Written by Christine Laymon of farmfolkways.com, Yellowbird Member

But the care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it, and to foster its renewal, is our only legitimate hope. - Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America - 1977

Wendell Berry penned these words in 1977, in reaction to the edicts of the then Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Earl Butz. Mr Butz “had issued the most optimistic, the most widely obeyed, and the worst advice ever give to farmers: that they should plow “fencerow to fencerow.” Butz is also known for his quote, “get big or get out”.

Written by Christine Laymon of farmfolkways.com, Yellowbird Member

First, let me begin with a disclaimer:

1. I was born during my parents “Back to the Land” years and grew up on a small family farm where a freezer containing a half of beef, a large garden and organic food co-ops were the norm. When my husband and I purchased the adjacent thirty acres to our home we knew our end goal was to provide as much of our own food as possible. Fast forward exactly 8 months and what started as a family vegetable garden quickly grew into an on farm market and CSA. During those years the problems with our food system became very clear to us as we became eager participants in the counter-cultural movement to make a change on a local level. Almost a decade has past since we started down this road, its been a winding, bumpy, sometimes washboard ride, but we are still trucking along. We now live on a new farm, where we are trying once again to grow as much of our food as possible. We are huge advocates for soil health, organics, and local foods - so it’s pretty clear what side of the food debate I’m on.