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.
