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  • From: "marc" <marc AT aculink.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] OT Small Farm Country Blues
  • Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2003 15:51:27 -0700

Thought I'd share this with the group. Marc wrote it off-list to another
member. I think it's worth sharing since, from what I've seen, things are
pretty much the same around the country.
Marcy


My heart aches at the potential for modern ag and the abuse of
conventional ag. We treat our soldiers better than our farmers. Better
equipment and better training and better personal worth. We have a modern
military and a conventional Ag policy.

Marcy weeps when another old farmhouse is demolished. When they demolished
her place where she was young she had such a strange look in her eyes. She
grieved for a long time and I could not give her comfort.

We look at stands of trees where some one once lived, had babies, we see the
old overgrown roses and other flowers someone with an eye for the nurturing,
bright and pretty planted. What did her apron look like? There's an old
clothesline post. Part of where she hung little shirts and big overalls. Did
she hum and sing when she hung those clothes like my Marcy does? Sometimes I
feel it best to pull over and let her drive for a while.

All gone except for small bits of gut wrenching evidence. The lust and
addiction for pseudo-efficiency, profit, growth and power has no place for a
cute dirty face with a dandelion for Mom and a frog in the pocket. But the
County Commissioners must have their taxes so they tax all the structures
and the farmer must pull down the old farmstead he's kept for it's memories
or a place for grandkids and kids to stay once or twice a year. It wasn't
hurting anyone till the greedy politicians made it so...

If we had the same attitude toward our small farmers, screw the money - just
the attitude - the niche markets and other diverse treasures of the small
farm would be a true horn of plenty. Proper crops in proper climates.
Confident little farm loving urchins. (My little guys love it here and are
running whatever part of the place we parents allow and even if we don't).
You couldn't keep them off the tractors or backhoe or flatbeds with
dynamite. They treasure each egg they gather like gold. They are self
assured and have pride in their work. Each confronts the other when
something is not done correctly. We increasingly teach and supervise less.
We are now fair game also for their values. It's incredible to experience.

But so many other kids have abandoned farms, I've seen their old toys in
the junk piles out back here and elsewhere. Small farmers keep every damn
thing. It takes a death and an auction for a clean up. Little tractors,
bulldozers, all kinds of little implements, toy horses, plastic cows and
teeny fences. The kids who grew up on this farm were men in their thirties
when we bought it. They were quite possessive and unhappy when our little
fellows decided their old, abandoned farm toys hidden in the tall grass were
to play with. They valued those toys so much as men 25 years removed from
those toys. How strange they left...

I ponder why Colorado farm policy is to make this life suck for my kids who
so love it now....

The farm had been in their family uninterrupted since the 1800's. We visited
the Mother of the last farmer/father to live here. She was so old in that
nursing home. We were hungry for history, connection, continuity. We
gathered history from her and visited. She was so emotional when she became
aware of something....she shook and stared and exclaimed "You love the
land!!" Yes of course we did.... Our fist son born here we named after her
son Richard. This farm had only born boys in it's entire history so it
seemed fitting to respect that tradition of this farm that adopted US.

marc...






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