Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America

Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America
ISBN-10
164283159X
ISBN-13
9781642831597
Series
Bet the Farm
Category
Business & Economics
Pages
271
Language
English
Published
2021-10-05
Publisher
Island Press
Author
Beth Hoffman

Description

In her late 40s, Beth Hoffman decided to upend her comfortable life as a professor and journalist to move to her husband's family ranch in Iowa--all for the dream of becoming a farmer. There was just one problem: money. Half of America's two million farms made less than $300 in 2019, and many struggle just to stay afloat. Bet the Farm chronicles this struggle through Beth's eyes. She must contend with her father-in-law, who is reluctant to hand over control of the land. Growing oats is good for the environment but ends up being very bad for the wallet. And finding somewhere, in the midst of COVID-19, to slaughter grass finished beef is a nightmare. If Beth can't make it, how can farmers who confront racism, lack access to land, or don't have other jobs to fall back on hack it? Bet the Farm is a first-hand account of the perils of farming today and a personal exploration of more just and sustainable ways of producing food.

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