What can you do as citizens to help American farmers?

Ways to Help American Farmers

Here are opinions and answers from WikiAnswers Contributors:

• Buy E-85 gas and buy as many things made from corn and soybeans as you can.

• In addition to the suggestions above, I believe the best way to help the real American farmers, the small farmer who still cares about the land and growing a good, healthy product, is to avoid buyng from the large corporate farmers as much as possible. Here are some ideas:

• To help American small farmers, who almost always use better farming practices and do not rape the land like the large corporate farmers do, you can make it a weekly practice to attend farmer's markets in the summer and buy from the farmers there, or seek out road-side stands or markets where locally-grown produce is sold. Some small farmers also allow you to come to their farms and pick your own, especially strawberries and other fruits. Your local County Extention Office should have information about your local small farmers. You can find local farmers to purchase eggs from. You can even find a local farmer who might be willing to sell you part or a full cow or pig when they are ready to be slaughtered. Most of the time, these animals have been grown under much healthier circumstances than the ones purchased in grocery stores. They have not had harmones pumped into them and they have been fed real food, not some of the stuff commercial growers feed the ones they raise. Believe me, you can tell the difference with the first bite! You can also be selective when you shop at a grocery store and try to find products made by smaller companies. The larger companies are in business only to make money, and the smaller companies care more about the quality of their products. An example in this area is Heinz verses Red Gold tomato products. While Heinz is a big corporation that deals with big corporate farmers, Red Gold is a smaller, family run company based in Indiana. Many of the tomatoes they use are grown on their own farms and the ones that aren't are grown by farmers willing to adhere to Red Gold standards. By purchasing the Red Gold, which are of great quality and taste, you are helping the smaller company and getting a great product. Another alternative is to do at least part of your grocery shopping at a health food store or anywhere that is not a large corporate chain. Though a lot of the food in health food stores is much more expensive, you can actually save money on some things, such as bulk beans, herbs, etc., and you do not have to buy a large quantity. Most of these stores would deal with smaller companies who would, in turn, be dealing with smaller farmers.

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