Simple Yet Complex - The agrarian Life

It may seem strange, but the simple life is an extremely complex life. The world of a family farmer is one almost unexplainable to the nonfarmer. I will do my best to explain though.

When city folk ask "what do you do for a living?" they usually all have the same look on there faces when I tell them I'm a farmer. They tend to view the world of agriculture as simplistic vocation, one that a person chooses because they are to dumb to do anything else. In my case, I could have done or been anything I wanted. I chose this way of life. If one is getting into agriculture with the idea that they will plant a few seeds, milk a cow and lay under a shade tree sippin' moonshine all day, they have a wake up call comming. Don't get me wrong, I lay under shade trees from time to time and have been known to tip back the jug. What I'm trying to get across here is that living the simple life means doing away with specialization and that makes you a busy man.The wanabe agrarian should consider this quote by Robert Heinlein.

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnett, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

Here are a few things a family farmer has to be for example. My job description looks like this.......Plumber, welder, diesel mechanic, electrician, large and small animal vet, bookkeeper, horticulturist, tree surgeon, quality control inspector, and the list goes on and on. All the little details of farming are also complex. The way plants grow or the digestive system of a cow for example are very complex. We must understand all the intricate details to make a living with God's raw creation. These are things learned by experience. This is one good reason to start small. Don't overwhelm yourself with half a dozen projects that are new to you. Read, always read but also find people who have experience who can help you learn. This countryside of ours is full of old men and women that our generation ignores. They hold the knowledge of the land and how to work it well. We must unite those with knowledge with those who want so desperately to learn. I am amused ,to some extent, that a lot of what sustainable agriculture is coming up with is stuff my greatgrandfather knew many years ago. The older folks also had some bad practices as well. That is why we need to reclaim the good ideas from the past but never be afraid to adopt new ideas that make sense.