farmers are some of the bestest people on Earth. Let’s start paying them for what they do for us.
If it doesn’t cost much, ask yourself, is it even food that I want to put into my body?
Cheers to Real food & Real prices,
-Arlene 💕
Our Farm Store is stocked with Life-giving Real foods for your family.😋
Open Today from 1:00-6:00.
Let’s change your life one Food purchase at a time.💃🏻
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