Earl Butz and his "Get big or get out" was the largest blow ever to U.S. family farms. I'm reminded of it driving by the endless acres of corn (maize) in our local area, often with a field sign denoting the corporation the farmer has signed with. Will that corn even nourish anyone, or will it go to ethanol fuel, high fructose corn syrup, or dextrins for industrial use? Meanwhile the soil & the bee population suffer from so much monoculture.
I come across that fateful statement again and again in my reading and it angers me every time. Over here in the UK similar remarks are said and legislated.
And I appreciate greatly your kind words, it is always an honour to have farmers comment on my work. I may not farm myself, but I stand by you with my words
“Then for some of us, we must return to the land and commit to participating in its healing. Land is never too far gone. It can always be restored, though the task may outlive us. The builders of cathedrals often began a work whose finished state they knew they would never behold with their own eyes.”
What a beautiful image. With two little ones at home it has been so hard to find the time to get my hands in the dirt recently. But thank you for the inspiration to get back at it. I’m committed to a more productive food and flower garden next year. The benefits of our small patch of cut flowers now have been noticeable so I’m excited for what may be to come.
> The hand of a farmer or farm worker may be slower than the machine or chemical but is more gentle and skilful, more convivial to the life not only of his crops but also of the beneficial creatures that call the farm home.
The hands of farm workers and neighbors are also convivial to the farmer and the farm family. I think Berry also wrote something along the lines that farming started to die when the farmer thought it was better to have the neighbor's land than the neighbor. I'm sure most people didn't foresee how quick and complete the erosion of these communities would be, and how lonely farming would become.
Totally agree Julie. Thankfully, some level of community has persisted in the UK farming community, especially up north where farms tend to be smaller in the marginal areas.
But so much community (and rural culture along with it) has been lost.
Earl Butz and his "Get big or get out" was the largest blow ever to U.S. family farms. I'm reminded of it driving by the endless acres of corn (maize) in our local area, often with a field sign denoting the corporation the farmer has signed with. Will that corn even nourish anyone, or will it go to ethanol fuel, high fructose corn syrup, or dextrins for industrial use? Meanwhile the soil & the bee population suffer from so much monoculture.
Fantastic piece you've written here.
Thanks Erin,
I come across that fateful statement again and again in my reading and it angers me every time. Over here in the UK similar remarks are said and legislated.
And I appreciate greatly your kind words, it is always an honour to have farmers comment on my work. I may not farm myself, but I stand by you with my words
“Then for some of us, we must return to the land and commit to participating in its healing. Land is never too far gone. It can always be restored, though the task may outlive us. The builders of cathedrals often began a work whose finished state they knew they would never behold with their own eyes.”
What a beautiful image. With two little ones at home it has been so hard to find the time to get my hands in the dirt recently. But thank you for the inspiration to get back at it. I’m committed to a more productive food and flower garden next year. The benefits of our small patch of cut flowers now have been noticeable so I’m excited for what may be to come.
> The hand of a farmer or farm worker may be slower than the machine or chemical but is more gentle and skilful, more convivial to the life not only of his crops but also of the beneficial creatures that call the farm home.
The hands of farm workers and neighbors are also convivial to the farmer and the farm family. I think Berry also wrote something along the lines that farming started to die when the farmer thought it was better to have the neighbor's land than the neighbor. I'm sure most people didn't foresee how quick and complete the erosion of these communities would be, and how lonely farming would become.
Totally agree Julie. Thankfully, some level of community has persisted in the UK farming community, especially up north where farms tend to be smaller in the marginal areas.
But so much community (and rural culture along with it) has been lost.
Thanks for writing this. A re-localizing of agriculture is the solution, not the problem.
Absolutely, so much relocalising needs to be done
Thanks for this Cathy, and thank you for sharing your story. I hope the nematodes work. That sounds like a fascinating book indeed