I am excited to share an essay about my experience farming entitled Nothing Gold Can Stay. “A version of this essay first appeared in the Center for Humans and Nature Press on September 8, 2023, and is revised and reprinted here with permission.”
Brilliant writing! I'd love to read more, though, about why the country life ended after seven years. If the main point of farming was the experience, rather than the maximisation of income, wouldn't it have been possible to continue this life at least part time, while also holding another job? Thanks!
Thank you. There are a lot of reasons behind our transition from the country to the city. Farming the way we did was all consuming and we wore ourselves out physically and emotionally. It also became clear that we we needed to make more money than we could farming. Another factor is that people vary in their love of country life. What is paradise to some feels isolating to others.
Thank you for your reply. I was asking because I plan to go the opposite way, from working in the city to retiring in the country. Regarding money, I wonder whether it wouldn't be more lucrative nowadays to monetise one's farm via Youtube, books, courses etc, rather than try to actually sell produce. - Thanks again for the beautifully written article!
Yes, you are on the right track with your thinking about how to make money on a farm. Growing food for people is one of the most difficult and least profitable things you can do. Agritourism, youtube, trainings, cut flowers, and woody floral crops all have potential.
Loved this. Especially the balance: not every conventional farmer is an evil monster. Even the pilot of the pesticide plane is part of the same community. Great dose of healthy reality.
I'm glad you appreciated the issue of balance. It easy to demonize people and hard to appreciate their humanity when they are caught up in a much larger, unforgiving system.
Bill, thank you. You’ve touched on so many truths. Our bodies, if we pay attention, are intelligent and asking for the nourishment they need. My firstborn is “made of” my (then) neighbor’s’ incredible homegrown cantaloupes. I craved them to a comical degree. I’ll never look at a melon again and not think of this piece of fine writing.
I also have a comical degree of craving for various varieties of fruits and vegetables ... Nancy Hall sweet potatoes, Pink Brandywine tomatoes, Japanese turnips, Crimson Sweet watermelons, Conference pears, Golden Russet apples. I could go on.
Farming is such hard work! I live in Australia in a little rural village surprisingly close to Australia’s capital. These days I’m just a consumer, but we have a special regional setup that allows me to prepay for 13 weeks of local produce at a time so that the farmers can be guaranteed fair payment for whatever they produce. It’s such a joy each week to see what succulent options make it into my little half box of treasures. I get the chance to follow the seasons and eat their rewards. Life is good. Thanks so much for this literary delight. Yummy in its own way. 🤗🤗😋
I love to get comments from the other side of the planet. It is such a small world in some ways. As I mentioned in the essay, I had a farm intern once from Australia. I can't recall where she was from, but I do recall that she grew up on a 20,000-acre sheep farm. She told me they used helicopters for some of the work. Whoa. It was mind-blowing to even contemplate what that looked like.
Splendid. I have only two quibbles--one is the absence of explanation/description of the change that occurred at the seven-year mark; the other is, ummm....I forget. Maybe the choice of font. I don’t know. Anyway: splendid.
I addressed the "stopping after 7 years" issue in my reply to Dr. Matthias above. I guess I could have put that into the essay. I do still have a large garden, of course! I also planted a food forest in my community in cooperation with the Town of Normal. It's a 1-acre plot that provides thousands of pounds of chemical-free fruits and other foods to the public.
Thanks for the added detail. I pretty much expected something like what you describe, but it’s just kinda reassuring, somewhere down inside, to know it.
As the journey reached its apex in the savoring of the melon, tears came to my eyes. Memories of the sheer joy and wonder - born of a deeper connection and attention to nature - moved through me in resonance with your story. I particularly enjoy the pure tone ringing from your phrase: “an ephemeral distillation of place.” This piece equally conjures both appreciation and aspiration, for what is possible on a personal and collective level.
Love this story. I have been doing the gardening experiment on my little plot of earth for over 20 years and each season I learn new things through trial, error and experiment. I know for myself, like your article, the best cantaloupes I ever ate came from my own garden! And like Dr. Andreas Mathias, I’d like to know too, what happened after seven years, although I think you may have alluded to it being that you became a writer?
I did explain the overall reasons for my departure from farming in a reply to Dr. Mathias above. I did not quit farming to become a writer. We have two kids and would not have been able to make it work financially. Also, at that time I didn't know that I was a writer! I was dabbling in photography, and I have always been a voracious reader. I really started writing in earnest about the time the pandemic set in.
I’m sorry, I didn’t see your reply to Dr Mathias. I’m still trying to navigate the substack platform properly.
We all have our reasons for changing course midstream for reasons that only our higher self knows. I didn’t mean to pry, I was only curious and no judgements here.
Hi Gail, I read my reply to you and realized that my tone was off a bit. I appreciate your comments and interest in my experience farming. Multiple people have asked the same question about why I stopped farming and I would like to explore that topic further in another essay. It is a complicated issue that is not well suited to the comments section. I was trying to avoid re-typing the same information, but I realize that it is hard to navigate to other comments. I should have used copy and paste.
