As the other commenters have pointed out, I miss-read your post and underestimated your knowledge. Sorry about that... and the reason I like Slashdot is for the knowledgable comments.

But anyways, if you asked a grade school kid (and likely some of my facebook friends) to show the path from China to Alaska, they might draw a line heading West over the Atlantic since the most common world maps split the Pacific ocean. So that's what I thought you quickly miscalculated.

Don't forget the world's round! That flight from China to Alaska was nowhere near Tennessee: http://www.happyzebra.com/distance-calculator/Shanghai-to-Anchorage.php

"The vast majority of farms and ranches in the United States are family owned and operated." http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/ag_systems/in_focus/familyfarm_if_overview.html Having grown up in the dairy industry in the midwest, I can back this up from experience. And many of the family farms are embracing technology to improve yield, quality, and efficiency.