Another inspirational resource is Cato on Farming, written in 2nd century BC by Cato (or at least published by him).
Farming is hard, hard work. Only 4% of Americans are farmers as of 2024. The average age of a farmer in America is now 68. We have had a small family farm for 97 years. We are not going to make it to 100 because we live in California and are being regulated out of existence. There is a stereotype of farmers being hicks who don’t know much. I walked away from the farm in order to make money to help support it and I rubbed shoulders with judges, law firm partners, congressional folks, and high tech executives. And through it all, some of the smartest folks I ever met were farmers. They keep so many balls in the air – budgeting-weather conditions– soil management – labor relations – global commodity pricing – equipment repairing – to say nothing of common sense - physical strength – mental clarity – patience that they have to be Renaissance people at their core or they simply won’t make it.
There is an old Amish saying that “a farmer never plowed a field by turning it over in his mind.” At some point, they get up and get to work, even on the days when they are tired, sore, disillusioned. It may not be the profession of very many anymore, but it sure is a good example for the rest of us.
Another inspirational resource is Cato on Farming, written in 2nd century BC by Cato (or at least published by him).
Farming is hard, hard work. Only 4% of Americans are farmers as of 2024. The average age of a farmer in America is now 68. We have had a small family farm for 97 years. We are not going to make it to 100 because we live in California and are being regulated out of existence. There is a stereotype of farmers being hicks who don’t know much. I walked away from the farm in order to make money to help support it and I rubbed shoulders with judges, law firm partners, congressional folks, and high tech executives. And through it all, some of the smartest folks I ever met were farmers. They keep so many balls in the air – budgeting-weather conditions– soil management – labor relations – global commodity pricing – equipment repairing – to say nothing of common sense - physical strength – mental clarity – patience that they have to be Renaissance people at their core or they simply won’t make it.
There is an old Amish saying that “a farmer never plowed a field by turning it over in his mind.” At some point, they get up and get to work, even on the days when they are tired, sore, disillusioned. It may not be the profession of very many anymore, but it sure is a good example for the rest of us.
"The real purpose of Natural Farming is not the cultivation of crops, but the cultivation of human beings" - Masanobu Fukuoka "One Straw Revolution"
"All the world's problems can be solved in the garden." - Bill Mollison "Permaculture"