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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Fwd: Permaculture TV - The Real Dirt On Farmer John

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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Fwd: Permaculture TV - The Real Dirt On Farmer John
  • Date: Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:43:37 -0500

Robyn Francis wrote:
On 1/12/09 2:43 PM, "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
wrote:

I haven't seen this movie, but I've read the reviews. I was unaware that
he'd inherited a great farm and nearly crashed it. That is inexcuseable.
Of course it is and that's why we are in such a fix now with loss of
farmland and farms and soil and environmental quality.

Hey guys, why don't you see the movie before commenting...

The only thing available (for free) is the trailer. Why isn't the whole movie free if he is trying to get the good word out, about the nice things touched on in the trailer? CSA's are very important as are farmers markets, and the right to work and make a living including being self employed.

The story of Farmer John is a success story for Community Supported
Agriculture and organics. The family farm went bust due to a lot of factors
and he leant from it, started again and turned things around on a smaller
> parcel growing organic veg.

The trailer said that he "had to sell of most of the family land to pay off debts". What kind of debts and why, after inheriting a world class farm was he in debt at all? Why, after going into debt and selling off that land to get out from under didn't he just create an intentional community or a land cooperative giving potential community members and other farmers the opportunity to buy into his farm. I don't know who he sold the land too but what if it was for realestate ventures or some chemical and gmo farmer? What a loss.

It just seems that same old thing, irresponsibly goes into debt and sells off the family farm to clear out the red ink then comes up smelling like a rose with a small market operation, exonerating himself
of mismanagement. He probably sold the land at the wrong time for muchless than its worth and its worth, big acreage of 10' deep black prairie soil in Illinois in an intense farming region with lots of truck farming and orcharding. Doesn't seem like he is setting much of an example except by promoting natural agriculture and csa's.

Its a shame to see a big farm with prime prairie soil get sold off at all for any reason.





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