For those of us living in a small town once surrounded by family farms, this is headline news. No one stays down on the farm. And when I was growing up in Chicago, just on the edge of the city, we were only minutes away from many family farms. By the time I finished high school, you had to drive 30 miles outside of the city line before getting past the endless housing developments and the only forms of nature left — the Cook County Forest Preserves or Lake Michigan.
Having forgotten the quick transition I witnessed, I moved out to this rural area with the thought, “Oh, now I’ll be able to get all kinds of fresh food.” But I am reminded that Forrest Pritchard, the local farmer to whom I allude, his family, and the other nearby farmers were already swept over by big agriculture and had to buy much of their own food from the local A & P. Some of that food may even have been each others’ products, anonymously unrecognizable in their colorful cardboard boxes and at prices they couldn’t afford.
The local grocery here couldn’t match the produce I had available in Chicago from the gourmet grocery that could sell its now rare products to a more sophisticated population. The cashiers out here no longer even knew the names of the few vegetables their employer carried.
It’s a story of wonder then when this boy, having graduated from a humanities program returned to his family farm wanting to become a farmer. Although his family had been farmers for 150 years, his parents were forced into supporting the farm by working elsewhere and paying a farm manager to do the farming. And the old methods of farming just weren’t working.
What made my heart skip a beat was hearing Pritchard speak at the local library about the book he’s written, Gaining Ground, A Story Of Farmers’ Markets, Local Food, And Saving The Family Farm.
As the audience questioned him regarding his opinions about farming he made two very clear points. 1. He wasn’t here to talk against any other way of farming, but only to uphold what’s working for him. And, 2., the ways he’s found for the farm to become sustainable—what is healthy for the land, caring for the animals, providing products the quality of which he is proud, and being able to earn a fair living in exchange for his hard work.
Despite the seriousness of the issues Pritchard discusses, his upholding attitude and sense of humor make it all as palatable as food fresh from the farm. I’ll return to the subject of farmers’ markets and eating local food at another time. What we enjoy at ours is getting to know the farmers, their helpers, and having a relationship with them. More of us appreciate that food maturing naturally in the same environment in which we, too, are growing is the most nourishing food for us.
Here’s a farm tour with Daniel, son of Joel Salatin, one of Pritchard’s mentors. He tells some of the key points to their method of sustainable farming.
PRACTICES. Are you able to buy local food where you live? Do your children know where food comes from? Eat something grown locally. Share the food and a growing plant with a child you know. See what both of your thoughts are about it.
Contact. Unsure of where to start in becoming familiar with fresh food? Contact me for a free 20-minute consultation to figure out an introduction that suits your current lifestyle.