My wife and I are small farmers. Farming is hard: when everything goes well, prices are low; when it doesn’t, there’s nothing to sell. Like many small farmers, we pay to grow food for people, but the satisfaction having people eat the food we grow is more than ample reward. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps farmers by letting people buy the food farmers grows. The SNAP program benefits me indirectly by supporting the rural economy generally. I accept Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) coupons, which benefits me directly.

Small farmers need that help. According to the USDA, small farms reported median farm income of $-1,974 and a median total household income of $62,014. The nearly $2000 loss is probably more than covered by the food eaten by the family, and the value of the lifestyle is immeasurable. However, with a $62,014 household income, small farmers are not rich. Indeed, at that rate, a husband and wife with five children would qualify for SNAP benefits. 

Farmers are not the only people who work hard for low wages. The average weekly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls is $1,249.33 a week or $4997.32 a month, and most make less than that. Moreover, at the US minimum wage of $14/hr, a 40 hour week is $540 a week $2240 a month. The average rent in the US is $1,630 per month. Children make it difficult to work full time and daycare costs between $400 and $1500. A mom with two children pays more for shelter and daycare than she can make working full time at minimum wage.

We pay income tax and I am most proud of the share that feeds children and props up the small family farm.

Nat Martin (Centerville)