It doesn’t take much to realize how few family farms are left, and as a result, the network of farms that used to help support each other are fading as well. Though I am no farmer, I was around farming during my adolescence, and I often saw one farmer helping another because of various issues. Maybe you might borrow a tractor while yours was in the shop. Your neighbors fields got wet and he had to plant in a hurry, you would jump in so he could get it done.
That kind of thing becomes more difficult as families turn the farm over to big business. There is hope, however, in that the number of small farms has actually been going up over the years. And there are also organizations like Farm Rescue which assist farmers when they face hardships.
Read the CNN article about Farm Rescue.
