BTW, I didn't respond to Marek's point about sick leave and vacations. I don't know about the US (where family farms all but don't exist any more), but in Europe farmers can get both. It's not as good a cover as for salaried workers, but the same can be said of all self-employed people in other trades and professions. One of the things a redirection of CAP subsidies would have to address would be how to improve this aspect of farming.

But I quite agree, someone, that it's not just a question of "family farms" that conjure up the image of grinding hard work and lack of freedom Marek brings up. There could certainly be other forms of organisation.