Field Work

For this final blog post, I would like to leave my readers with some food for though... I would like to plant the seed of possibility into your minds as I share my experience with you. This last assignment required a field trip out into the world of agriculture. Unfortunately, with my schedule and limited access to farms here in Nashville, Tennessee, I spent my time watching the reality TV series called the Fabulous Beekman Boys. I chose them because they inspired me as I studied them for another project for this class. I had read the memoirs written by Josh about the farm life he gave up everything for and I really wanted to see the farm first hand.
The Beekman was everything I expected it to be as far as the looks of the land and the buildings that surrounded it. What I did not expect was the hard work and emotion that came with it. Josh and Brent  started the season out with buying feeder pigs. I had no idea what they were. Feeder pigs are little piglets you buy in the spring, raise them for six months and slaughter them. They then are sent to a processor to be butchered. This provides you with pork for the year. It was very hard for the Beekman  Boys to separate their feelings for the pigs and practical reality of the situation. I had never given any thought to the value of the life of a pig. It definitely made me think about how hard it is to stay focused and understand you can not get attached to the pigs, cows, turkeys and chickens if you are trying to sustain your own food source.
This concept inspired me to look at my own life and the way we eat as a family. It has prompted me to open a dialog with my husband on the possibility of starting our own farm in the future. I think this would greatly benefit the over health and quality of life for my family. My concern is the amount of work that goes into this world of farming. There was always something to do on the farm. There is work to be done from sun up to sun down. It seemed like Josh and Brent never had anytime to relax. Months are spent prepping for the upcoming winter season when crops die and goats stop producing milk.
Josh and Brent were very business savvy and found ways to make the farm into a lucrative business. They have their own brand of cheese, a soap line made from goats milk, seeds, and plenty of other merchandise on their website (www.beekman1802). It seems into days world, that is the only way to survive in the agriculture business. You need to be marketable and produce quality products the public wants and needs.
Watching this show has given me plenty to think about. I would like to eventually start a small farm on my own land. I don't want to drop everything in my life for a country life living off the land, but I would like to start small with a garden and maybe some chickens and eventually brave the feeder pigs. It has been an interesting few weeks studying a side of life I never really thought twice about and I am looking forward to seeing where my growing interest takes me.

Folklore or Visual Rhetoric

For this segment of my blog for my Farm Literature class I have chosen to explore folklore as it relates to the farm. In my search for farm folklore I came across a story called "The Crows are in the Corn".  This was a relatively short story explaining where a particular saying comes from in the state of Georgia. In my own words here is a brief summary of this story:

One Sunday morning a farmer and his wife decided they would sleep in late. Mid morning the crows noticed there was not any of the usual commotion and movement in the corn fields so they decided to investigate. Once they realized the farmer was not around after a few croaks and callings they decided to feast on the corn. The rooster saw this and tried his hardest to cock-a-doodle-doo to wake the farmer and his wife. After several tries he failed. Once the farmer woke up he discovered the crows had eaten all of his corn. This is where the saying "The crows are in the corn!" came about in Georgia as a way of saying it is time to get up and start the day.

You can find the actual story here: http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/08/the_crows_are_in_the_corn.html

This is an example of folklore because it is orally passed down to explain where the saying, "The crows are in the corn." comes from. This is an expressive saying commonly known in the state of Georgia. It also represents tradition because the story is told and retold to younger generations and to new comers who may not know where the saying comes from.

I believe this story relates to the culture of farming because the story is originally about a farmer. The farmer did not get up on time to harvest his crops. This lead to the crows eating and destroying the crop. In this particular season the farmer has lost his food supply for his family and possibly for profit as well. It is well known that farmers have to rise before the sun to tend to their crops and livestock. I believe this loss of crops is testament as to why work can not be put off or in the farmers case why you can not sleep in.

