Community.

“A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other’s lives. It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, their trust in each other, the freedom with which they come and go among themselves.”

― Wendell Berry

At no time in my life have I been more aware of the importance – no, the necessity – of community, than I am at this moment.  Wendall Berry says it so well, “It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, their trust in each other”.

During the past two years, I’ve come to know many of you as friends, kindred spirits, mentors, and  role models.  Our shared passions for local foods, agriculture, nutrition, family, the do-it-yourself attitude and traditional skills has created a community in and of itself.  The geography has little to do with it, as we come from many places, spaces, and people.  Instead, it is a community of values, ideas, passions and compassion for one another.  I’m honored to be a part of this community.

We’re not in this to make a profit, we’re in this to make a difference.

When we started this venture, I had but one clear goal, I wanted to make a difference.  I spent most of my academic career studying rural America and pondering its future.  In my twenties I was worried about the future of the small family farm: urbanization, the corporatization of agriculture, and the rising age of farmers all seemed to forecast a bleak future.  In my thirties, I’m ready to do something about it.

During that decade the Local Foods Movement came to my attention.  At first a grassroots effort, the movement has made a place for itself.  I’m encouraged by the increase in the number of small farms, the continued development of the local foods system, and the new generation of farmers who are coming from all walks of life.

One of the most satisfying elements of the work I have been doing has been the chance to encourage and aid other like-minded farmers.  We’ve been selective in the farms we’ve partnered with because issues of sustainability, soil health, quality of product, and appreciation for our roles as stewards of the land are very important to us.  A community has developed amongst our farmers; we share ideas, plans, equipment and support one another through the hard times and the good.  It’s a throwback to days gone by when people were more dependent on one another to get the larger jobs done, before GPS guided tractors and 64 row planters.

I hope that when you visit our farm you feel a part of this community.  Because, I feel a connection to each of you.  And in it’s most basic form, isn’t that what community truly is, those connections we create between one another?

Community.