I have come to realize that the ultimate reason for my departure from farming is that our food system is designed to minimize the number of farmers in this country. The vast majority of subsidies go to the largest farms that grow monocultures of a few crops and raise animals in large confinement operations.
This means that small scale diversified farms are at a distinct disadvantage. There are many people like me waiting for a more just and equitable food system to take shape in the US so we can grow food for our communities. There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm around regenerative agriculture and the work I do for my day job, which is agroforestry. Someday, it will all come together!
I’m a master gardener volunteer with the U of Maine cooperative Extension, since 2009. My favorite volunteering part is mentoring in the Kids Can Grow program. When we teach the children, their parents are also learning.
I envision a world where it is the small farmers who are being treated fairly and that it won’t cost us thousands of dollars to have the “organic” title along with the name on our farms.
A lovely journey. Thanks, Bill. Your ritual with the Golden Gopher reminds me of mine when eating two of my favorite wild fruits: Creeping Snowberries (Gaultheria hispidula) and serviceberry/shad (Amelanchier spp.). Heaven!
Thank you Bryan. I am not familiar with snowberries, but I share your appreciation for serviceberries. I planted six of them in my yard this spring. I have three different varieties and I am looking forward to sampling the berries and hopefully attracting cedar waxwings. I really enjoyed your essay about Monarchs on the island. I keep thinking about you sitting in the flowers with the butterflies. I have spent more time recently just being with the birds. I am still frequently tempted to grab by camera, but I am getting better.
I enjoyed your story. To me it wasn't important what happened after 7 years. What touched me, and was obvious to me, was the imense value of your experiences and how you were changed and found meaning. It was not the outcome that was important. Isn't that so with all spiritual growth?
Yes, that is right. Appreciating the journey is the end goal. I did not fully appreciate the journey I was on back then, but now much of my focus is on learning to be in the moment and to appreciate the small things in life.
Brilliant writing! I'd love to read more, though, about why the country life ended after seven years. If the main point of farming was the experience, rather than the maximisation of income, wouldn't it have been possible to continue this life at least part time, while also holding another job? Thanks!
Thank you. There are a lot of reasons behind our transition from the country to the city. Farming the way we did was all consuming and we wore ourselves out physically and emotionally. It also became clear that we we needed to make more money than we could farming. Another factor is that people vary in their love of country life. What is paradise to some feels isolating to others.
Thank you for your reply. I was asking because I plan to go the opposite way, from working in the city to retiring in the country. Regarding money, I wonder whether it wouldn't be more lucrative nowadays to monetise one's farm via Youtube, books, courses etc, rather than try to actually sell produce. - Thanks again for the beautifully written article!
Yes, you are on the right track with your thinking about how to make money on a farm. Growing food for people is one of the most difficult and least profitable things you can do. Agritourism, youtube, trainings, cut flowers, and woody floral crops all have potential.
Loved this. Especially the balance: not every conventional farmer is an evil monster. Even the pilot of the pesticide plane is part of the same community. Great dose of healthy reality.
I'm glad you appreciated the issue of balance. It easy to demonize people and hard to appreciate their humanity when they are caught up in a much larger, unforgiving system.
Bill, thank you. You’ve touched on so many truths. Our bodies, if we pay attention, are intelligent and asking for the nourishment they need. My firstborn is “made of” my (then) neighbor’s’ incredible homegrown cantaloupes. I craved them to a comical degree. I’ll never look at a melon again and not think of this piece of fine writing.
I also have a comical degree of craving for various varieties of fruits and vegetables ... Nancy Hall sweet potatoes, Pink Brandywine tomatoes, Japanese turnips, Crimson Sweet watermelons, Conference pears, Golden Russet apples. I could go on.
Yum! My neighbor also grew some fine "Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter" tomatoes. I love those cool heirloom names.
Thanks Bill for these words. I have now read them twice and I'll return again.
I'm always so happy to know that you are enjoying my writing, Lenore. It means a lot.
Farming is such hard work! I live in Australia in a little rural village surprisingly close to Australia’s capital. These days I’m just a consumer, but we have a special regional setup that allows me to prepay for 13 weeks of local produce at a time so that the farmers can be guaranteed fair payment for whatever they produce. It’s such a joy each week to see what succulent options make it into my little half box of treasures. I get the chance to follow the seasons and eat their rewards. Life is good. Thanks so much for this literary delight. Yummy in its own way. 🤗🤗😋
I love to get comments from the other side of the planet. It is such a small world in some ways. As I mentioned in the essay, I had a farm intern once from Australia. I can't recall where she was from, but I do recall that she grew up on a 20,000-acre sheep farm. She told me they used helicopters for some of the work. Whoa. It was mind-blowing to even contemplate what that looked like.
