When people think of states where farming and agriculture is big business, Rhode Island probably isn’t top of mind. But the Ocean State is home to poultry and dairy farms, nurseries and greenhouses, and aquaculture. And while consumer demand for fresh, local foods has increased in recent years, farmers in Rhode Island are still facing significant challenges that threaten their future viability.
Morning Host Luis Hernandez spoke with Bryan Jones, president of the Rhode Island FFA Association, about those challenges.
Interview highlights
On the types of farms in Rhode Island
Bryan Jones: The average cost for an acre of land in the state of Rhode Island is about $17,000, which is significantly higher than anywhere else in the country. Even with that, we have over 1,000 farms in the state of Rhode Island.
In terms of what we actually do grow here, we have a lot of greenhouse nurseries, we have a lot of aquaculture, we have oysters; quahogs, which is a huge thing. We have all of that, but we just aren’t on the scale of, let’s say, Maryland, which is a bigger producer of oysters. That’s because they have more waters and it’s just because of laws and regulations and all of that sort of stuff that you can’t go out and use every single inch of coastline in the state for aquaculture production.
On the challenges facing farmers in Rhode Island
Jones: Farmers have some of the highest depression rates in the country. If you think about it, it’s because it costs so much, especially in Rhode Island, to produce what you’re creating. Then you can’t mark it up because of the cost of your acre of land. It’s hard to be able to sell that product, so you’re not making a profit. It takes longer to make a profit through growing in Rhode Island.
A few months ago, I was at a training with the Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Food Systems Fellows. We had somebody come in from the Commerce Corporation and they told us about this plan that they want where [the state will] produce 50% of the food that we’re consuming by 2060. I don’t know if that is possible just because of the cost of land right now.
On the lack of support and resources farmers receive in Rhode Island
Jones: There’s not a lot of on-the-books legislation that helps farmers. Our farm bureau… it’s just a small office and that’s just not enough support to be able to help all the farmers in the state.
I do think it’s very important to eat locally, and I think that’s one of the big things with education is being able to understand the processes in which it gets to you. If you really look back in our history, that’s what agriculture was. It was producing for your family, it was producing for your neighbors. Rhode Island will never be the top producer of any product in the country. We just don’t have the land for it; we don’t have the means for it; we don’t have the climate for it. But just because we’re not the top producer doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have a voice in the agriculture industry.
On the future of farming in Rhode Island
Jones: I was talking to one of my friends who goes to a school in Connecticut. One of her professors was talking about how in 30, 40 years, we won’t need farms. He was talking about how lab-grown meat will take over and that we won’t need cows anymore. Mind you, he’s teaching an environmental science class. He is talking about this stuff as if it’s a fact, but we need farms in order to survive. What about the ingredients needed to make the lab-grown meat? You are going to need soybeans or something, right? You can’t eliminate farming completely.
