This statement confused me, and I'm trying to figure out what exactly it means. Customers want so badly to believe that even though farmers struggle financially, the experience is still worth it. They don't want to get rid of the image in their minds of the quaint, happy farmer. But if they keep that image, and assume that small farmers are doing fine, will that fix anything? Although there are a lot of factors that determine a farmer's profit, consumers are one of the primary ways they earn money. More demand can mean more profit, assuming the farmer has enough to sell and people are willing to pay the price. So if a customer is concerned with their farmer making a living, they should make the effort to tell others about them. The farmers we met during the week love their work, but profit is a serious concern. No matter how fulfilling the work, it isn't satisfying if it fails.

How does location affect farming? Vermont is a much smaller state than California, and has a lot of small farms with few large industrial farms. Anna mentioned that she lives in an area in between small and large farms, and I wonder if this dynamic affects the ability of small farmers in CA to make a living. It may be more difficult to sell people more expensive food when cheap food is right there, or perhaps it's easier because people are more affected by the large farms. As we read in Pig Tales, living near a large farm can have many repercussions.

But how were these requirements chosen? I think that they're useful criteria, but not necessarily the only way to determine whether or not someone is making a living. I don't disagree with the claim that it's difficult, because it is, as we saw. I would just like to know more about the farmers contacted for this particular article.

This reminds me of the story Mari told about a well-respected farmer who gave a presentation about how to be successful--leaving out that he was losing money. If farmers aren't open about their struggles, how can we ever hope to improve their conditions? This may be part of why many people don't realize that farming is often not profitable. The nostalgic image of a farmer is stuck in their minds, with no one correcting it. I also wonder what a consultant for the Farm Viability Project would say about this advice. Do they want their clients to be open?