feeling optimistic

We had a good weekend. My husband stayed home all day with my daughter to give me the opportunity to attend the Oregon Small Farms Conference. And oh, am I inspired! How fabulous to be surrounded by people who spend their time with hands in the soil, backs under the sun (or rain as it may be) and minds in contemplation of the miracle of growing things. The conference is primarily geared toward farmers, but is also open to mere aspirers and interested community members such as myself. It's encouraging to see so many people undertaking the challenge of growing food in a small, sustainable manner, and making it work financially. 

The keynote speaker was Kristin Kimball,the author of A Dirty Life. She and her husband have a farm in New York that provides a full diet, year round CSA to about 200 members, with the goal of supplanting the grocery store. Her speaking was just as engaging as her writing, and the scale of what her family is undertaking is truly daunting and revolutionary (or just old-fashioned, I guess).  And I love the way she looks at farming through a poet's eyes.

I also heard a presentation on incorporating permaculture principles into the small farm by Don Tipping, who owns Seven Seeds Farm in Southern Oregon. He and his family grow food for a CSA cooperative, and open-pollinated seed for other farmers and gardeners.

Don spoke about the importance of observing nature, of noticing her patterns, and working with those patterns in our endeavors to grow food and support our human culture. I love patterns...how nature repeats design elements in organisms, objects and systems from the microscopic to the cosmic.

He also spoke about the need for a "social permaculture" in which we cultivate healthy, sustainable relationships within our communities. What good is sustainable agriculture if our loved ones are neglected or overworked in pursuit of this goal? Will our children find our way of farming compelling? Will they embrace it themselves when they are grown, or will they toss it aside in favor of ease and convenience?

Whenever I hear stories of people who are actually doing something I only dream of doing, I find myself wondering what it is in their outlook and attitude that makes this possible. Have they been merely lucky in accidents of birth and circumstance, opportunities in education, or connections with the right people? Sometimes. But more often these people who are living their dreams have a certain resiliency of spirit, an incredible work ethic, a buoyancy that keeps them afloat amidst trial and adversity. 

Kristin Kimball cited a quote from Wendell Berry's Manifesto: Mad Farmer Liberation Front: "Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." 

Yes, I think that's what my soul needs to hear right now, and to remember each day...