Hoo Haa!
This last weekend Amy and I went to an event put on by the Organic Growers Club. It's was called the Hoo Haa! It was basically a big planting party with music, lots of food and hand blistering work. The Organic Growers club owns a farm on Hwy 34 just past the golf course. They have about 3.5 acres in which they grow over 50 different crops. They sell the produce on campus and what they don't sell they donate to the food bank. We spent most of the day pulling grass, spreading compost, and planting seeds and starts. It was nice to be able to work up an appetite for the giant foot long burritos they were serving.
To get ready for our organic adventure we went to see "The Real Dirt on Farmer John", a documentary on the life of John Peterson. I thought this was a great film. Being raised in suburbia I have never really understood the nostalgia of the farming life. This film opened my eyes to the allure of the farming life and also how much farming has changed over the century.
Kind of confused
I don't quite understand why you were working at the organic farm, Peeks. They sound like they sell food for profit (though they donate food as well). So why were you out there working your butt off without pay?
Alluring?
From what I've seen of farming documentaries and friends from farming families, it seems like a really hard life. Farmers almost never make money, and seem lucky to not go bankrupt, even with good weather and putting in long long hours. There's a lot of bitterness about being so tied to the land without any way out. Stick to engineering, dude.
Hmmmm...
I think Corvallis is affecting you Peter. "Allure of farming life"... is that an oxymoron? :P