I guess I could be classed as a "hippy" by some definitions. However I
didn't learn from a "real farmer." (Ron wrote: "No 'hippy' or 'farmer
wanna-be' ever made it through the winter unless he was lucky enough to
learn from a real farmer. And it is those real farmers who made organic
agriculture...") My classroom was the garden and library. From these I
learned to produce 8 times more food per unit of land than American
agriculture. And I retain 60-70% of my gross sales as profit (my
paycheck). Consequently, I "make it through the winter."
So, it has been our traditional farmers, those who haven't been seduced
by unbounded profits touted by banks, chemical companies and agricrats,
along with "hippies" that, "...we owe the fact that the organic option
lies open to us today." There is a population among us who, while not
being "real farmers" have held on to our ethical standards and resist
the temptation to justify our actions. Some sought organic farming as a
way to live their beliefs rather than justifying their existence. The
common denominator between traditional farmers and "hippies turned
organic farmers" is the ethics.
Growing food for others is a sacred trust. The exchange of nourishing
food from the grower to the consumer should be a sacrament, not a
commodity exchange. Herein lies the spirituality of farming.
After that sermon, here's a joke for all of us to enjoy. (BTW, you can
tell I'm not a preacher, because I delivered a sermon and then a joke
and a preacher tells a joke and then delivers a sermon.)
What's the definition of an organic farmer? An old hippy that can't keep
a regular job.
Also- Ron, you're right on target about the difference between
management as it's used in business and industry and the way of life for
farming. I would only add that the boundaries between
lifeway/management/business/agriculture are blurred on the farm and are
only separated by those who analyze farming. And thanks for sharing that
quote from Wendell.
Alex
P.S. My spell check suggested "cannabis" for "wanna-bees"." Yikes! I
must be a hippy!
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