FarmAid

This summer, in the midst of the clatter and surplus of work, more work than can be done timely, we were contacted by FarmAid.  They wanted us to be part of a podcast they were putting together about where farmers and farms are going from here.  Their preferred subject was the idea of joining marketing of farm products to their production, all to the benefit of the farm family and community.

    We were happy to be part of it, of course, as we are happy anytime the ongoing bustle of urban America admits that we and the food we produce are critical to everyone's health and survival.  LeeAnn, I and grandson Andrew were first interviewed about the origins of Pastures farm, the start of grazing and straw based hog production, as well as the forming up of the marketing and the learning process taken on especially by LeeAnn and Josh and Cindy and the work and twists and turns it has taken to get it this far.  

        Then Josh and Cindy took the story to the next level talking about their work revitalizing rural processing businesses, the facilitating of the transfer of business to the next generation and the start that has been made here in Minnesota to train and educate the next generation of processing workers and more than a few, it is hoped, future owner operators.  Much Covid spending in our state went to this rural effort.  It is appreciated and we hope it bears fruit long term.

        A bit later the new food coop started up in New London was the subject. Started on a shoestring and operated by true believers in a new approach to food growing and provision, it promises to be a real blessing to our farm and business. New London lost its local grocery store some years ago and the new food effort may well benefit because of the hole left in the community by the departure.  Our marketing arm has been busy facilitating and helping with the start up.

       And, of course, our reward, besides the satisfaction of talking food and farming with someone who certainly seems to care how it all comes out, is that we could buy at a reduced price, FarmAid concert tickets for later this summer. For LeeAnn and I this will be our first big concert since Peter Paul and Mary at the auditorium on campus at the University of Minnesota in 1970.  

 

Smoke

 Smoke from the fires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba sent thick smoke south to us again this weekend. This is not normal weather.  Air quality index claims danger in exposure for older people and folks with heart and lung problems.  

The earth is on fire and we are the cause of it.  We will figure out how to live with it of course. We always do.  But the other question, the one about longer term results and tipping points and if the earth coming toward us in the near future is at all like the one we are adjusted to remains.

What we try for here at Pastures A Plenty in view of all this is to keep our production of crops and animals as close as possible to what might be happening here if we were not here.  We do not know what is coming.  But we can look back and see that the earth has produced growing green things and animals have reproduced as far back as we know.  This we need to take to heart and to learn.

We think it is a pretty good bet that all the certified smart people and all the corporate money will not be able to figure out a solution.  We only hope they don't make it too much worse than they already have.  And we hope they may give up their age old habit of thinking they know better and begin occasionally to listen to the people doing the work of the world.

We put our faith in the capacity of earth, given kindly use and care, to figure out how to heal itself.  We need to figure out how to feed ourselves and others without doing huge damage.  To do this, we must learn an attitude of listening, of careful attention to what the earth is telling us.

Humility is required.  Listening to the earth and the animals on it and in it does not come naturally to us humans.  But we will have to learn.  The earth will teach us.  So we carry on our work with the plants and animals and try to do so in a way that makes things better and not worse.