Friday, May 29, 2015

10th Week: Reflections and Excitement!

Happy 10th Week!

With this week’s blog post and class Kacey and I hope to facilitate reflection of the past ten weeks and excitement about applying class learning to our post-graduation lives.  To begin this process we invite each of you to think and write about 1) Something(s) you’ve learned by working at Amy and John’s farm, and 2) a favorite farm memory.  Some questions to consider:

  • What were you expecting from working on the farm?  Did you have a specific hope/goal in mind when you started?  Did this hope/goal change over time?  Do you think you achieved it?
  • Was there a specific skill that you learned?  Or did working at the farm teach you about something more conceptual?
  • To what extent has working on the farm helped you understand the conventional US agricultural system and alternatives to it?
  • What has working on the farm taught you about yourself?  About your relationship to the land?  To others?
  • What are you going to take away from your experience working at the farm?  How do you envision yourself giving back the farm/agricultural communities/food justice movement after your experience at the farm?

Finally, please include a link to a song that makes you happy – we’re going to use them on Thursday!  

Mariah’s Reflection

For me, being able to work at Amy and John’s farm was one of the primary attractions of taking the “Slow Farming” senior capstone class.  Tired of sitting in classrooms, I was excited for the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning.  I wanted to learn skills that I could apply to everyday life in tangible ways.  And I hoped to gain a deeper understanding of what it meant to farm.  

Now, after ten weeks of working on the farm, I think that what I acquired most deeply was a renewed understanding and appreciation of the commitment, dedication, and patience that farming requires.  One example that comes to mind is compost.  I had a basic understanding of the process of making compost before arriving at the farm, but I didn’t realize the importance of it until we started talking about the difference between dirt and soil.  The idea of soil as a complex living system was eye-opening to me - it really only made sense when I stuck my hands into the garden beds and noticed the diversity of matter and animals living within it.  Then we talked about the sustainability of buying versus making your own compost and that conversation has also really stuck with me.  I connected with the desire to be proactive, visionary and sustainable.  These are values I hope to guide my life with, and I appreciated seeing a tangible example of them in action.  Finally, helping make the compost pile and then, turning the compost pile, illustrated to me the patience that is required.  The simple action also made me think about the commitment that is needed when trying to make changes.  Making compost isn’t a fast process, but through its slowness a rich and beneficial product is produced.  Farming isn’t fast either, but in its process something beautiful is created.  These are lessons that I constantly must remind myself of, and I think, some of the biggest lessons I learned at the farm.

Now, my favorite memories at the farm were learning about and eating all sorts of plants that I had never tried before – the tops of the kale plants, the lamb’s quarter, the wild leeks, and the wild flowers.  It opened up a whole new realm of interesting and new food to me!  Connected to this, I really appreciate walking of to the woods with our group and listening to Amy read the passage about thanking the land for its gift of food.  It made me think about harvesting in another way.  Finally, I will also remember the conversations and time spent simply chatting while weeding or planting.  I really appreciate those conversations. 

This song makes me happy:


Kacey's Reflection: 

I have been interested in food justice issues since my first year at K, but this is the first time that I have really gotten to actively participate in agricultural work. One quote that has really stuck with me was Winona LaDukes conversation with her father: “You know Winona, you’re a really smart young woman…but I don’t want to hear your philosophy if you don’t know how to grow corn.” I think that it is so important for that everyone knows what goes into producing the food we eat and I am so grateful for the knowledge and experience that this class has given me and I am excited to continue learning. 

One of the lessons from the farm that has stuck with me is that a farm is more than a factory that produces food. It is part of an ecosystem. So, when we are supporting local, small-scale agriculture, we are also supporting the blue herons that live in the woods, the monarch butterflies that eat the milkweed, and the soil for future generations. I had never thought of farming in that way and it really reinforced my belief in the importance of community supported agriculture. Another lesson that I learned was the CSAs are really difficult to maintain. The stories about CSA members who looked at the relationships with the farmer as strictly a purchasing contract made me realize how far we have to go as a society in our perceptions of value and our relationships with the people who grow our food, the land and other members of our ecosystem. It has definitely inspired me to become a member of a CSA and to make an effort to get to know the farmers and the land and truly share the risks and the work that are part of the agricultural system that I want to see survive and flourish. 


