U.S. Faces Agrarian Collapse with 170,000 Farms Lost in Eight Years, Warns Mollie Engelhart

Mollie Engelhart, a prominent advocate for regenerative agriculture and author of "Debunked by Nature," has issued a stark warning regarding an ongoing "agrarian collapse" in the United States, urging consumers to actively support local farmers and demanding systemic changes to ensure the survival of family farms. Her recent statements, made during a new episode of a podcast and in an Epoch Times opinion piece, highlight the critical state of the nation's food system. Engelhart emphasized, "If the consumer doesn’t wake up from lulled comfort, they’ll find themselves eating slop and completely disconnected from nature. It is imperative that the farm survives.

The severity of the situation is underscored by alarming statistics, with Engelhart noting that approximately 170,000 farms have been lost across the U.S. in the last eight years. Locally, Texas alone reportedly saw the disappearance of 4,000 family farms in the past year, illustrating the rapid decline impacting agricultural communities nationwide. This trend, she argues, poses a significant threat to national security and food sovereignty.

Engelhart, who transitioned from building a vegan restaurant empire in Los Angeles to embracing regenerative farming practices, advocates for a dual approach to combat this collapse. She encourages individual consumer actions such as attending farm-to-table dinners, visiting farmers' markets, purchasing CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares, and utilizing farms as event venues. "Every single action matters," she stated, stressing that individual support remains the most critical piece of the puzzle.

However, Engelhart asserts that individual efforts alone are insufficient without systemic reform. A major barrier for aspiring farmers is the prohibitive cost of land, exacerbated by banking policies requiring a 30% down payment on farmland loans. She cited Central Texas, where farmland averages $14,000 per acre, making an $840,000 cash down payment necessary for a 200-acre farm—a financial burden almost impossible for new farmers to bear.

Engelhart contends that redirecting credit creation from real estate speculation to productive sectors like small farms could revitalize rural economies, framing the issue as a "national security" concern. She envisions a future with more resilient, communal living, where wealth is measured not by financial assets but by the strength of community support and shared resources. Her work aims to reconnect people to the land and foster a more sustainable, localized food system.