“The small farm is at the moment very busy thinking its way out of a box, working like mad to protect the goodness and food security of a largely ungrateful nation.”

Barbara Kingsolver

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

FROM BARBARA Kingsolver, one of my favorite authors, comes an eyeo Fp e n i n g book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. If you know this author’s work, this is an unlikely journey she takes with her family, into a belief system and way of life that is life-changing, surely for them, but also for those who read her book. Some reflections follow.

In Vermont, this beautiful state where farming has been a way of life for generations, the very people who have helped us maintain the rural landscape we cherish are facing great challenges. The survival of Vermont farms is at stake, as some 200 more this year are forced to shut down production. Somehow, some way, we need to support local farms and help them be successful.

Farmer Chip's Pebble Brook Farm stand waits for the next customer on Rt. 12 in Northfield Falls. The farm's produce is available at the Farmers' Market on Tuesdays. Photo by Christine Barnes, The Northfield News Mega-farms in the rest of the nation are planting geneticallymodified seeds – corn and soybeans in particular – to feed to us in highly processed food, now considered responsible for the obesity epidemic nation-wide. Kingsolver estimates that one out of every three dollars we spend on health care in this nation is paying for the damage from bad eating habits.

Last week, National Public Radio’s “On Point” program addressed some of these concerns. Single-product farms use seeds resistant to the herbicides sprayed on them to reduce weeds, and we consume the produce that has been doused in chemicals which kill all other plants around them. When a few weeds become resistant to the herbicide applications, the chemical companies apply a more toxic potion to control the intruders. The fixation on chemicals and genetic engineering as a way of maximizing food production over the past 50 years correlates directly with the decline and disappearance of the American farm and its way of life. In addition, the use of chemicals externalizes the costs into the rivers and lakes: Lake Champlain has measureable chemicals in it which threaten the health of the ecosystem within and around it.

Many small Vermont farms take pride in working not in opposition to, but in harmony with the biological interaction among their products and nature. They eschew herbicides and pesticides. The word ‘organic’ has gotten a reputation of being only for the well-off, that is, people with incomes high enough to throw away a few extra dollars on lettuce. To be sure, organic gardening is more labor-intensive and these foods will usually bear a higher price tag. No apologies should be necessary. Here’s why.

Small farms usually are diverse in production. They may raise a variety of seasonal food crops, such as spinach, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes and in addition, livestock such as chickens, pigs, and sheep. Both the livestock and the food crops tend to be heritage and heirloom, designated as such because they are tried and true over generations: the crops have not been genetically modified to withstand the onslaught of chemicals, and livestock are free range in open pastures or in large pens, as opposed to most corporate farms where animal confinement and no daylight is the norm. Such diversity and attention to quality of life tend to require a depth of knowledge and care: generalists, not specialists, who tend directly to the endless demands on the farm, day and night.

At our Northfield Farmers’ Market, we are fortunate to have several local farms with stunningly fresh and luscious produce. The Perry Family Farm and Green Mountain Girls in Northfield, Pebble Brook Farm in Northfield Falls, Mt. Pleasant Farm from Tunbridge, and Winfarm from Randolph offer an assortment of frozen packaged meats such as pork, lamb, beef, poultry, as well as a seasonal variety of fruits and vegetables. As we become more informed and concerned about what we eat and how it was raised, the Farmers’ Market reflects the results: from three vendors a few years ago, to 26 last Tuesday, the market has become a destination for good healthy food.

The expense of mega-farming exacts a high price for our health, our rivers and lakes, our landscape, our planet. Americans pay a lower percentage of their income on food than people in most other countries. Food raised on Vermont farms is among the world’s finest for many reasons, and if we help sustain these farmers, we are better for it. How can we afford not to? Our overall quality of life depends on it.