Farm programs were never intended to be rural welfare programs. Small farms that report little if any net income may still be very important economically to small farm families. First, many families on small farm live simply. They do not live in poverty, but their economic standard of living is not as high as that of their urban neighbors. To them, farming is truly a way of life as well as a business.
Technologies are scale neutral.
Technologies developed for larger, commercial farming operations are equally useful on small farms. And for those who can afford to farm as a hobby, they surely want access to the best technology available. If the scale of technology doesn't matter to the animal or plant, it is of no consequence to the farmer. Technologies are not scale-neutral . Industrial technologies developed for larger, commercial farming operations are not appropriate for small farms.