Why I Farm

I’ve written plenty about the obstacles in farming – the decay of buildings, the unreliability of help, the capriciousness of weather, the uncertainty of bugs and blights, the financial horrors. So, do you wonder why I farm, why anyone would farm? It’s kind of hard to say… read the rest of the story here.

No Dinner for Andy

Cold November winds streak through the farm today. I look out on the land as it returns to its less differentiated state. There was once a sweep of great activity in these fields. Now they are brown rectangles of bare dirt or green swaths of oats and vetch. Crops once grew here in rows, stretched towards the sun, sprawled towards their neighbors, spiked, headed, unfurled, bulbed, spiraled, cascaded…read the rest of the story here.

The King’s Visit

Tom Spaulding, Director of our CSA Learning Center, writes the centerfold story about the visit to Angelic Organics by the King of Uganda and his Prime Minister. It is because of Tom & his wife Neddy that our farm is able to receive so many people from so many walks of life this year. It simply would not be possible without their full time effort & dedication. On our sign-up form for 2000, we included a space for you to make a contribution to the Learning Center… read the rest of the story here.

Colored Pig Fountain

When the first semi load of greenhouse parts arrived last December, I looked in the trailer at the numerous skids of steel and the twenty or so crates and barrels. I knew then that my whole winter was going to be about deciphering blueprints and identifying mysterious pieces of metal. As we were unloading, I heard a horn. I went to see who had driven in. It was my Subaru that was honking; no one was in it. The car just sat in the garage, honking its horn… read the rest of the story here.

The Barn is There

Rudolf Steiner, in his Agriculture Course lectures, which are the foundation for Biodynamics, spoke about the individualization of the farm. He saw the farm as a unique organism, with its own emanations based on its history, its terrain, soil type, the plants and animals on that land, the farmer’s personality, and the influences of the other helpers on that farm. read the rest of the story here.

Bloomingdales and Produce

I was in Bloomingdale’s New York this weekend. I was in New York for reasons I’m not quite sure of. Perhaps it had to do with a hundred days straight in the fields of Angelic Organics. Maybe I needed a break from dry weather, hot weather, cold weather, workers quitting, weeds flourishing, scorched clutches…read the rest of the story here.

Moonlighting

Three years ago I did a reading at a gallery in Laredo. An attractive young blond woman listened to my story with rapt attention. Even as I read, I was aware of her glamour. She’s like a movie star, I thought. She introduced herself after the reading…read the rest of the story here.

What Are You Going To Do With That Stick?

The open house was a grand event–[editor’s note: John is referring to the September 16, 1994 open house; all other references are to the 1994 season as well] 75 big and little people enjoyed hayrides, pumpkin picking, the loft of the big barn we watched home movies of the loft being filled with straw for the first time – 37 years ago…read the rest of the story here.