The Brutal Economics of the 'Marginal' Farmer
Extension agent H. J. Lechner argues that efficiency is the only path to survival for Washington farmers as market forces ruthlessly weed out the less skilled.
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In a report on agricultural conditions, the U.S. Bureau of Economics noted that the 'marginal' farmer is being forced out of the race. H. J. Lechner, a county extension worker, reflects on this law of economics, arguing that farmers must move beyond average results to survive. Lechner points to a disparity in the county, where average milk production sits at 275 pounds of fat per cow while top-notch dairymen reach 400 pounds. He suggests that agricultural leaders must apply 'you-are-up-against-it' psychology to jolt the average farmer into adopting better methods. For Lechner, cooperative marketing is only half the battle; the rest depends on the individual producer increasing yield per acre, per cow, or per hen to remain competitive.
“The average of our farm folks is not yet in the right state of mind to be receptive to many of those things which agricultural leaders know to be more essential.”
This reflects the early 20th-century transition to industrial-scale agribusiness. It captures the tension between the 'family farm' ideal and the cold, systemic pressure to professionalize or fail.
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