Rancher/Legislator Tom Dent: Here Is What Is Needed to Support Small Farmers

After roughly one in eight U.S. farms disappeared or became part of someone else’s farm in the past quarter century, it could make a person pessimistic about the future of family operations. Tom Dent isn’t one of those pessimists. “I don't know that we're going to continue to lose them,” he told American Farmland Owner from his home in Moses Lake, Washington.

But the bison rancher and state legislator added, “We do need to support them in some way.”

Tom Dent bio:

• Flying T LLC – Owner, cattle and bison rancher in Moses Lake, Washington

• State of Washington -- State representative (2015-present)

• Tom Dent Aviation – Owner, aerial application service

Dent pointed to the origins of the U.S. farm program under President Franklin Roosevelt as an example of proactive leadership. “He (FDR) was a forward thinker, and he could see that we needed to maintain our food production on our soil in America,” Dent explained.

The farm program was created to help prop up American farmers during the Great Depression. And while some of the policies still exist today, Dent argues that it is not enough on its own.

Regulatory Burdens on Farmers

“We’ve regulated our farmers. We have such a regulatory burden on them coming out of the different states that we’re crushing them,” he said. “So even though we have a farm program that’s designed to keep them propped up, the regulatory load that we’re putting on them is crushing them back down.”

Dent described the all-too-common reality of small family farms: the spouse working off the farm for health insurance, and the farmer working long hours, often with minimal help, just to stay afloat.

RELATED: This Midwest farm couple both work off-farm jobs as they build their agricultural operation.

Economic Strain on Family Farmers

“They can’t carry that load,” Dent said. “We’re going to have to look at how we can lighten that load and help our farmers better produce their crops.”

At the heart of the issue, according to Dent, is a fundamental misunderstanding of how agriculture works. “A farmer, a rancher is a price taker, not a price setter,” he emphasized. “That’s what most people in America don’t understand. He may want $500 for his cow, but he’s going to get $250. That’s how it works.”

Meanwhile, the costs of farming, especially for inputs like fuel, fertilizer, and pesticides, continue to climb. Much of it is driven by state-level regulatory actions, Dent believes.

“All of these things are putting the load on the farmer, which is making it not work,” Dent said. “If we want to keep our small farms in business, then we’re going to have to help them. We’re going to have to reduce that regulatory load.”

Relieving Regulations on Farmers

When asked for a practical example of burdensome regulation, Dent pointed to environmental policies that, while well-intentioned, often go too far in restricting farmers’ autonomy.

“It’s like we think they don’t care for the environment,” he said, describing limitations on pesticide use and water rights as key concerns. “We remove the ability for them, or we put specific challenges on them. Little things like that just take away from them.”

Dent acknowledged that Washington State’s Department of Agriculture is supportive of farmers, but he said the Department of Ecology often takes a more adversarial approach.

“They say they own all the waters of the state, so if you do anything wrong with the water, even though it’s on your place, you’re in trouble,” he said.

Farmers’ Relationship with the Environment

In Dent’s view, these policies overlook a basic truth: “I don’t know a single farmer or rancher that wants to destroy… or bring harm to their ranch and farm, or to the waters, or anything else,” he said. “They’re the true environmentalists. Without their property, without their land, what do they have? They have nothing.”

The path forward, according to Dent, is not to abandon regulation entirely, but to find a more balanced approach—one that recognizes farmers as stewards, not adversaries. If states want to keep small producers in business, the solution may start with listening more closely to the people who know the land best.