Reference 

Schlosser, S. (2014, June 11). Tall Tales: The Crows are in the Corn. American Folklore: Famous American folktales, tall tales, myths and legends, ghost stories, and more.. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://americanfolklore.net/

Legislating Agriculture

Not many of us give too much thought to the food we consume on a daily basis. We go to the grocery store and purchase the items we need for our meals, go home to prep the meal, and then we sit down and eat. We are selective in the produce we pick off the shelves to ensure they are ripe but do we give any thought to whether or not it has been handled properly from the fields to the farm to the produce shelves of the stores? The FDA is in charge of overseeing the safety of produce. Under the Food Safety Modernization Act the FDA has special privileges to enforce produce safety. This act is geared to ale sure our produce is free from illnesses such as E.coli and salmonella. The Food Safety Modernization Act does not cover regulations on pesticide uses and genetically engineered crops unfortunately. This act was developed after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. This was done to oversee the handling of the crops at the farm level to avoid an serious national outbreak of deadly viruses via food supply and consumption.
This act is important to me because as a mother I buy a lot of produce for my children. My family does not own a farm so we rely on grocery stores and markets for our food consumption. I have no way of knowing how the produce was handled and processed. The Food Safety Modernization Act ensures my family has a significantly decreased risk in developing a deadly illness.  We live in a scary world today. The days when we could trust our neighbors and neighbor counties are gone. With this act, it helps ease some of the anxieties of our food being mishandled on purpose. Although I am sad to see the world come down to this type of enforcement on even the simplest aspects of our lives such as the vegetables on our plates, I am glad acts such as this exist for the well being of my family and other families around the country for generations to come.

Reference:

The Food Safety Modernization Act: Learn More, Act More!. (n.d.). National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Home Comments. Retrieved July 16, 2014, from http://sustainableagriculture.net

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

The topic of today's blog session revolves around the concept that everything traces back to some sort of farming concept. This is certainly true for a product I use most in my life. Coconut. I use coconut for just about everything and anything you can think of. My family drinks coconut milk, we use a lot of coconut in recipes and we use coconut oil for several things. We aren't islanders as far as the family tree grows back but coconut is a huge part of the things in my life.
 Although it is not certain where the coconut fruit originated from, it is quite popular in the islands and it is known to be grown in over seventy countries globally. Tropic and subtropic are the environments where these trees thrive for growth potential. Once the coconut is harvested it is sold at markets and to factories where products such as coconut milk and oils can be made.
Given that coconut is a plant, nothing in my research about it has changed my opinions on it. I did not find anything that would lead me to believe coconut is bad for me... although, I am sure it is not in it's best form in cake or an Almond Joy! We will continue to use the product and continue to explore other uses for it as well.

References

"Coconut Info: History, Origin and Properties." Coconut Info: History, Origin and Properties. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 July 2014. <http://www.coconut-info.net>.

Tracing My Farming Roots

This assignment is a very difficult one for me to write about. The topic assigned requires me to research family history and find a connection to farming. And unfortunately, I am unable to complete that task. All of my grandparents are deceased and neither of my parents have a strong knowledge of their genealogy. Their memories stop at their grandparents. If you were to ask me to write about a military connection in my family, I could outline several significant events from a scrapbook my uncle put together... but to my current findings, there are no ties to a farm.
At most what I can offer this assignment is the small glimpse I have had into the crop world via some friends I have made along the way.  My husband was in the Army when I met him. Stationed in Fort Drum, New York where I was born and raised he finished out his military career and retired. We moved to his home of record, Utah.  It was a bit of a culture shock to me. But I slowly made some friends and learned quite a bit about the mormon religion. I found that most everyone I met in Utah had some sort of garden. It was very important to most people I met along the way to grow their own vegetables. It kind of goes in hand with their strong practices of healthy clean eating. Something else I was introduced to.
I found that most people I met in Utah thrive with success and happiness. I believe this has a lot to do with being self sufficient enough to raise their own crops and the benefits this offers them. Not only does it encourage healthy eating practices but it saves money. It also serves as a valuable trade should food ever become scarce.
Although I did not convert to the Mormon religion, I envy their way of life. I have even discovered my own love of gardening. I can not tell you the pride I feel when I see that tomato start to grow. It is crazy how much you gain from the work you put into the ground. I know it may not be much but it is a start to the roots of crops and working the land for self- sufficiency I can pass on to my own children. I am not knowledgeable enough to start my own farm, but I can at least pass on the seeds of knowledge that has been planted within the gates of my garden.