WHAT IS A FARMER?
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - February 1, 2012
John Parker is retired from Ohio State University and is on a local Farm Bureau Board.

"Going to activities that include friends and folks from the urban, business or industrial areas is always interesting and educational. Talking with them about what they do, what their business or profession involves helps to understand what is going on in our area. These folks are usually well-informed and learning about their business or profession is interesting. At the same time many of them are not well-informed about one of the most important economic activities in our area, that of farming."
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WHY FARMS GET BIGGER
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - January 18, 2012
John Parker is Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University and an independent agricultural writer.

"Over the years, farms in the U.S. and locally have gotten bigger, for several reasons. At the same time, these larger farms are still family farms, owned and operated by families. Some of them hire outside help but that has been true from the time we started growing an abundant food supply in this country. Generally speaking, economics have dictated when farms get bigger. But that over simplifies the whole picture."
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