Raison D'etre/Manifesto

We have a problem in America. It's not a genocide, or an epidemic. However, it is quite serious. This problem is our food system. We are eating food that is bad for us.
A few multinational corporations control a majority of our food system. They focus on producing food faster and cheaper. As a result of this, the quality of the food, and the quality of life for the animal is low. The chickens never see the light of day. The cows are standing waist deep in their own waste. All of these animals are living in crowded conditions.
I am going to become a farmer, so that I can provide good, high quality food to people. I plan on studying sustainable agriculture. After completing my course of study, I will purchase a farm. I have already started to plan my farm. I intend to have a small-scale dairy operation.
I also intend to raise chickens for meat, and laying hens for eggs. I plan on raising 20 or so pigs for meat. A problem that we have in our society is that agriculture is looked down upon as a career choice. If a high-achieving student decides that they want to be a farmer, they would likely receive a less-than-positive reaction. Because farming isn't considered an intellectual job by the elitists, farming isn't encouraged as a career choice.
If a student does decide to become a farmer, it is difficult for High School students to get farming internships, because they can't stay for the entire growing season. I am looking for a farming internship, but I can only stay for two months.


I am not choosing to go into a career that will include sitting behind a desk. My cubicle will be measured in terms of acres. I am firm in my belief that I am going to become a farmer. I am going to be part of an agricultural revolution. There's a whole movement of youth and young adults who are becoming farmers.
This is a positive step, because the age of the average farmer was 57, in 2007, and this figure is rising steadily.

If more youth don't get involved in farming,
we will have a severe shortage of small-scale farms. We will only be able to buy mass-produced food from multinational corporations in the grocery stores.
I don't want to continue to live in a society where I eat poorly treated livestock, and call it dinner.