There is an almost religious aspect to farming. Farmers see the mission of ?feeding the world? as more than rhetoric; it is a deeply held belief among farmers and others in agriculture. Farming is more of a calling than an occupation and exists as a subculture within the larger American community. Even when children leave the farm, they often seek jobs that are ?in agriculture? to retain connections to this sacred trust. These jobs in agriculture often involve selling inputs and services to the farms that they came from, so that the farmer today sustains an entire support industry. This is one of the reasons that so many people have a stake in the continuance of high-input agriculture, and those that have a stake in it are the sons and daughters and cousins and high-school friends of the people that are most burdened by having to farm so expensively. The almost religious nature of the agricultural calling and the dignity of labor afforded by owning your own land and being master of your own destiny is one of the reasons that farmers continue to strive even after their labors stop making any economic sense..