County Fair paints picture of future

A quick scan of the landscape presents a different picture than in the past. Urban sprawl in Fishersville will not trample the spirit of Augusta County agriculture, according to young farmers at the Augusta County Fair.
“I’ll be the fourth generation if I run [the family farm],” Derek Heizer, 19, of Middlebrook, said. The teen took a break from grooming a calf for show at the 4 p.m. livestock competition Tuesday.
Heizer is a sophomore at Virginia Tech, majoring in dairy sciences with a pre-veterinary emphasis. Regardless of the path Heizer chooses, he knows it will involve agriculture.
“I have enjoyed [farming] so much, I will stay in it either by farming or being a vet,” Heizer said.
Heiz-Acres, founded in 1907, is a family-operated dairy farm.
It is part of a long and still-thriving tradition in American agriculture. Almost three-fourths of U.S. farms are multi-generational and 98 percent are family run, according to a 2007 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Still, family farms will have to make changes to survive, officials said.
“There will probably be fewer family-run farms in the future,” said Jason Carter, animal science extension agent for the Augusta County Extension Office. “They’ll produce the same amount, but will be getting larger.”
USDA economist Bob Hoppe says this trend relates to economy of scale, with smaller farms increasingly squeezed by costs.
“[The family farm] will probably get bigger in size,” Hoppe said. “With the economy of scale, it will encourage farms to get larger. It makes it cheaper for them to produce things. There’ll be fewer and fewer commercial farms and family farms will get larger.”
The trends are felt at the fair, where most participants in livestock competitions are part-time farmers, according to fair Manager Susie Shiflett.
“Most full-time farmers don’t have time for [the fair],” Shiflett said.
Amanda Womack knows she might have to compromise to continue the family tradition. Her family owns Homestead Hill, which grows mostly fruit and vegetables.
“I’ll have to be realistic,” Womack, 18, said. “I might have to do part-time. I know that [I want to farm]; I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Augusta County’s long rural heritage is not in any immediate danger, Carter said.
“The land devoted to farming will stay static,” Carter said. “The size and what they will do there will change with the times.”