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Michael Pollan speaks at UW-Madison..... 7000 attend event

Law of diminishing returns, I'm not sure what that point is but probably dependent on the region. My region for example would be a smaller size to reach that point. If I had a herd of 1000 head in this part of the state, they would have to spend a lot of time on the trailer going from farm to farm.

Salatin does consider his form of grazing a "scalable" enterprise, it takes hardly any more time to move 300 cows to a new paddock then it does 30.

Depending where you are, at some point it makes sense to not grow any larger and start a "satellite" farm.
 
The problem with the Salatin model on a large scale is that there is no longer the processing infrastructure to support many small producers in local regions. This is the problem with packer concentration that SH and others refuse to acknowledge. By buying up/shutting down or simply running small and medium processors out of business(with help from USDA regulations), the few large processors are eliminating this marketing option for producers...all in the name of efficiency. As a producer, ask yourself if you have seen the benefits of packer efficiency???? Producers have been sold the idea that we can produce our way to prosperity for well over 50 years...if true, we should all be filthy rich and everyone would want to be a rancher/farmer. The fact is that the money is in turning a raw commodity into a retail sellable product and then SELLING THAT PRODUCT!
 
And with any commodity, the system as a whole always breaks even. The best producers make money, the worst loose money, but in the whole balance it breaks even. So to be an average producer, it's hard to do any better then break even.
 
per said:
Ben, why can't the Joel Salatin model work on a large scale?
Click to expand...
Isn't that what Cargill is? A large family operation with a variety of holons...
Fertilizer production, crop production and inputs, marketing, feeders, harvest capacity, food processing, salt production, etc.
Perspective may depend on the seat we are in...
That said, I agree with the don't speak down about others who do things differently (or are a little different), and I do think we need to look at some of the competition or lack thereof that goes on.
 
RSL said:
per said:
Ben, why can't the Joel Salatin model work on a large scale?
Click to expand...
Isn't that what Cargill is? A large family operation with a variety of holons...
Fertilizer production, crop production and inputs, marketing, feeders, harvest capacity, food processing, salt production, etc.
Perspective may depend on the seat we are in...
That said, I agree with the don't speak down about others who do things differently (or are a little different), and I do think we need to look at some of the competition or lack thereof that goes on.
Click to expand...
Not disputing that Cargill is a family outfit but it is not quite the layer upon layer model of Salatin. Their model is more about using different enterprises side by side. Salatin stacks one upon the other.
 
Link to the News on Ag food policy change;Harnessing USDA rural development programs to support local and regional food systems,"

http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2009/08/cash-for-obama-food-ag-paradigm-shift.html
 

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