Sink Me

Yesterday I tried to share a blurb about the Farm to Table event we went to, but it got my juices flowing, and I still have much to say!  To expound on my comment yesterday, I’d like to share what it takes to be a farmer.

Farmers these days have many tasks, and must carry a multitude of skills in order to succeed:

They must love the land.
They must be construction worker as they build outbuildings and/or greenhouses.
They must know something about growing plants or raising animals.
They must be lab technicians, concocting natural remedies for animal or plant ailments, vets to aid in deliveries and maintenance.
They must be hard laborers: tilling, planting, weeding, picking, packaging.
They must be scientists to maintain and energize the soil and pasture biology.
They must be nutritionists to provide the most optimum animal feed.
They must be artists to design labels, newsletters, business cards…
They must be writers for promotional literature.
They must be computer savvy, because a REAL business is online, eh?
They must be educated to understand their unique attributes (ie. grassfed).
They must be extroverts to promote, educate, and sell.
They must be deliverers to get their product out, and to bring supplies in.
They must be accountants to keep records and their books.
They must be managers of their money, their time, their resources.
They must be activists to protect their right to farm.
They must be entrepreneurs to jump in.
They must be crazy…

All incredible strenuous activities in themselves, worthy of a small army of hands, each position being a full time job in itself.  All of these positions could potentially be done by separate people, but with employees comes taxes and restrictions, and money, of course.  Also come more opinions.  More misunderstandings.  Less farm-to-consumer connection.  Less quality control (do you suppose a minimum wage laborer cares as much about the quality of the food that you, the farmer, will be handing over to your customers come Saturday market, and each week thereafter?).
When written on paper, farming doesn’t make sense.  Notice that there are fewer farms than ever.  I’m willing to bet this is why.  It doesn’t appear to be worthwhile or a good investment.  As Americans realize the importance of local eating (you can get info on this on our CSA page), I hope farmers will be paid enough to produce AND live.

On top of the challenges of having all of the skills above, farmers run into so many roadblocks through various agencies.  Zoning.  Land taxes.  Insurance.  Income, Self-Employment, and Food Taxes.  Water rights.  Noise control (moo! cockadoodledo!).  A permit (and sink) to sell eggs.  A permit (and sink) to mix greens.  A permit (and sink) to butcher meat.  And, of course, they all have fees, and they all have to be separate sinks, in separate licensed facilities.  It’s dag-um hard.  But it’s NOT impossible.

Our farm combined is around 21 acres.  We are blessed to be in an un-zoned area, and so are able to do “commercial/business” things, as well as reside, on our farm.  We collected used equipment over time, which eventually allowed us to incorporate all of the various sinks.

We believe in diversity for land quality, and to support our community and customers in a well-rounded way.  Each aspect of our farm builds off of another, creating a beautiful cycle of musical rhythm.  With this comes the need for many sinks, but alas, it can be done.  And half-way decent priced (this is where farmers need to band together, too, rather than re-creating the wheel as they face issues).  Output prices are higher for small producers.  The best part?  It’s worth paying the extra buck to buy from them!

In Europe people spend on average 30-45% of their income on food.  I think we Americans are realizing more and more that food is not an area to skimp on, and that it may be one of the most important places to put your money (into your body, which keeps you kicking day-to-day).  It’s an insurance plan that beats chemical treatment and denied claims.

Food doesn’t just feed our mouth, it feeds our soul.  Imagine if it became illegal for us to eat while driving.  Wow.  We would all slow down a bit.  We would all get the chance to chill with family, friends, even with ourselves.  Suddenly an act that used to be out of necessity has become an act that is part of your lifestyle and enjoyment, an experience!  And hey, I’m willing to stretch and even say it’d be fulfilling.

Last note on putting your money where your mouth is:  I heard this great quote recently, and had my bank add it to our checks as a reminder:  “We vote with each dollar we spend”.  Who/what are you supporting?