Is farming still just a way of life?

Summer 2014

The romantic idea surrounding farming today in America is riddled with labels and opinions of sustainability. Romantic because every living creature needs to eat and being that close to the the soil that sprouts such a necessary custom is simply satisfying. People love food. It brings us together as humans. Where in an emic demographic, the trendy term "sustainable" needs to ground its community's health with consideration of a shared triple bottom line.

My experience at Spring Ledge Farm has been an extraordinary one. I have been immensely fortunate to work with every person there. I have never worked on a farm before and these six months have been full of genuine, rich, enlightening and sometimes outrageous conversations. Thank You Tasha, Greg, Bruce, Alden, Anne, Jonalyn, Zach, Claire and Thomas. I feel stronger everyday with your help.

Thomas told me one day that "farming could be the most noble profession there is." On the surface, where crops become food, i agreed. There are so many contingencies in this process however. For one, the local debate. Then there is organic, fair trade, direct trade, or hydroponically grown distinctions that require even more dinero to manage pests and weeds.

There are some misconceptions i am hoping to address about the inglorious truth behind American farming. There is a risk of who the misnomers of labeling are benefitting apart of who the general consumer seeks to support. Regardless of technology or unionized organizations that see those products reach the table, people need to work and people need to eat. Days when the rain is never at your back and others where only the relentless sun sucks all the words from the air, sometimes farming is just empty feeling. Those days normally start with "why am i doing this?" and then "i dont get paid enough for this" and finally "im not making any irreplaceable difference." I was not searching to work on a farm as a heroic duty or anything silly like that but to simply learn of what has enabled me to be curious. I was assimilated into the romantic preconception of eating our own food like many people of our generation. As people come and go on the farm or any farm for the matter, the ebb and flow cannot falter.

Is farming still just a way of life as it was two, three generations ago?
Maybe it is for Greg, Springledge's owner.

Perhaps i am insinuating more issues involved with how we as millenia-American society view our food. Starting with where it comes from and what values do those products deserve. Some New Hampshire folks who "live free or die" believe they dont need any more laws that say what they should and should not eat. Somewhere, we as American consumers deserve how to grow what is right for our people, planet and our future. Are these social issues resolved within the American classroom or is it the responsibility of the consumer? The paradox between education or class with what food sources are available is unacceptable. In order to make our own lives healthier, we need to become more socially proactive with what we as a community believe is sustainable to ourselves and the environment.

How does one initiate the greater public in creating a business out of teaching food empowerment?