The Farm.
It has been a while since I've written.
I have been busy with my mundane and monotonous existence. I am starting to think about a plan for my sustainable, organic farm. I am not sure where I want to settle, but I am thinking about Northern Vermont, or Upstate New York. I am thinking about what I want to produce. I am thinking that I'll have 100 laying hens. 20 chickens for meat (at a time), 20 dairy cows, 15 goats for milk, and 5 pigs for meat. This would be in addition to large vegetable garden. I would run a farm stand operation, where I would sell my products I would also run a CSA. If I were close enough to a city, I could sell my goods at farmers markets. I plan on also running educational programs, so that I can teach the future generations about the importance of good, clean, and fair food. For this summer, I am going to apply for Sterling College's summer program, and I am also going to look for farming internships. If anyone knows of any good farming internships, please let me know.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Decline of farmers
I just saw a video on YouTube that I found to be somewhat discouraging, yet motivating at the same time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I-8jIn1UZ0
This video is from San Juan Island in Washington. The average farmer is 57 as of 2007, and the number is rising steadily. The problem is that fewer members of my generation are interested in Agriculture. The youth don't care enough about food, and the future of it. If agriculture was encouraged, instead of stigmatized, we might have more potential farmers.
It's time for the youth to care about farming, and about where food comes from. Too many people are uninformed about the control that multinational corporations have on our plates. People need to make conscious choices about their meals.
I just read a very well written essay on Sterling College's Blog, The Common Voice. It's all about the political and philosophical aspects of food.
http://voice.sterlingcollege.edu/post/2610332671/nutrition-essay-my-food-philosophy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I-8jIn1UZ0
This video is from San Juan Island in Washington. The average farmer is 57 as of 2007, and the number is rising steadily. The problem is that fewer members of my generation are interested in Agriculture. The youth don't care enough about food, and the future of it. If agriculture was encouraged, instead of stigmatized, we might have more potential farmers.
It's time for the youth to care about farming, and about where food comes from. Too many people are uninformed about the control that multinational corporations have on our plates. People need to make conscious choices about their meals.
I just read a very well written essay on Sterling College's Blog, The Common Voice. It's all about the political and philosophical aspects of food.
http://voice.sterlingcollege.edu/post/2610332671/nutrition-essay-my-food-philosophy
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy New Year
I hope everyone enjoyed the excessive holidays.
Lately, I've been feeling agitated and out of place. I feel like I don't belong here, in this soulless environment. I don't belong here. I belong on a piece of rural land somewhere. I belong in an environment where people care about agriculture, and don't view it as a second class profession. I just want to be in a place where people share my views on life. Is this so much to ask for? I just feel like daily life is grinding on my nerves. The same monotonous routine endlessly repeats, while I just go with it. While my body is here, in a large metropolis, my heart, mind and soul are on a dairy farm somewhere beautiful. I would be ecstatic to hear the sounds of mooing cows. I wouldn't mind shovelling manure at all. I would be so happy to get my hands dirty, and just help produce good, clean food.
Food production should be small-scale, not industrial. The reason that people are so distanced from their food is that they have no experience. They most likely don't know a local farmer, because a majority of the food eaten is produced and packaged thousands of miles away in a smelly, cramped, and inhumane environment.
Lately, I've been feeling agitated and out of place. I feel like I don't belong here, in this soulless environment. I don't belong here. I belong on a piece of rural land somewhere. I belong in an environment where people care about agriculture, and don't view it as a second class profession. I just want to be in a place where people share my views on life. Is this so much to ask for? I just feel like daily life is grinding on my nerves. The same monotonous routine endlessly repeats, while I just go with it. While my body is here, in a large metropolis, my heart, mind and soul are on a dairy farm somewhere beautiful. I would be ecstatic to hear the sounds of mooing cows. I wouldn't mind shovelling manure at all. I would be so happy to get my hands dirty, and just help produce good, clean food.
Food production should be small-scale, not industrial. The reason that people are so distanced from their food is that they have no experience. They most likely don't know a local farmer, because a majority of the food eaten is produced and packaged thousands of miles away in a smelly, cramped, and inhumane environment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)