Agriculture is the bedrock of Cullman County’s economy, but local farmers are facing new challenges when compared to large commercial farms. 

Cullman County Soil and Water Conservation District Project Coordinator Travis Kress spoke to members of the Cullman Chamber of Commerce about local agriculture during the chamber’s monthly Morning Blend at Rumor’s Deli. 

One topic of Kress’ discussion was the difficulty of local medium-sized family farms trying to compete with larger farms from outside the area. 

Cullman County agriculture is driven by those medium-sized farms, but there it is becoming more and more difficult for local family farms to compete with large commercial ones, he said. 

In the past, farms would sell directly to individual grocery stores, but more grocery stores are going to commercial farms that can provide produce for stores in an entire region, he said, and local farms are unable to match that kind of production. 

Co-ops with several farms working together to sell their products are on the rise, and local farmers are having success selling at farmers markets, and that is helped by the movement in communities to buy local produce.

“That’s something we can work through,” he said. 

Trying to start a farm from scratch is also becoming more and more difficult, Kress said. 

If someone wants to start a farm but does not take over a family farm or already have a plot of land, the startup costs for equipment alone are becoming too much, he said. 

Those costs can reach up to $100,000-$200,000 for just a small vegetable farm, and larger farms can be much more than that, he said. 

Equipment costs in general are high, and the Soil and Water Conservation District has helped in that area, Kress said. 

There are several pieces of equipment that have been bought using grant money that are available for renting by local farmers. 

That can mean that a farmer pays $150 to use a piece of equipment instead of paying thousands to buy that same equipment that is only used a few days out of the year. 

Trying to find labor for farms is also more difficult today, Kress said. 

There has been legislation passed by the state that was intended to help farms hire more migrant workers, but it was centered around large farms, not the medium-sized family farms that are prevalent in Cullman County, he said.  

The large farms have the ear of the Legislature, and that is harming smaller farms, Kress said. 

“We don’t have a large enough voice and we’re disappearing,” he said. 

Local farms have a lot of challenges to face, but the biggest help to local farmers is the support of their communities, Kress said.

“Buy from any of us,” he said. “Come to the farmers market and support us directly.”

Tyler Hanes may be contacted at 256-734-2131, ext. 138.