I was industriously hoeing the other day when I was called inside. Apparently someone was there to see me with an urgent message. Unfortunately, it was another salesman. Hiding my disinterest, I patiently listened to his story as he extolled the wonders of his product and its indispensability for our company. When he was finally done he asked me why the owner of the company was out in the fields doing the grunt work. Weren’t there more important things to be done? Couldn’t that work be left to teenagers looking for summer work? He wasn’t the first to pose the question so when I returned to the squash field I contemplated my reasons for taking on a job that many would consider far below their dignity. Here are several reasons why I choose to get my hands dirty every day. 1. I want a farm market that puts the ‘farm’ back into the market; not in a pretentious way but with authenticity and genuineness. Our farm is at the core of our company. If we fail to grow good food we fail to exist. That’s why our organizations leadership focuses most of its attention on growing quality food. 2. I want to know everything about the food that we sell in our market. If I’m not helping with the seeding and weeding and the harvesting and washing I won’t be able to talk about our product with the same conviction and pride. 3. Working in the field allows me to think in a more solitude environment about our purpose and values as a farm market. I also enjoy the deep discussions with my fellow farmers about the future of food and farming. Will localized market gardens and small scale farms replace the commodity farm? Can one acre feed fifty persons assuming that the one acre is their only food source? Does our city have the capacity to feed itself? How might we most effectively encourage young people to take up a career in farming? 4. I love gardening. I receive incredible satisfaction in watching a small, dry seed become a seedling and eventually develop into something you can eat. When I’m in the field I’m in tune with various aspects of nature including soil structure, bug and bird life, weather and plant biology. The interconnectedness of these various aspects fascinates me. Spending time outdoors enables me to explore and connect with nature in a new and living way. This final reason, in my opinion, trumps the other three.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 04:03:17 +0000
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