Life on a farm is constantly changing. New technologies, along with a rising interest in healthier and organic eating, have had a huge impact on how many farms do business. At the same time, a growing population has put more demands on farmers, requiring many to find ways to increase their production levels. The small family farms that used to produce the majority of the produce, grains, and meat have been largely replaced by factory farms, and the majority of small family farms that are still operating are struggling to keep up.
Technology has made most aspects of farm life easier than it has ever been before. Bigger and more efficient equipment makes short work of tasks, like cleaning out stalls and plowing up fields, that used to take two or three times as long. Even milking has become an automated task, with milking parlors that are capable of milking dozens of cows in minutes, with very little human involvement. These advances have allowed farmers to work faster and more efficiently than ever before.
One of the biggest focuses in farming is developing better ways to increase production while still maintaining high quality standards. In addition to newer technology, factory farms are allowing companies to produce a lot of product for less money than traditional farming would require. This style of farming has gotten attention from animal cruelty groups who say that the animals being raised in many of these farms are not being treated in a humane way.
As more and more people become concerned about the treatment of animals and eating organic foods, many farms have changed the way they operate. There are a lot of traditional farmers who are embracing the organic movement. In many ways, it is a return to a simpler way of farming. Animals are treated better, and fewer chemicals are being used on produce and in livestock feed.
Modern farm life, despite the introduction of new technologies and farming practices, has not changed much from what it has always been. Farmers still wake up early, and spend their days doing hard, generally labor-intensive work. There are still animal to feed, cows to be milked, and fields to be plowed, regardless of improvements to the equipment that helps to get the job done. Farm life still requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice.
The main change in modern farm life is in the way farms, especially larger operations, are run. It is not uncommon for even small farms to have several hired workers, an animal manager, and maybe even a veterinarian on the payroll. Family run farms are becoming rarer, and factory farms, along with other larger farm corporations, are becoming the norm. Although there are still many traditional family farms, they are quickly becoming a dying breed as modern practices change farm life forever.
By Margo Upson