Farmers across the world are on the frontline of our agricultural and environmental challenges. While they are the people directly responsible for growing the food we eat, they are often made out to be the “villains,” which couldn’t be further from the truth. The heartbreaking reality for many farmers is that if they don’t keep producing at rate set by chemical companies, the dream they worked so hard for for 20, 30, 50 years is at risk of going under. But now, that doesn’t have to be the case.
“They [farmers] feel like they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. So we started to try and understand how to build a repetitive model for a farmer where he could be fully sustainable, which is profitable as well,” said Mike Dobbins of one of Earthmade’s primary goals. Earthmade aims to empower the farmer, to show them as the food champions they really are.
By switching to Earthmade food practices, farmers really don’t have much to lose! “I assure you, as a farmer, we are not looking to spray chemicals, because what are you doing? You’re increasing costs! We are the minimalists of all minimalists,” states Mike Etchandy, farmer and one of Earthmade’s first advocates.