Originally published in the Napa Valley Register.
There are many unromantic truths to being a farmer, all tied in with experiences that are more beautiful than you can imagine. Trudging out into the cold night to close up my chicken coop so they do not get eaten by a visiting bobcat is completely unappealing when I am ready for bed. But, while out there, I might see the most spectacular night sky, with stars, clouds, the moon rising, and an owl hooting in the background.
One of the hardest farming truths for myself and my partner is death. Being responsible for so many living animals and plants, and being so close to nature, death is a reality we often face. I will spare you the details of euthanizing a suffering animal, but I do ask you to remember that the food you eat comes from a farm. Be it an animal or a plant, it was part of an ecosystem that interfaces with death every day.
Going to the grocery store, it is so easy to forget that the little pack of seasoned steak you are buying was once a living cow. And the bag of organic greens in your salad bowl? Well, they were probably fertilized by compost made of the offal and feathers of slaughtered chickens.
Human consumption of food, and the farming required to produce that food, is undoubtedly a greedy enterprise. But we must eat! The key to creating a sustainable food system is to make sure we give back all we take from the land, and most importantly, to always remember that you are not separate from the food chain.
Now, you may not be ready to throw your career out the window and devote your life to producing and foraging all your own food. But have no fear, there are so many wonderful farmers that love their animals, love their land and devote themselves to returning to the ecosystem everything they harvested. And you, as a consumer, can choose to meet these farmers, buy your food from them, and in a way, return to the natural cycle of life and death that comes from eating.
The longer I am a farmer, the more vegetarian I have become. But simply becoming a vegetarian or vegan does not exempt you from the heavy environmental demands of agriculture, nor the associated death and demands of animals. In fact, the most sustainable farming model is to integrate animals into vegetable and fruit production. But this model requires more effort from the farmer, more overhead costs, and more commitment from the consumer.
Shopping locally at your farmer’s market is the best way to meet your farmers and support a better food system. You might meet the person who painstakingly picked your cherry tomatoes or who delivered to the animal that is now providing you nourishment. This may initially make you uncomfortable, but the less degrees of separation between your food and your dinner plate, the more you are building a sustainable food system and returning to the food chain.
I cannot share with you all the messy and beautiful realities of being a farmer, but I am happy to be the conduit of this experience. If you want to be a willing participant, then I, and all the other farmers at the Napa Farmer’s Market, will see you next Saturday.