One of my favorite memories from the farm is when we went to pick leaks in the woods. The passage that Amy chose to read before we started from Braiding Sweetgrass really changed the experience for me. I felt like our energy as a group changed and we went into the woods with a new sense of respect and intentionality. Giving an offering of corn before we began to dig really reinforced the idea that the leeks were a gift and not something to be taken for granted. It was fun to see everyone’s excitement when a big leek was pulled and the quiet way that we all went about trying to pick from the center and take only what we would really use. Before, I would find wild berries or herbs and think “Jackpot!” and would take as many as I could fit into my bag. Now, I will consider both the sustainability and spirituality of the plants when I am scavenging and remember how happy we all were digging up and sampling leeks in the woods together. 

This song makes me really happy: 



In the spirit of reflecting on our experiences and being inspired by solutions for the future, here are some quotes to reflect on before next week. If you have a favorite quote that you want to share, go ahead and add it to your post!  

“Our challenge, as we enter the new millennium, is to deepen the commonalities and the bonds between these tens of millions, while at the same time continuing to address the issues within our local communities by two-sided struggles that not only say "No" to the existing power structure but also empower our constituencies to embrace the power within each of us to create the world anew.”
― Grace Lee BoggsThe Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century

"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Rebellions tend to be negative, to denounce and expose the enemy without providing a positive vision of a new future...A revolution is not just for the purpose of correcting past injustices, a revolution involves a projection of man/woman into the future...It begins with projecting the notion of a more human human being, i.e. a human being who is more advanced in the specific qualities which only human beings have - creativity, consciousness and self-consciousness, a sense of political and social responsibility."

"In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality."  - Kristian Kan

“The great thing about the dilemma we’re in is that we get to reimagine every single thing we do. There isn’t a single thing that doesn’t require a complete remake. There are two ways of looking at that. One is: Oh my gosh, what a big burden. The other way, which I prefer, is: What a great time to be born! What a great time to be alive! Because this generation gets to essentially completely change this world.”
-Paul Hawkins

“Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.”
― Lao Tzu

18 comments:

  1. First of all, I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to reflect on what has been enriching part of my life over the past quarter. You ladies are wonderful.

    I learned so much from our days on the farm. One of the most valuable things I learned was that I had a lot to learn. Right off the bat, I had to reign myself in from wanting to do everything. I was looking at the hours on the farm as time to spend helping Amy and John out. I know how much work is involved in this small scale farming, and I know that eight helpers can accomplish a ton in 3 hours. I have to admit, I was a bit antsy when we weren’t actually working for the first couple classes, but I realized I had to change my perspective. So much of the value of those hours were in what Amy and John were able to share with us. I started to see the farm as more of an experiential classroom, where we had the opportunity to learn skills and wisdom acquired through so many years of experience. I think that Amy and John really value passing their knowledge of farming on to young people and I’ve been so grateful for the opportunity to learn from them.

    Having spent quite a bit of time working on similar sized farms, I was able to apply a lot of my experiences at Harvest of Joy. It was definitely empowering to use those skills and knowledge in another context and realize that I do know a bit about growing food. And also to see again that farming is perpetual learning, sometimes frustrating, and always hard work. I haven’t met a single farmer who sees himself or herself as an expert. Farmers are in tune with the complexities of our ecosystems and realize that there is so much we don’t know, that there are so many uncontrolled variables, and that growing food is really hard work, yet incredibly fulfilling. I know it will continue to be a part of my life, a decision solidified through conversations in this class.

    A favorite farm memory: I loved the day that we worked in middle earth, weeding and prepping the bed for potatoes, and then planting the potatoes. That particular day, we seemed to be in a collective senior funk, and just started talking about some of our anxieties. It felt like a therapy session in the garden – sharing our worries, advice, ideas, and concerns about how we’re feeling right now. I think farm work provides this ideal space for real communication; there’s no need for small talk, because there’s work to be done, and it opens this space for deep conversation and reflection. I’ve found that I’ve really gotten to know people on a deeper level through working together in gardens, and I’ve loved that about our days on the farm.