Splendid. I have only two quibbles--one is the absence of explanation/description of the change that occurred at the seven-year mark; the other is, ummm....I forget. Maybe the choice of font. I don’t know. Anyway: splendid.
I addressed the "stopping after 7 years" issue in my reply to Dr. Matthias above. I guess I could have put that into the essay. I do still have a large garden, of course! I also planted a food forest in my community in cooperation with the Town of Normal. It's a 1-acre plot that provides thousands of pounds of chemical-free fruits and other foods to the public.
Thanks for the added detail. I pretty much expected something like what you describe, but it’s just kinda reassuring, somewhere down inside, to know it.
As the journey reached its apex in the savoring of the melon, tears came to my eyes. Memories of the sheer joy and wonder - born of a deeper connection and attention to nature - moved through me in resonance with your story. I particularly enjoy the pure tone ringing from your phrase: “an ephemeral distillation of place.” This piece equally conjures both appreciation and aspiration, for what is possible on a personal and collective level.
I'm so happy you could feel the emotion in my writing - I try to strike a balance.
Love this story. I have been doing the gardening experiment on my little plot of earth for over 20 years and each season I learn new things through trial, error and experiment. I know for myself, like your article, the best cantaloupes I ever ate came from my own garden! And like Dr. Andreas Mathias, I’d like to know too, what happened after seven years, although I think you may have alluded to it being that you became a writer?
I did explain the overall reasons for my departure from farming in a reply to Dr. Mathias above. I did not quit farming to become a writer. We have two kids and would not have been able to make it work financially. Also, at that time I didn't know that I was a writer! I was dabbling in photography, and I have always been a voracious reader. I really started writing in earnest about the time the pandemic set in.
I’m sorry, I didn’t see your reply to Dr Mathias. I’m still trying to navigate the substack platform properly.
We all have our reasons for changing course midstream for reasons that only our higher self knows. I didn’t mean to pry, I was only curious and no judgements here.
My best to you.
Hi Gail, I read my reply to you and realized that my tone was off a bit. I appreciate your comments and interest in my experience farming. Multiple people have asked the same question about why I stopped farming and I would like to explore that topic further in another essay. It is a complicated issue that is not well suited to the comments section. I was trying to avoid re-typing the same information, but I realize that it is hard to navigate to other comments. I should have used copy and paste.
I have come to realize that the ultimate reason for my departure from farming is that our food system is designed to minimize the number of farmers in this country. The vast majority of subsidies go to the largest farms that grow monocultures of a few crops and raise animals in large confinement operations.
This means that small scale diversified farms are at a distinct disadvantage. There are many people like me waiting for a more just and equitable food system to take shape in the US so we can grow food for our communities. There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm around regenerative agriculture and the work I do for my day job, which is agroforestry. Someday, it will all come together!
I agree with you completely!
I’m a master gardener volunteer with the U of Maine cooperative Extension, since 2009. My favorite volunteering part is mentoring in the Kids Can Grow program. When we teach the children, their parents are also learning.
I envision a world where it is the small farmers who are being treated fairly and that it won’t cost us thousands of dollars to have the “organic” title along with the name on our farms.
Your written story is as exquisite as a Golden Gopher. Balanced and sweet.
I’m going to send it along to a farming friend who lives in Minnesota.
Thank you.
I'm so glad to hear that! I hope your farming friend enjoys it. (And maybe they don't know the Golden Gopher comes from Minnesota!)
Ha! I remember touching a statue when we enjoyed a college visit to UofM. I think… it was a golden gopher!
I really appreciate your thoughts, writing style, and attitude toward life. I’ll pass it on wherever I see a fit.
Best,
G
A lovely journey. Thanks, Bill. Your ritual with the Golden Gopher reminds me of mine when eating two of my favorite wild fruits: Creeping Snowberries (Gaultheria hispidula) and serviceberry/shad (Amelanchier spp.). Heaven!
Thank you Bryan. I am not familiar with snowberries, but I share your appreciation for serviceberries. I planted six of them in my yard this spring. I have three different varieties and I am looking forward to sampling the berries and hopefully attracting cedar waxwings. I really enjoyed your essay about Monarchs on the island. I keep thinking about you sitting in the flowers with the butterflies. I have spent more time recently just being with the birds. I am still frequently tempted to grab by camera, but I am getting better.
Yeah, serviceberries = fruit punch!
And I hear you on the cameras. It does take practice and restraint to leave it at home. :-)
I enjoyed your story. To me it wasn't important what happened after 7 years. What touched me, and was obvious to me, was the imense value of your experiences and how you were changed and found meaning. It was not the outcome that was important. Isn't that so with all spiritual growth?
Yes, that is right. Appreciating the journey is the end goal. I did not fully appreciate the journey I was on back then, but now much of my focus is on learning to be in the moment and to appreciate the small things in life.