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  • From: "Ploughshare" <gjbrever AT midwestinfo.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>, <jhendric AT wisc.edu>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Got Hope??
  • Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:57:31 -0600

I have been farming for roughly 8 years, and this is now our 6 year running a CSA. This year we are up to 225 members. I have always been very enthusiastic about doing what we are doing, (feeling like we were part of a larger more important mission) so even though the work we do is incredibly difficult it always seemed worth it. However, this winter I seem to be in a real lull about farming. Partly it's to do with being kicked around for the past 2 years with the stress of the whole RCD fraud case. However, I'm also feeling a bit concerned about the stress of farming in general. We as farmers put ourselves in the storm of so much risk every year. There is always the luming possibility of bad weather, frost, etc that can take out a number of our crops and drought. There is also the stress of labor and customer needs. We use different strategies to help alliviate this stress (i.e. CSA marketing, row covers, succession planting, etc.) and all of these are all useful, and I have become a better farmer for it. However, (please allow myself to endulge in a bit of whining) I'm only 33 (and have four small children--by the way), but I am starting to already feel the affects of farming taking its tole both mentally and physically. In the fall, it feels like I crash from the previous year's season and I go through stages where I dread the next growing season. (PTSD for farmers??) In addition it seems that the winter months bring little relief for worry but brings only isolation (we live far out of town). What really has brought me down in the past months is knowing that even the best of the farmers are only making on average about $14.90/hour (from John Henderickson's Uof W study)-- So, I'm sending out this post not looking for more technical strategies (i.e--farm planning, business plans, etc.) but looking around to others who have gone through what I'm going through and who have pushed forward and feel good that they did. I guess I'm looking for hope.... Perhaps a bit of a support group for farmers. --Gary





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