I'm a sucker for stories like this, but I'm also mindful of how difficult it is for farmers at this scale to sustain themselves financially. My good friends at Blue Gate Farm have managed to hold on for many years, but I'm not sure they would say that they are thriving. The story of Grinnell Heritage Farm, one of the flagship organic farms in the state for about a decade, was put out of business by places like Trader Joe's. I still don't think we've learned to see farms as resources beyond food production. Small-scale farmers with diversified crops are educational resources, cultural resources, and the farms themselves can be a nexus for community. But so far many of them are islands in a sea of monocultures. And I think we minimize their struggle by romanticizing the purity of their vision too much.
Got it. The Red Farm folks had to work off farm jobs for years before they turned a profit. It’s certainly a struggle to survive. We need to support local foods.
Beautiful poem and such a hopeful vision!
So beautiful and evocative. Thank you for this lovely piece.
Thanks so much Mary for your wonderful poems, and for your essay chapter about AgArts, and photos as well! You can purchase this book directly from participating land trusts to support their mission: https://www.nature-culture.net/writing-the-land-foodways-and-social-justice
Magical! Is this a place to get chestnuts for my dressing at Thanksgiving?
Thanks, Richard. Red Fern Farm sells tons of chestnuts. You-pick. You have to call ahead to reserve a spot! Very popular.
Lovely. Thank you, Mary.
Cool! You have paw paws! Glad you liked the poem.
Ah, the pawpaws! We had our first fruits last summer, from trees we planted (in too much shade) 15 years ago. I liked your poem.
I'm a sucker for stories like this, but I'm also mindful of how difficult it is for farmers at this scale to sustain themselves financially. My good friends at Blue Gate Farm have managed to hold on for many years, but I'm not sure they would say that they are thriving. The story of Grinnell Heritage Farm, one of the flagship organic farms in the state for about a decade, was put out of business by places like Trader Joe's. I still don't think we've learned to see farms as resources beyond food production. Small-scale farmers with diversified crops are educational resources, cultural resources, and the farms themselves can be a nexus for community. But so far many of them are islands in a sea of monocultures. And I think we minimize their struggle by romanticizing the purity of their vision too much.
Got it. The Red Farm folks had to work off farm jobs for years before they turned a profit. It’s certainly a struggle to survive. We need to support local foods.