Why Farm?

Hector Black manages a remarkable nursery and orchard near Cookeville, Tennessee.  At 85 years of age, he continues to pick fruit, plant trees, and raise cuttings, living on the farm with his family and friends.  ”I’ve been raising plants my whole life, no matter how small the space.”  He finds life on the farm “incredibly peaceful” and is able to “make observations of nature that [he'd] otherwise never have the opportunity to make.”  Though Hector leads a life of apparent quiet, he has a long history as a civil rights activist — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. bailed him out of jail during the 1960′s civil rights demonstrations.  Farming has provided Hector a peaceful life in the midst of the tumultuous social issues which he’s long fought to amend.

David Alderman married into farming.  His advice to beginning farmers, “You almost have to marry into it.”  At 63 years, David “enjoys the change in agriculture, more than anything,” and raises corn, soybeans, and wheat on ~400 acres near Ottawa, Kansas.  He feels his co-op allows him to keep current with the technological advancements in farming, and couldn’t afford to keep up otherwise.  ”If a compromise is to be made, it will be made on my terms– for example, I don’t buy new equipment.”  David’s motivation to continue farming is “certainly not for the money,” but to try to sustain his land.  ”I may not always build nature up, but I try to, at least, not tear her down.”

Liza Plaster and William Early were inspired to raise dairy goats after a visit to the farm of the late writer Carl Sandburg.  Plaster and Early researched dairy goat husbandry extensively, built a modern and impressive dairy through a local architect, and obtained a small herd of goats.  After ten years of raising dairy goats and crafting cheeses, they are facing the twilight of operating Ripshin Goat Dairy.  Plaster reflects on the joys and challenges in the arduous endeavor of raising dairy goats and shares why she is considering retiring from farming at the end of this year.

We had the honor of interviewing three generations of Duncanson farmers:  Mary (the matriarch), Pat and Karl (the brothers), and Karl’s son Karson (the new generation).  The Duncansons raise hogs and farm several thousand acres of corn and soybeans near Mapleton, Minnesota.  Some of Mary’s grandchildren (the new generation) have taken up farming while some have decided to pursue other paths, though all of them grew up working on the family farm.  “It’s my love — the only thing I care to do,” says Karl, “and we will provide each of our children the opportunity to farm if they want to.”  Karl seeks to “make better use of our God-given things:  soil, light, temperature” and continues to notice that, “in farming, everything is so intertwined.

The marrow of agricultural education can be seen at the PEAS Farm in Missoula, Montana.  An innovative partnership between Garden City Harvest and the University of Montana, the 10-acre PEAS (Program in Ecological Agriculture and Society) Farm hosts University classes, community workshops, a working 90-household CSA, youth programs, festivals, and serves as a model for many other agricultural education programs across the nation.  The padre of PEAS farm, U of M educator Josh Slotnick, began the student-farm 13 years ago to provide students with hands-on farming experience.  Slotnick’s experiences as a student, an educator, and as a farmer (he co-manages ‘Clark Fork Organics’ with his wife) taught him that “production obligations beget a real agricultural education.”  Through the PEAS internship, students earn credit for working 4 hours each day in a production agriculture setting, which “bonds them to the land, enriches their education, and serves their community.”

“It’s in our blood,” asserts Cory Carman, a fourth-generation Oregon rancher.  Cory continues the tradition with her husband, Dave Flynn, their three children, and uncle, Kent.  “There’s no one else I’d rather work with.”  Originally, Cory left the ranch to be schooled at Stanford and worked in Public Policy on Capitol Hill.  Despite the promise of her new career, a return one summer was enough to call her back to her family’s passion indefinitely.  “Every generation has to figure out what they’re going to do” to remain viable.  Successful farmers and ranchers seek a harmony between the wisdom of prior generations with the ingenuity of the new generation.

“I ranch because I owe it to my family to protect the land they did through the dustbowl.”  Down 20 miles of dirt roads near Ordway, CO, Shad Sullivan co-manages 10,000 acres of prairie with his sister.  Shad is a fifth generation rancher, raising yearling cattle on pasture.  ”We’ve learned how to graze cattle responsibly…and avoided the problems of overgrazing that caused the dustbowl.”  Shad spoke of compromises due to weather, such as having to send hundreds of head to Wyoming and Nebraska due to the severe drought this year.  Of compromise, Shad’s father taught him, “We simply take the good with bad.”  ”We do this because we love the land, because our ancestors loved this land.”  During our visit, Shad pointed to a hill in the middle of the ranch, “I just buried my father there a few weeks ago.”     At this time, neither Shad nor his sister have heirs to continue protecting the Sullivan Ranch; Shad told us matter-of-factly, “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

In the dry plains of eastern Colorado, Mary and Dave Miller raise sheep and breed Great Pyrenees as livestock guardian dogs.  They are deeply involved in organizations that promote sustainable land management and local food systems.  Mary and Dave’s love of ranching has caused them to transition from their careers at NRCS to a life of full-time ranching.  The 2011 season has been one of the driest on record for much of the area, a hardship shared by all those involved in pasturing livestock.  Still, Dave is excited about ranching in that, “it’s a gamble.”  The consequences of “right and wrong decisions” are felt acutely, and ranchers are in a constant state of acquiescence in order to remain viable.  Dave’s feeling is that, “Many people don’t like [the gamble of farming]…that’s why farming has seen such a decrease in population.”  Which begs the question:  HOW CAN OUR SOCIETY MAKE FARMING LESS OF A GAMBLE FOR FARMERS?

