[Spooky23]

No way. I have some friends who've been operating a family farm since the 1600's in Upstate NY. They are doing great, and IMO the future looks brighter. The problem with what you describe is that there is too much complexity, too many middlemen, and too much reliance on the West Coast.

Without all of this nonsense, these folks are successfully growing greens through the winter in a harsh northern climate, using high tunnels and fans with simple timers and sensors. It's totally doable and scalable without wasting lots of money on equipment and tractors.

In terms of cost -- most of the cost gets piled on in the supply chain. I get milk delivered twice a week for a slight (15%) price premium compared to the grocery store. The farmer's gross is about 40% higher than what it would be if he were shipping to a co-op or commercial dairy. We do most seasonal vegetable shopping from non-organic, local farms and conservatively pay 75% less as compared to the stuff shipped in from California or Chile.

Small scale agriculture is going to be huge IMO as the ability the sustain the miracle in the desert in California and the costs of fertilizer rises.