It has frequently occurred to me that our farm is something somewhat unique for people. Statistically, 1.3% of Americans live on a farm. That impacts the entire thought process about food, about nature, about life and death and purpose. FB has done well for spinning episodes of our life here; it has the shortcoming of not doing a good job of telling why we do what we do, or even giving a context to what we do.
To give the back story, the context is a bigger task than FB can provide. ‘Farmer Doug’ is by nature a teacher. That means that I like to explain, to create abstractions to permit understanding and engagement. The narrative in the web site then contains the whole context, the interplay of cows, fields, forest, garden, even of membership and participation.
The natural or organic experience here is not curated for entertainment. It is cultivated from the actual work done to make a farm productive. The idea that an animal is raised to be slaughtered as it’s higher purpose is challenging to those raised on plastic wrapped food. The reality is that that animal has a rich life experience, and makes the transition we all make in a way that honors it, and honors the farm. It is something that is right. Our veggies are raised with purpose, to appeal, to sustain, to allow the hands-on experience that shows that food and cooking are part of how we are made.
So. When we talk about ‘Beef,’ we care for it, we worry about it, we make the best environment we can for it. We relate to it. We do the same for our forest, our fields, our garden. We fight for it; there are constant efforts to destroy. Mankind was made to till, to husband the earth. It is right and good. When you come to the farm, you see lots of things. One of them is our effort at stewardship. Your membership in the CSA, or purchase of some decorative stump or slab, the beef you buy are contributing to stewardship.
And the website lets us tell that story, so you know what and why.
