Epiphanies of a Farmer

On our first day at Gaining Ground Farm - a certified organic farm located outside of Yamhill and Gaston - there was a lot to be learned. Because we so quickly jumped into work mode it forced us to begin grasping skills that have long faded from our muscle memory. While uncovering precious strawberry plants from a thick cover of morning glory and thistle we - as interns - began picking at David and Mike's farmer brains.

Mike made a comment as we were half way through our first row, reaching roughly 200 feet, about the legitimacy of farming - no matter how repetitive and mundane a task may feel. Mike stated, with the philosophical mind he has, "how arbitrary is it that you spend hours upon hours working on papers in school when at best it will be read maybe once, a semi insightful critique might follow, but then it is never to be revisited again. However, when you look back at the work you do on a farm there is always tangible proof that work HAS been done."

This struck me as one of the most profound things I have heard - simple as it seems. To be looking at the work you have performed and understanding the gravity of the result is something rarely looked at in the way farmers can. Knowing that the weeding we are doing is having so many impacts on the sustainability of the soil is where I become awestruck. With weeding you are allowing the plants to soak up the proper amount of nutrients, aerating the soil, eliminating the chance of pests (or at least minimizing it) and so many benefits that we have yet to discover. This hands on work that is found solely on small and organic farms is a way to truly care for our earth's soil - the mother of all creatures. If it is possible to make folks understand this concept more broadly there would be far more respect of all beings in our food system.