Desire to pursue an agricultural lifestyle.

In her post in January 2010, Jenna Woginrich called it Barnheart. I, personally, don't have a catchy term for this state of being, but I have an anecdote, stemming from personal experience. A perfect example is found when going grocery shopping. While people are picking up foods grown thousands of miles away, and grown with a copious quantity of pesticides, I am pondering. I am thinking about the desire, in our society, to have such consistency in our stores, that we cease to realize that seasons should have an effect on anything other than our attire. We buy imported tomatoes and berries in January. So sustainable, and so good for the local economy. In addition to pondering, this state of being also manifests itself by causing an unstoppable yearning to pursue agriculture, which can cause "interesting" reactions from friends, family, and others. Surprise and scorn are common. If we were to classify this state as a malady, the only treatment is an experimental, experiential remedy. This remedy involves working in a field, or in a barn. Your HMO likely won't cover the costs of this treatment, so it can occasionally appear unattainable. Working on a farm can temporarily allow the "symptoms" to abate, however, they will still remain present.

Making a Difference in our Food System.

My goal is to make a difference in the food system, so that one day, local, organic food will be readily available to the masses, as opposed to its current status in our society, which is that of a luxury item. In order for this to occur, many more members of my generation need to take an interest in agriculture. Only when we have an increase in the numbers of small farms will the accessibility to this food increase. Otherwise, we'll be stuck in the current system, and there won't be hope for an improvement. The activists in this movement aren't holding signs, or occupying parks. The activists in this movement are collecting eggs, digging rows, or making cheese. In this movement, farmers are the activists, and farming is the activism that will bring about change in the system.

Another vacation

Another vacation is approaching. This one is for 8 days. I'm hoping to use this break in a productive way, thus, I'm looking for farm work during that time period. I'm in Massachusetts, but have the ability to travel, within the Northeast/Mid Atlantic states. My goal is simply to work and to learn. I want to learn practically. I learn by doing. I would be open to work on all kinds of farms, but ideally dairy. I could arrive on Saturday the 18th. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Here at my school, I'm taking Agroecology this semester. The description of this course reads "based on a participatory learning model, Introduction to Agroecology investigates the philosophical and social underpinnings to the ecologically sustainable farm movement." An important part of this class is the designing of a project, which the student creates and runs. For my project, I'm thinking about raising a few meat birds on a small plot of grass. Due to the time constraints, I'm thinking about the Cornish Cross. Does anyone have any ideas, suggestions?