12/31/2024
This article sums it up better than any other. Why it's hard and why we keep doing it...until we can't. A small farmer's life is often romanticized and there are misconceptions about our lifestyles and well-being. It's not that we necessarily "love" what we do such that we sacrifice so much. It's an unwavering sense of purpose. There's an instinctive force driving us with such a momentum that we move forward until some of us drop. I have a job with over full-time hours, volunteer in schools and yet receive suggestions for part-time work options. What other job would require such specialized knowledge/skill and pay so little? I feel questioned and yet revered. I feed the neighbourhood, yet qualify for the food bank. There's something wrong with this picture but I can't dwell on it. Time to plant a few more trays of microgreens before bed and waking up before dawn to harvest in the tunnels. Everyone still eats during the holidays and so I work every single day of the year, going away for 4 days with much planning. I'm ok with that. I can often parent at the same time in the same space they inhabit, feeding them with the results. This is one of the biggest perks. My community is the other. Thank you! Some farmers don't have that.
I noticed it when first learning farming 14 years ago, traveling around small diverse vegetable farms in the US and Ecuador. Small farms that made all