Andre Houssney farms on at least two different continents.  He began farming during his upbringing on his family’s orchards in Lebanon.  As a missionary in Zambia, Andre became acutely of aware of opportunities for native Zambians to generate income for their families through selling their products internationally.  He now manages a distribution company providing organic, fairly traded products such as soap and lip balm from ~6,000 Zambian farmers.  Andre also co-manages a small farm producing vegetables, lamb, and pastured ducks for the Boulder, CO community.  He feels that his diversified farm in Boulder allows him to experiment with innovative farming practices that may be used to increase opportunities for farmers in Zambia and elsewhere.  Andre also feels he must remain directly acquainted with farming and is nourished by “seeing a system work from beginning to end.”  He continues farming because he “loves the connections with creation, with nature, and feeding his kids” and would “continue farming even if [he] didn’t make any money.”

Julie Pavlock came to farm in western Montana’s Mission Valley after interning with the Maders at Horsepower Organics.  For eight years, she’s been providing the community with vegetables and beef.  She loves working toward making the farm self-contained and takes pride in knowing she grows healthful products for her neighbors.  She told us, “everyone needs to eat and someone needs to grow the food and I like being one of the people that does that.”  One of Julie’s largest compromises was departing from horse-powered farming when her daughter Evelyn was born.  “Evelyn is now an integral part of everything on the farm.  Regardless of whether Evelyn continues farming, at least she was raised on a farm and has had this experience.”

In the midst of the Flathead Indian Reservation, among German Baptist and Hutterite farms, Michael Davidson is in his second year of farming the Mission Valley.  On less than an acre of a 60-acre parcel, Michael supplies a 28-member CSA with 16-weeks of fruits and vegetables in an effort so support the surrounding communities.  Native crops and grasses have been planted on the remaining land in order to replenish nutrients that have been depleted by poor land management.  Michael has been growing food for most of his life, progressively planting more crops with each new place he has lived.

“Friday night at the Salad BarN is why we farm,” summarized Pam Gerwe of Purple Frog Gardens.  “And volunteer days.”  “And Farmers’ Market…”  Pam and her partner Mike Jopek pioneered Purple Frog in 1991 just south of Whitefish, MT.  “Garden” is a modest designation for 5-acres of vegetables, hundreds of layer hens, hoophouses, five committed farmhands, and countless friends and volunteers.  Pam answered questions central to “Why Farm?” with frankness, though her and Mike demonstrated why they farm by cooking for visiting friends and neighbors, leading farm tours, trading ideas about the state of farming in MT and nationally, and showing us hospitality that is so natural in those who believe in their work.

Marvin Brisk not only uses horses to power his own farm, Oak Tree Ranch, but trains horses and fabricates horse-driven machinery to power farms, vineyards, orchards, and ranches across the United States. Described as a “prairie mechanic” by his neighbor David Mader, Marvin is a quiet champion of alternatives to fossil fuel powered agriculture. “Why would I buy gas when I can simply grow food for the horses on farm?” Marvin demonstrated horse-driven sweet corn cultivation as well as hay windrowing with incredible skill and focus — the same skill and focus that keeps his ranch profitable enough to support a family. Marvin was recently approached by a religious group focused on going to “a better place” and responded, as he looked out toward the Wallowa Mountains from his swather, “Can’t you see we’re already there?”

Deborah and David Mader breed, raise, and train draft horses at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains near Halfway, Oregon. Their horses work extensively on the farm pulling hay wagons, cultivating, planting, plowing, and powering all other manner of tasks. Over the course of 15 years the Maders have also trained more than 30 apprentices from all around the world. They’ve fostered cooperation in their community through projects such as developing irrigation canals. In the midst of baling alfalfa, David remarked on rural living, “we’re trading privacy for security…neighbors look out for one another.” As we harnessed horses Deborah instructed us to always keep a hand on the horses “in order to judge their temperament.” The Maders stand as a model of how an animal-powered farm can remain resilient.

Linda and Robert Cordtz are orchardists. Robert’s background in land reclamation allowed him to begin transitioning a conventionally-farmed property to Oregon Tilth Certified Organic the day they bought the 5-acre orchard in Richland, Oregon. Linda combines years of retail experience with her passion for good food to sell their apricots, peaches, apples, pears, prunes and hazelnuts at their market stand and to co-ops. Said Linda, “most of our customers know what food costs.” The Cordtzs “couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

Back in May we visited Chris Hansen at Mosaic Farms near Philomath, Oregon, where he’s been farming since 2009. Chris focuses on free-range pork which he plans to have Humane Certified in the next few years as well as on laying chickens. The pork and eggs are sold primarily to restaurants and food co-ops in the Willamette Valley.  Chris is deeply concerned with farmer-to-farmer cooperation and developing local food systems.

Bill Booth and partner Debra Seido Martin started Horton Road Organics in Blachly, OR twenty years ago and continue to farm and teach there today.  Their first five years were dedicated to developing a local market (culminating in a CSA) and to improving the soil by Organic methods.  Their apprenticeship program for educating new farmers began in 1997 and continues to train approximately five people per season.  The apprentices live on-farm in order to reap the full experience of being part of a working farm.  Horton Road Organic’s philosophy is well-outlined on their website, “Diversity and crop rotation, loving care and attention in the field, excellent variety selection, and articulate soil building with natural amendments all make up a healthy, fulfilling, and sustainable practice that supports its inhabitants, human and otherwise. The farm is committed to reinvigorating a human scale agriculture, developing healthy community and respectful relationships to its customers.”