Feed yourself first

Somewhere along the line farming became less about the land and more about 
making money. 

To me a lot of this happened during the thirties and forties when more and more 
books began to talk about making farming more "businesslike".  Today most of our 
Ag schools teach a curriculum simply about the business end of farming. The land 
itself becomes a means to an end. Similar to the way that college has become a 
means to an end. Rather than learning for the sake of learning, our children are 
now taught to learn for a future income.  

To me farming must start with the very simple maxim of "Feed yourself first". 
The growth of the chemical age and the attitudes of business agriculture has 
allowed farmers to become as distanced from the source of their food as the 
consumers to whom they sell their chemical laden food. Most farmers, including 
those in my family buy their food at the grocery store.  

The distance from the farmer to his food allows the farmer to more easily ignore 
what he applies to both his own food, and the consumers he caters to. Secondly, 
the distance created by chemical agriculture also keeps the farmer from 
observing in his own crops the results of his use of chemicals. In my orchard, I 
walk out everyday, and just look at my trees during the growing season. I 
observe the health of the foliage cover, the presence of pests, the reaction of 
my trees to drought and wet weather, etc.. I do this, because I can most easily 
stop trouble before it starts.

However chemical farmers have the magic spray schedule. Rather than seeing their 
crops, they spray on a schedule. They are unable to see the reasons they have 
problems. For instance in a sprayed orchard it is likely that bee activity will 
be greatly reduced. This results in crops becoming smaller and smaller over the 
years. My grandfather 's orchards have become so denuded of bees, that he 
arranges to have beemen bring bees to him. Never mind that in a healthy organic 
orchard, bees will naturally come (assuming that others in the area aren't 
killing them). 

 When we moved onto our place a little over a year ago, it was winter. When 
spring came I was appalled at how few bees were here. I had lousy crops last 
year! However, after a year of organic culture, this year I had loads of bees. 
Of course I didn't spray any poison this last year (I suspect it was used here 
before) I am also planting a lot wider array of plants with lots of flowers to 
encourage bee activity, including seeding the orchard with wildflowers this 
year.  

I pray Frank is right about returning to a more agrarian culture, however, I'm 
not holding my breath. Nevertheless, it is my belief that in the final analysis, 
change happens one person at a time. So I do everything I can to make my little 
corner of the world as healthy as I can. I figure with farmers like me and each 
and everyone of you chipping away at the granite face of chemical farming and 
gardening, then eventually through sheer tenacity we're bound to make headway. I 
think that there is ample evidence it is already happening. People are becoming 
more and more concerned about what goes into their mouths. A very good thing!  
The biggest thing I know is that when I reach my hand under a little hen for a 
fresh egg, or drink a glass of our fresh goats milk, or brush a little bee away 
from the fruit I am about to pick, life is really good! I love to grow things! 
Little bit Farm
From:   "Dee Ann Guzman" 