    A song that makes me happy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ooH8frBWg

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  2. Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to reflect on our experiences in this class! This blog post was so nice to read and really allowed me to appreciate even more the experiences that I was able to have in this class.

    I didn’t know what to expect from this class. When I signed up at the end of winter quarter I was mostly excited about being able to get my hands dirty and be outside. Like Mariah, I was getting sick of sitting in classrooms and being talked at. My only goal coming into the class was to find a deeper connection with the land. As this class comes to a close I can say with certainty that my connection to the land has become much stronger. Now more than ever before I feel a connection to the food that I put into my body. I feel strength when I am on the farm with Amy and John, and I feel love.

    For a long time when I was young, I didn’t care where my food came from. I didn’t know where it came from. Food and land were not in the same conversations and so I never felt these connections. I am so thankful for this class.

    Like Kacey, my favorite memory was the day that we picked leaks in the woods. I vividly remember all sitting down on the grass and listening to Amy read to us from Braiding Sweetgrass. The entire day had been so beautiful and I remember feeling so lucky to be surrounded by Amy and John, and all of the people in my farming group. When we picked the leaks Amy gave us the option to give back to the land and take with intentionality. I left the farm that day with a new respect for what the land can give us. I ate the leaks that night with love in my heart. I want to thank Amy for that.

    As I move on and go to Chicago for a new adventure, I will bring this experience with me. While I know that I will be exceptionally busy and tired, I find it so important to keep a strong connection to the land and my food.

    I will now share a quote that has impacted me every single day of my life: “If you want the impossible you have to make it want you back.”

    Here is a song that makes me very happy:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQbpyrRM1S4

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  3. Thank you Kacey and Mariah for deciding to format our last class in this way! I know some of us talked about closure and how it feels a little lacking sometimes at K, so this is a great way for us to leave the Slow Farming class.

    I’ve enjoyed so many aspects of this class, that it’s hard to narrow them down. I’ve enjoyed the community we’ve built together; I already knew most people, but it was great to see us all coming together for a movement we’re passionate about, and it was great getting to know John and Amy. I’ve enjoyed the days spent outside, the food we tasted, and cuddling with Sunny and Bud. I enjoyed walking the grounds the first day and learning about blue herons nesting at the tops of trees (I used that in a poem!). I enjoyed learning about the functionality of bees, and how their organizational process can feel so eerily human, which makes me respect them even more (not to mention it’s a female-dominant society they construct). I enjoyed all of the discussions had across the bedrows while weeding, seeding, thinning and broad-forking.

    Ultimately, I feel like I’ve enjoyed this class so much not because we’re romping around outside (although I don’t mind that), but because in the process of learning how to make compost and transplant seeds, coupled with our class discussions, I have learned so much about our food systems and the work that goes into it. It can be hard to hear about the ways in which the food system is failing our way of living, our health, and the health of the planet, and even harder to think about how often I have contributed to the system’s upkeep. At the same time, it is uplifting to know that some people, like John and Amy and all of the farmers that we had dinner with, still treat farming with the tenderness, foresight, and spirituality that it was meant to embody. On a basic practical level, I also now understand how much time and mental and physical energy goes into farming, which has given me a better idea as to what kind of scale of farming or gardening I could see myself managing in the future.

    I am grateful to be leaving this class with the power of knowledge. I now know just how interconnected so many challenges are in the food system, as well as the weight of my own purchasing power when it comes to supporting sustainable agriculture. I am eager to go forward concsiously knowing the repurcussions of my actions (or at least to a certain degree!), and therefore when I do make thoughtful, sustainable choices, I can feel more fulfilled in doing so.

    Thank you, John and Amy, for giving our class a truly enjoyable, enriching, and valuable experience before we leave K! I hope you have a bountiful growing season this year, and that the mushrooms in the cabbage bed work out well!

    Here's a quote I like:
    "People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do." - Lewis Cass

    And here's one of my happy songs:
    https://youtu.be/MVbD5tJ_H9w

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  4. Thank you all so much for giving us the space to reflect, the process of writing this was very therapeutic and satisfying for me!

    This class has reminded me of my appreciation for farming/farmers; it has given me space to analyze, reflect on, and better value my own experiences with farming as well as our larger US food system.

