Corporate farming

**1. Definitions and Usage of Corporate Farming:**
– Corporate farming has varied meanings leading to conflicting definitions.
– Legal definitions in the US relate to tax laws, anti-corporate farming laws, and census data collection.
– Commonly used pejoratively with negative connotations.
– Often refers to large-scale farms, market agricultural technologies, and economic/political influence.

**2. Family Farms and Corporate Farms:**
– Family farms are perceived as distinct from corporate farms.
– Managed and operated by a family, reliant on family labor.
– Large economic and legal incentives for family farmers to incorporate.
– Many large farms are family businesses, including some of the largest US farms.

**3. Contract Farming and Corporate Influence:**
– Agreements between farmers and buyers stipulate what and how much to grow.
– Involves family-owned farms and larger corporations.
– Difficulty distinguishing contract farmers from corporate farms.
– State laws prohibiting corporate farming have loopholes allowing corporate involvement.
– Contract farming involves significant corporate influence on family farms.

**4. Non-Farm Entities in Corporate Farming:**
– Companies like Cargill, Monsanto, and DuPont Pioneer are included in corporate farming definitions.
– These companies do not have production farms but play a significant role in agriculture.
– Non-farming entities have a substantial impact on agricultural supplies and products.
– Widely considered accurate to include non-farming entities in the corporate farming definition.

**5. Global Perspectives on Corporate Farming:**
– Family farms in Europe are protected by EU regulations.
– Farming in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc states was collectivized.
– Corporate farming is emerging in some African nations.
– Oil-rich countries in the Middle East practice corporate farming.
– Regulations and laws exist regarding corporate farming practices.