Although the Buschkoetter family of five falls well below the federal poverty guidelines, Juanita says that they only qualify for food stamps for part of the year. Farm families can sometimes also be denied benefits based on the valuation of their farm assets such as tractors and other equipment. In midwestern states like Nebraska, farmers are very efficient at raising food for cows. The grain sorghum, called milo, that Darrel raises, one of the four primary crops grown in Nebraska, is a major feed grain for livestock. Farm family gardens are common, yet very labor intensive.
Gardens are subject to all of the risks of bugs, drought and often short growing seasons.
Thereafter, the farmer cannot sell or use these commodities without a release from the creditor. Even if a release is granted, the family's cash flow may not allow for the cost of processing the meat. In some respects traceable to the once-tiny organic farm movement, sustainable agriculture is now on the verge of gaining mainstream acceptability and may offer some assistance in preserving family farming and rural communities. Planting the same crop in a field year after year depletes soil fertility and multiplies insect and weed problems, requiring the use of additional fertilizer, insecticides and herbicides. The alfalfa will fix nitrogen in the soil for the following year's crop of wheat.