Food & gardening & movies 14 Jun 2006 07:06 am
The Real Dirt on Farmer John
We caught this little story on PBS last night and I’m so glad we did! See more here. It was a pretty captivating display of how times have changed and how the American Farmer has to change and adapt ahead of the curve to survive. And really, it’s beautiful to watch, because his farm is more than suriviving, it’s thriving beautifully and having a real impact. He’s a creative soul, quirkly and contemplative, and in more ways than one an example of agrarians of our time.
I wanted a better picture but this was the only one I could get to let me use it’s location: 
From the website: “THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN is the award-winning true story of third-generation American farmer John Peterson’s hero’s journey of success, tribulation, failure and rebirth, through his childhood in the ‘50s, the tumultuous ‘60s, the hippie-influenced ‘70s, and the farm-crisis ‘80s, culminating in his transformation-based creation of a biodynamic, organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm serving 1500 families in the Chicago area with weekly fresh produce.”
on 14 Jun 2006 at 9:09 am 1.Ohio Girl said …
I have really enjoyed your blog. You are a real inspiration to me. Your writing is wonderful! I found something I thought you might enjoy reading. It’s called Mary Janes Farm. It is a publication that you can find at Barnes and Noble. It’s about this woman and her farm land of Organic foods. She also has a website http://www.maryjanesfarm.org
Thanks again for your blog…it’s great. Have a great day.
Ohio girl
on 14 Jun 2006 at 3:21 pm 2.dali said …
And, the way my Dad’s family farm has survived is that the brother who took it over still farms it but has been investing heavily in Chilean farm land with a co-op of other Missouri farmers. He says that the farmland in Chile is great and that the culture is reminiscent of America’s Wild West… i.e. cowboys, carry a gun, you could be shot at…
on 15 Jun 2006 at 7:23 am 3.Tia said …
Thanks Ohio Girl!! I was just wondering about the FarmGirl stuff the other day on another site. What a beautiful magazine!! Now I’m drooling for a subscription LOL.
Dali, that’s funny. Trying to imagine a South American “Bonanza”….
on 17 Jun 2006 at 1:31 pm 4.Sharon said …
I just found your blog today, doing a search online for Thoreau’s phrase “to live deliberately”. You have a delightful style. And I am newly interested in organic farming, CSA’s etc. due to a recent move to central PA. So I hope to see the film on Farmer John. Thanks for writing about it. I hope your move (wherever it is to) goes very well.
on 17 Jun 2006 at 4:11 pm 5.Tia said …
Hi Sharon! Nice to meet you and glad you like my place. Make sure you check out the link on my sidebar to Path To Freedom (urban homesteading). They have lots of inspiration for organic growing!