Digging in the Dirt

I spent the day working the land today. John has about 29 acres and he works about ¼ of that every year; corn, strawberries, beans, peppers, tomatoes, squash, melons, etc. I’ve got a strong back and the field help comes at the right price, so I generally find myself spending a number of days every spring and fall out at the property with John. In the spring we plow, build beds, and plant. In the fall, we harvest, clear beds and build fences...the deer and groundhogs love John’s vegetables too and we are in a constant fight to keep some on the plants until harvest.

It was what a day on the farm should be…we began at dawn and worked until the light started to go at dusk. Over the years, I’ve gained a better understanding of farmers and I’ve learned that this is not a life that I would wish on anyone. Farming is serious hard work!! I guess I do it for three reasons; John needs the help and I respect and want to help him, it gives us time together with no one else and we very much enjoy each other’s company, despite the back-breaking work, there’s something about working the land that I actually enjoy.

I guess I’ll talk a little about that last one as the other two are fairly straight forward. As hard as it is working the land, there a great feeling when you pull the corn in August that you laid in the previous May. The food tastes wonderful, of course, but there’s also that tangible connection to it. You didn’t get this from any shelf, you lived with it for months and you were part of the cycle that connects us all to everything else in this world. I know that’s the feeling I get. Even when my back is aching and the row ahead of me seems like it will never end, I smile to myself and realize that I get so much more out of this work than the work that goes on in my office. Compared to growing your own food, the problems that we spend hours in meetings to discuss and contend with seem pretty insignificant. It’s a shame that our priorities are as screwed up as they are. As time goes on, I’m going to try to do what I can to have as much of what goes on my plate come from my own hands as I can.

I know I could never be a farmer, but I sure as hell respect those guys.