IS 'GET BIG OR GET OUT' A TRUE APPROACH OR FARM CONSOLIDATION INEVITABLE?
Asked about the plight of dairy farmers in Wisconsin, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said, “[The] big get bigger and small go out and that’s kind of what we’ve seen here... Everyone will have to make their own decisions economically whether they can survive.” The Center for Rural Affairs was founded in 1973. Earl Butz was Secretary of Agriculture. Butz had a similar view, “Get big or get out.” Butz believed farm consolidation was inevitable.. The Center was founded on a different belief. We believe in our ability to come together to shape the future through policy change. We believe in widespread ownership of businesses and farmland. We believe those who work hard ought to have an opportunity to share in the ownership and prosperity their labor created. For 46 years, we have stood up for these beliefs... Unlike Perdue, we believe consolidation in agriculture is not inevitable. Instead, we understand it is the direct result of policy decisions we have made toge...