I plan to farm my land with no tractor this year. Here's how.
I would be seriously oblivious at this point if I did not notice the hundreds and hundreds of comments left on my social media calling me a ‘ play-pretend’ farmer because I am attempting to farm with no prior experience, no tractor, and no fancy tilling equipment.
The Industrial Revolution ushered in a new form of farming that, until the 1880s, had never been practiced with the art of agricultural production. Machines arrived, and with it came the pursuit of large-scale farming, since tractors and large equipment pieces made it possible for one man to carve up his land and harvest crops.
Over-time, large-scale farming gave rise to monoculture farming, also known as planting and harvesting one singular crop. By planting just one crop, farmers could focus on a pesticide bundle that supported their operation, and therefore, scale over-time to turn a bigger profit.
I completely understand how this happened and do not blame the American farmer for pursuing this form of agricultural production whatsoever. The value of farmland has increased by 360% since the 1990s, paired with tax hikes and unfavorable policies at the local and federal level that make it nearly impossible for farmers to turn fair profits today.