    I chose to take this class after having the realization that if I was going to consider returning to work at SHARE Food Program, or any other food justice organization for that matter, it was important that I know how to grow food that aligns with the fair food values for which I would be advocating.

    Having not grown much outside of a bean crammed into a Dixie cup back in the fourth grade, I knew I had a lot to learn. While I had some understanding that modified seeds were bad and that a lack of crop diversification depletes soil, I had no concept of how intricate and important seeds and soil are to the foods we eat, not to mention the ecosystem at large. When growing food in the future, I believe these are the two factors I will consider and research most. I now see how cultivating nutritional soil and choosing/breeding good seeds are not an exact science, but one that is understood through trial-and-error, and adapted over time.

    While I expected to learn a lot about growing (even though I was unsure exactly what I would learn) I also gained some unexpected personal knowledge. During this term, through impromptu discussions on the farm in particular, I have been reminded that “getting stuck” somewhere can in many ways be positive: that investing very strongly in a community, or even that returning back to my small town, is not necessarily bad. Some of my favorite memories on the farm are talking with Amy about her parents’ current relationship to farming. A relationship that, while different from some of her techniques and perspectives, is also very valuable to understanding our larger food system. These conversations, even if just about her dad wanting to get back to work on the farm too soon after being sick, provided comfort to me as they validated many of my experiences with my own family. Similarly, John’s stories of his time in Tennessee reminded me of what a wonderful and loving place the south can be.

    Rachel and Annie’s visionary organizing workshop helped me realize and appreciate the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that various experiences at K have cultivated in me. This class coupled with conversations on the farm reminded me that my small town life is not something to move on from, or just make a joke of, but something that shaped who I am and is part of what places me in a unique position to do meaningful community organizing in rural areas.

    I leave this class with a greater ability to grow food organically, a better understanding of how to support sustainable ecosystems, and a renewed desire to return home (or at least to a rural area) for a period of my life to do community organizing.

    Amy and John, thank you so much for sharing your experience, knowledge, and time with us this term! My understandings of farming, food, and community are much improved thanks to both of you.

    Here’s a song that makes me happy (I can only dream of the song being performed this way in my life one day): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juTRRspWUqM .










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  5. Kacey and Mariah, thank you both so much for letting us end the class with a class reflection – these past 10 weeks have truly been an enriching experience for me and it’s so nice to know that others agree. Major kudos, ladies!

    After a gruelingly long winter quarter at K (as most Michigan winters often go), I was ecstatic when I heard about the opportunity to spend time outside of the classroom during spring quarter. My interest only peaked when I went to the first meeting for the class and found myself surrounded by so many people that shared so many similar interests. It truly felt like a community from the beginning.

    Interestingly, like Annie, I think I gained a lot more from this class, aside from the satisfaction to have a class in which I could dig my hands deep in the soil and romp around under the sun. I was able to grasp a broader understanding of our food system and everything that goes into it. I learned to focus more on ‘being,’ rather than doing. I have realized to appreciate all that goes into the farming process: selecting seeds, weeding, preparing the soil, planting, scouting, picking, etc. One of my favorite memories of this quarter was working on the strawberry patch. It has been such a cool experience to see how it Like Kacey mentioned; Winona LaDuke’s conversation with her father particularly struck me. “...I don’t want to hear your philosophy if you don’t know how to grow corn.” It is truly imperative for people to better understand the underlying layers within our food system as they often get overlooked. I am so thankful for this class. The various class discussions forced me to reflect on these layers, making me even more appreciative of my own, personal relationship to food as well as its relationship with others.

    Amy and John, thank you so much for a truly enriching class; it was the perfect way to conclude my four years at K.

    And finally, one of my current favourites (that I can’t help but embarrassingly dance to)... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcsfftwLUf0

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  6. Coming into this class spring quarter and coming into past hands-on farming experiences, I have found it easy to glorify and simplify everything that is entailed in owning and operating a large and successful farm. As this past quarter got started and we spent a few afternoons out on the farm and a few Thursday mornings discussing just some of the challenges facing farming and our food system I was thoroughly reminded of the complexities and connections between all aspects of our food system including the role of the small, privately owned and highly diverse farm.

