Is the number of small- to medium-size farms dwindling? Don Goodwin, president of Golden Sun Marketing, believes it is. “I think the business is becoming much more complex,” he says.
As the farming industry continues to evolve, Goodwin says more people are wanting to buy in and are entering the farming space for reasons, like technology sales and development, other than farming itself. He says issues that small farms used to face before, like food safety and traceability, have now become blockchain and upcoming technology.
The adoption of technology has made it difficult for some farm businesses to keep up. Between the cost for some technologies and the labor and knowledge to use it, smaller farms may not have the resources. Goodwin says some farming companies are starting to look more like technology companies. “It’s no longer about getting on the tractor or getting in the field. That’s one component, but it’s a smaller component to a bigger picture,” he says.
While this seems to be a growing trend, Goodwin wishes it wasn’t. He believes small- and medium-size farms have historically been the backbone to the produce industry, and now we’re seeing them go away. “Frankly, it makes me sad,” Goodwin concludes.
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