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Cathlyn
Student
Bismarck, North Dakota
1
Question
Asked
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Why do farmers get paid minimum wages?
Farmers are incredibly observant, fast, and most hard working people.
They have to get through the seasons in whatever weather conditions mother nature makes to provide their family and producers foods.
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Fred Rosenberger
Data Analyst
462
Answers
St. Louis, MO
Updated
Fred’s Answer
Ultimately, farming is a business. They produce a product, and sell it in a market. Their income is based on many factors, including:
How much product they have to sell
How much of their product is on the market from other farmers
How much they spend on creating their product
Each of those are affected by many other factors, some within their control, some not.
Large, industrial farms tend to produce more product for the same expense, thus they can make a larger profit. So a small, independent farm already has that disadvantage. They have to either sell at a higher price per item, which makes their sales harder, or have to take a slimmer margin on what they do sell. Either of these options cause them to earn less
This is a GROSS oversimplification. If you want to learn more, consider taking some economics classes. It is a fascinating topic with lots to learn.
How much product they have to sell
How much of their product is on the market from other farmers
How much they spend on creating their product
Each of those are affected by many other factors, some within their control, some not.
Large, industrial farms tend to produce more product for the same expense, thus they can make a larger profit. So a small, independent farm already has that disadvantage. They have to either sell at a higher price per item, which makes their sales harder, or have to take a slimmer margin on what they do sell. Either of these options cause them to earn less
This is a GROSS oversimplification. If you want to learn more, consider taking some economics classes. It is a fascinating topic with lots to learn.