    I think that one of the things that I have learned throughout this quarter that will stick with me for a long time is the importance of attention to detail and genuine caring and love for the foods being grown that goes into raising healthy, natural plants. I have always thought of farming as a form of dominating and controlling land in order to produce sustenance. My time out on the farm with Amy and John as well as our time in class has brought me to a new understanding about the value in developing a healthy, caring and connected relationship with the plants and the land you are working on. Additionally, ever since our class discussion about the meaning of community and the role that each of us plays in each community we enter, I have been giving a lot of thought to the way I want to think about community in my life and in my future. The idea of moving away from the mentality of staying in one place as being “stuck” and towards the mentality of staying as committing and belonging and connecting is something that I think will stay with me and in the front of my mind in the coming years.

    My favorite farm memory is probably the day that we weeded and thinned the strawberry patch. We spend most of the afternoon working and engaging in meaningful conversations that carried over from things we had touched on in class. We also got to get dirty and work up a sweat shoveling compost around. It was a really rewarding afternoon because within only a few hours everything was clear and mulched and ready to produce so so many little strawberries!

    I am so grateful for the thought and time that everyone in this class put into our time at the farm and the topics and discussions we engaged in during class periods. This is one of the first and only courses I have taken at K where I felt that we all equally shouldering the responsibility for a positive and valuable course experience with our professor. I really appreciated the breadth and depth of the topics that were chosen for class!

    Thank you so so much Amy and John for putting so much time and care into our class!

    This song makes me pretty happy and forever relaxed!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AefH5BF5TI

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  7. Just thinking about what I wanted to write for this blog post has been such a cathartic and gratifying experience. Thanks so much Mariah and Kacey for giving us the opportunity to reflect on what this class has meant to us and to provide closure on a wonderful ten weeks.

    Reflecting on our time this spring, I think the biggest gift that this class has given me is a new perspective on food and an appreciation for farming in general. Prior to this class, I largely supported organic agriculture for personal health reasons, and had never really thought about the environmental impact of my purchases. While I still want to avoid putting chemicals in my body, I now feel just as strongly that we should support food grown in a sustainable way in order to protect the soil and the incredibly complex ecosystems that call it home.

    One memory that really sticks out to me is when Amy showed us her spreadsheet for planning all of the different crops out for the CSA. It should have been obvious that growing a variety of food for a large number of people would require careful planning, but I had never even considered it. I have gained an incredible amount of respect for the patience, knowledge, and problem-solving required to maintain a successful farm.

    More than anything though, I have really cherished this class as an opportunity to get to know others who are equally passionate about local, sustainable food. I have learned so much from John and Amy and my fellow classmates, both on the farm and in our weekly discussion groups. Every person has offered a unique perspective and has been able to contribute to the conversation in very different but extremely meaningful ways.

    Thank you so much Amy and John for the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful and extremely rewarding experience. This has been by far my favorite class at K and definitely one of the most influential and applicable to my life. I am so grateful to you for sharing all of your knowledge and wisdom with us, and I hope this class continues to be offered for years to come!

    This is a song that makes me happy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuV2agQPgps

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  8. This class has been invaluable to my overall experience here at K, and it has been the perfect way to close out my time here. When I got the email regarding senior capstone courses, I was immediately drawn to Slow Farming. I have had interest in learning how to garden/farm for quite some time and the opportunity to take a class with a bunch of like-minded seniors was too good to pass up. I have really appreciated all of the discussions we've had, and even one on one conversations I've had with people. This is a time of our lives that is very hard to put into words, but being surrounded by other people in the same boat as me has helped me to understand where I am in my life right now.

    I have enjoyed every farm day. I have learned so much about life from working on the farm these past 10 weeks. Sometimes you have to work in the rain, or the cold, when you'd rather stay home. Sometimes you can put your heart and soul into something and it still doesn't work out. Sometimes there are little bugs whose purpose is to ruin your good work, and you need to find and get rid of them. Those are just a handful of connections I've made.

