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?

College

Some students enter college with ideas about their future, and those ideas change. The students are exposed to subjects that they haven't learned about before, and these subjects help shape their future career choice. For me, in the first semester, I learned a lot of new things, but I still want to pursue agriculture as my career, because I continue to see the problems in the food system, and I still want to change them. Yahoo News posted an article about the most "useless" majors. This elitist attitude completely ignores the fact that people need to eat, and food will only be provided through agriculture. When I mention my continued interest in agriculture to family or friends, I find it to be dismissed, often due to the fact that I'm "only" a first-year student in college, and that my interests will potentially change. Whenever someone implies this, I see the true insinuation. They're trying to subtly express disapproval of my career goal. Honestly, it doesn't matter. It's my career goal. Yahoo Article. http://education.yahoo.net/articles/most_useless_degrees.htm

Another update

Over the past month, I've been busy at school, working hard in all subjects. In addition, I've done some work on an organic farm in Connecticut. There, I've learned goat milking, and done other tasks, such as planting garlic, spreading mulch, and weeding. The work I've done there has already been a valuable experience, and I hope to continue doing work there. I am still aiming and aspiring to go into agriculture as a career, and I hope to gain more skills and knowledge. Next summer, I'll most likely be doing an agricultural apprenticeship. In the meantime, I'm looking for more experience that I can gain. I have a long vacation in December-January, five weeks, and I think it would be helpful for me to gain some farming experience during that period. Working during that time would be a valuable and productive use of my time. It will most likely be challenging to find work on a farm, at least in the US, over break, because it will be the winter, which is usually the time when there is the least amount of activity, and thus the least amount of need for apprentices.

Update after two months.

It's been over two months. I'm now a first year in university, and it's going quite well.
I have been trying to find opportunities on local farms, in the Berkshires.
Last week, I learned how to milk a goat. This was quite a rewarding experience.
Learning how to milk a goat, and then doing academic work made me ponder education.
There are two parts of education.
There is the theoretical part, which consists of reading classic books.
This is in addition to the practical component of education, which teaches students how to fulfill necessary practical tasks.
If all the students with the highest SAT scores were put on a dairy farm, they would, most likely, not know how to be useful.
I'll continue finding work on local farms.
Eventually, I hope to be at a school where agriculture is a component of the curriculum.

Irked

I'm still feeling irked by the results of the trip. I had a fantastic time, and learned a lot. The other attendees complained about the level of work, and are now asking for a certificate of community service for the 2 hours that they worked. 
I planned this trip to be a learning and volunteering experience. 
It seems like the participants would find a piece of paper to be more fulfilling than the work itself. 
I'm feeling unappreciated for all my efforts. Even if I do get them certificates, I feel that I still won't be appreciated. So, what's the point?