Why do I want to be a Farmer?

A stereotype exists for farmers: hard-working, leathery-skinned, broad-shouldered men who most likely don’t have a formal education higher outside of a small-town high school diploma. While this may describe some farmers, I will venture to say that it does not describe most. There is also a stereotype about farms: Large swaths of land covered in a single crop, crawling with enormous tractors and under-paid migrant workers. Again, this does describe some farms (generally corn or soy operations in the Midwest and Western states), but I will venture, again, to say that it does not describe most.

As a woman from Suburbia, United States with a very expensive liberal arts education and any opportunity to make serious money at each finger tip, I have faced a lot of questioning, doubt, and confusion in the past 6 months since I’ve decided to devote my life to farming. People don’t understand how an economics degree plus an honor-laden diploma plus a girl of two successful parents equals an aspiring farmer. People, particularly of older generations, are skeptical, doubtful, and seem disappointed. If my 20-year-old self were to hear my current self express the desire to be a farmer, she probably would have reacted to the same way – thinking that an educated woman could think of better ways to join the food movement. So what is my current self’s response? I want to be a farmer because I believe it is one of the most challenging and exciting careers that exists today. Moreover, it is much more than a career – it is a lifestyle. A lifestyle that teaches one the true connection between one’s body and the earth, opens up opportunities to forge meaningful relationships with one’s neighbors, and keeps one brutally honest in every way – there are no days off, there are no loopholes around Mother Nature, there are few things more necessary than food and physical activity, and there are lasting consequences to every action. 6 months in the dirt have taught me that this is a lifestyle worth seeking.

Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself if this explanation. First, I should explain my values and what the honest vision of my life is as I see it today. I want to live a “real” life. I want to be intimately involved in something that is necessary and vital to my soul, my body, my community, and the earth. I see thousands of “made-up” lives around me, based on things that humans have made up to keep themselves occupied and interested in the made up world around them. With no disrespect or offense intended, I don’t believe jobs in computer technology or money management or real estate affairs could be affirming or satisfying for the human soul. We have made up the computer, money, property, knick-knacks etc. to organize our world and then we made up jobs to manage and sell and allocate these made up things, and then we created even more jobs to hire people for these made up jobs and designed even more complicated titles for these made up jobs, and are forced to create more things to keep up with all this advanced technology– I am not interested in this. I see that these things are meaningful to a lot of people around me, but I am not choosing to make these things a priority for my one life. I want to live as close to what is real and earthly as possible. So this is the framework for my intended future.

Without so much complication, I believe in being a good person for the sake of humanity – for the sake of “we are all here together for some divine and incomprehensible reason so why not make the most of it.” I believe in community and mutually benefiting relationships. I believe in putting quality, real things in my body because it is the only one I have. I believe in living one’s personal truth because there is only one opportunity to do this. I believe in doing things that make one happy and bring depth to one’s life. I believe in YOLO! I believe in being part of the matrix of life and of history. I believe I should find where my skills and passions fit best into this matrix and best serve my neighbors, human and otherwise. These are the beliefs and values that motivate my love for the earth and my subsequent love of farming.

Farming is a real lifestyle. It is necessary and creative. It allows for the expression of personal truth while being part of a diverse community. It fosters ultimate respect for the earth and the climate, total reliance on one’s community of supporters, and satisfaction at the end of every day.

In less abstract terms, farming on a small, organic scale allows for the best interdisciplinary practice (an adjective used profusely in the liberal arts world), calling upon biology, chemistry, business, sociology, marketing, communication, microeconomics, physical education, and faith in a larger force. Small-scale organic farming is not glamorous – it is dirty and requires immense physical labor – but it is thoughtful and must constantly be adapting. To be a small-scale organic farmer, one must be full of knowledge, creativity, adaptability, efficiency, and always thinking two steps ahead. Not only are there over 35 different crops to know by variety type, but one has to know how to rotate them to avoid certain pests (for 10 years in advance), one has to prioritize the endless to-do list with a relatively small crew, one has to be ready for a loose wheel or failing crop, one has to create a business plan to market and sell the beautiful produce, and one has to build a community centered around quality food and high expectations for integrity.

And believe it or not, small organic farmers do make a livable and satisfying profit – a monetary profit! If it didn’t, organic farming would not be one of the fastest growing sectors in our economy. The nice thing about money and farming is that a farmer is not making money in a job to support a separate lifestyle. A farmer is making money in a job that is her/his lifestyle. There are limited outside expenses or ventures that require a large disposable income. One’s social circle, physical activity, food, and recreation are all wrapped up in the job description. There is no lavish home, no gym membership, no daily grocery store visit, no long commute to work. Farmers are some of the most brilliant and satisfied people I’ve every met. Go meet yours!

Quickly entering into the agriculture conversation of our day, this world and this country need young, educated, motivated, and creative organic farmers. While homesteading and diversified organic farming may have been the “law of the land” 100 years ago, massive monoculture operations have overtaken the agricultural landscape and changed the way food is eaten and respected in the United States. We can no longer rely on the advice of our parents to grow our own food. Food is bought at the grocery store, heated in the microwave, and thrown in the trash with no thought about where it was grown, what was used to grow it, who grew it, or where it will go when it is thrown away. Today’s mainstream food system is not sustainable in the long run: killing soil health, causing serious human health problems, and ruining the earthly and atmospheric environment. Because it is so engrained in the fabric of modern society, it will take thousands of positive young farmers to recreate a system that is rooted in sustainable and natural practices, local production and distribution, and evolving education. If you want to be part of this conversation, I urge you to educate yourself. Take action for your health and your community. Research Michael Pollan or Joel Salatin or the Slow Food Movement – become aware and take steps in your life as you see fit. We lack a healthy and enriching food culture – but it is not impossible to reclaim!

Then there is the magic! There is the pure wonder in planting a seed and watching it somehow take in nutrients laced in the brown soil, miraculously growing into something beautiful, green, and interesting. And sometimes it’s not green! Sometimes it’s a deep red or a vibrant purple or orange and spotted. And each plants tastes different, grows at a different rate, and requires unique attention. That is magical to me and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time than be in complete awe and wonder every day.

This blog will be used to further the expression my evolving identity as a young farmer. I will be joining the agricultural discussion of our age and recording my adventure as a suburban girl who found her roots in the soil.