    I never thought I would say this, but I love weeding. I'm at a stage in my life where I am trying to weed out the things that are hindering my growth. Removing bad habits from my life is just like weeding in the garden. If I don't pull it out by the root, it will pop back up sooner or later. I also like to imagine myself as a tree that is in need of occasional pruning so that I can bear the best fruits I can. And those weeds or extra branches are going to take energy away from where I really want it to be going.

    I have also realized that I can reduce all actions to two categories: destructive or creative. I have always been a creative individual. From colored pencil drawings to paintings to poems and short stories to songs and most recently my first original album; I love the feeling of creating things that are of myself. Even though the work is hard, the feeling I get when I can sit back and look at the completed drawing or listen to my music makes the hours of struggle worth it.

    This leads me to a conversation that I had with John one day by the strawberry patch. I asked John if he gets renewal from his work in gardening/farming. I could see the re-awakening of our natural surroundings really starting to take off after a long, cold winter. And I thought about how beautiful it must be to observe those changes, that continual renewal, over the course of a lifetime. John said that he does get a feeling of renewal doing the work he does, and I expressed to him that I want to live a life where that renewal is a major component. We talked about how even after all his experience, he is still learning new things. I think this is vital for us as human beings. I've heard before that it takes 10,000 hours to master something. But even after all those hours, nature is never mastered. That fills me with awe and makes me want to devote more of my time to learning about the divine workings of the natural world.

    One last thing that I continue to think about was how Amy said that eating food is like communion. We are taking this food, which once had a life of it's own, into our bodies to become a part of our life. That was one of the simplest, most beautiful ideas I've learned here in four years. There needs to be respect with a sacrifice like that. Just like we don't want to give our best work to people who don't respect it, I don't think that plants would want to die and feed any old person who doesn't respect the sacrifice the plant made. Plants can't speak up though, so it is our responsibility to make sure that they are respected and loved.

    While I wish I could say that I have it all figured out at this point, I can't. But certainly this class has helped to plant seeds within me and I look forward to seeing what growth will come next!

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    Replies
    1. Here is one of my favorite songs from my SIP:
      https://soundcloud.com/werner-roennecke/6-nothing-left-to-say

      and here is a song that reflects my current uncertainties and wonders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Qi4jLtigc

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    2. Lastly, I'd like to extend a sincere thank you to Amy and John, and to all of my classmates. The impact of this experience will not be taken for granted, and I really appreciate you all! Thank you! :)

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  9. I've had a great time on the farm this quarter and appreciate very much that I had the chance to get to know Amy and John. You both are truly inspiring people who are willing to contribute to a change in the world in a way that you see fit, but others may not understand or recognize.

    Spending time with both of you, and on the farm has allowed me to think of farming as a possible path to follow in the future. It takes dedication, problem solving, observation, and understanding. I think what I have learned the most from this class is that there is no way to understand how agriculture works within nautral systems, unless you get out there and look closely at what's really going on. I also very much appreciated our meal with the local farmers. It seems like most farmers have the mentality of: this is what I hoped to do, this is how it worked/didn't worked, and now this is what I'm doing. For me, this makes farming seem tangible! It seems overwhelming to walk into a field with so much variablity, but people are doing it everyday, and they are doing it in their own individual way in regards to what works for them. So thank you for giving me the opportunity to see the variability as something exciting and unique rather than as solely an obstacle.

    One of my favorite mememories from the farm was what John said to me after impaling the salamander during double digging. He told me essentially that salamander possess incredible regenerative properties and that by putting him in the sun he still had a living chance. This incident sort of pulled everything together for me in terms of the necessity of our dependence on other living beings and the sun.

    There could not have been a more perfect and relevant way to end my time at Kalamazoo College, thank you both!

    Does this seem ironic? Sorry- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ul-cZyuYq4

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  10. I have learned so much on the farm with Amy and John. From the description of the course and from what I have heard about Amy and John, I was really excited to take Slow Farming. However, I was not aware the role Amy and John would play in my life over the spring. Amy and John were my first “professors” to truly play the role of a teacher. They mentored us and guided us and they not only gave us so much knowledge about farming, the agricultural industry, the food movement, and food injustice but they also showed us the connection of our spirit to the land, our food, and all the issues that we discuss in class.

