Does the family farm really matter?

Abstract

"Family farms have been revered in America since the days of Thomas Jefferson. More than anyone else, he is given credit for identifying farms as places of individual opportunity. There, said Jefferson, demoncratic values such as integrity, pride of achievement, and the work ethic can best be cultivated. But as more complex technology and commercial management enter farming, and as the national economy becomes more urband-industrial, the question arises whether old values in agriculture can - and should - survive."--First page.