Acknowledgments

The 1998 National Commission on Small Farms appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman (in nearly 20 years), examined the status of small farms in the U.S. and determined a course of action for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to recognize and respond to the needs of small farms (USDA, 1998). Despite the recognition of small farms as the foundation of the U.S., small farms still struggle in today’s economy. Much has to be done as a nation to support small family farms. Policy makers and USDA agencies need to work closely together to get laws put into actual actions. Land-grant universities and small farm centers may have to move outside their comfort zone, whether reaching unreachable, non-traditional audiences, or lobbying policy makers. Private institutions serving the farming community may have to reinvent themselves and become more innovative in program delivery