    Amy and John really encouraged me to perceive nature through the scoop of systems. I remember the day where we walked to the forest patch to harvest some leaks and Amy sat us down and read an exert from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. She explained to us the role of the leaks in the larger ecosystem. She talked about how this system is run on love. The bacteria and plants have a relationship where the plants house them while the bacteria fix nitrogen for the plants for the plants to grow, then the plants give themselves up for the animals that graze on them, which in turn helps the plants grow larger. This system is beautiful and perfectly circular and continues because each “member” of this system lives to give itself back to the system. Each member of that community lives for the other members of that community. Although we have become distracted from years of colonization of land and culture, we are a part of this system. As we walked back to the farm I realized that in a way we are a product of this system. Every cell in our body is composed of nutrients that we have received from the land. We are the land. The land and the spiritual connection to the land is perceived as a luxury in our culture in America. The connection to the land is considered secondary to careers and arbitrary social constructs. In order to feel spiritually full, we need to include the ecological community that we are made of and that sustains us as a part of our purpose on Earth. We need to observe the land and our fellow community members as the weather and seasons change. Thus we have the title Slow Farming as I learned about on the first day when Amy and John took us to where they have been watching the blue heron’s nest for years. We need to start seeing the land and our connection to the land as a spiritual necessity rather than a luxury. I can recall Amy sharing how she feels as if she can communicate with her plants and the purposeful feeling she gets as she tends to her plants. I can relate to this feeling from past experiences in my life when I have felt connected and inspired by the land. It is a very specific feeling as if your spirit is literally being lifted within your body. Amy’s farm and Amy and John’s wise words have played an invaluable role in my spiritual development. I look forward to coming to Amy’s farm all week for realignment and so I can feel grounded. There have been times where it has seemed that Amy’s farm has been glowing with energy. Amy’s farm is a very special place to me and I hope that I will be able to cultivate a place that can be as special to me in the future.


    Thanks Amy and John for everything!

    We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.
    -Aldo Leopold

    “My favorite quote: The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land... In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.”
    -Aldo Leopold

    Some songs that make me feel good:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ5hOHZKxDA
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8dgvZ-s8ts
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZdOZWYNjik
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTAhSJt_8x8

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  11. Every year that I've taught this course I've been deeply moved and inspired by the students who've taken it and this year especially so. You all give me hope for the future of our species. I mean that sincerely. Your willingness and desire to look honestly and directly at the suffering in the world, to question your own role in that, and to do the difficult work of envisioning different ways of being and relating to each other in a world that actively discourages these things is nothing short of courageous. You have challenged me to think deeply and creatively about so many farming-related issues through your blog posts and conversations--thank you for making this class so intellectually and emotionally stimulating for me! It's such a wonderful experience as a teacher to have a class where I feel like I come away so filled up with new thoughts, ideas, and relationships.

    Being aware and awake to the world around you; discovering your values, deep desires, and talents; and figuring out how to manifest your callings and ideals in this world is hard work. I fail at it every day, but as I'm failing, I'm learning. I teach, I farm, I write, because I want my life to spread beauty in the world and these are ways that I know how to do that. I wish for each one of you that you will find the support you need (both internally and externally) to live out your deepest dreams, whatever they may be and however they may change over time because I truly believe that your deepest callings will lead you to create beauty in the world too, even though there may be times when that beauty seems pretty dark, sometimes unrecognizable.

    Please let John and I know if there are ways that we can support you in this next phase of your lives. We'd love to hear from you in good times and bad, so don't hesitate to reach out if we can help!

    I don't know if this is a particularly happy song, but it's the one that's resonating with me emotionally right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cjLI3qoYl8.

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  12. Thank you for allowing us to reflect on the past ten weeks. This class has been very transformative on many levels. I initially took this course because I was interested in learning more about sustainable food systems and was intrigued by the idea of getting to work outside during spring quarter. This class really solidified the importance of experiential and collaborative learning.

    There is so much to learn by just being in nature and working with your hands.
    One of my favorite memories on the farm was last week when everyone worked together to transform the area behind the hoop house into two lettuce beds. In just a few hours we were all able to transplant the lettuce into the fresh beds and this week see how great the plots looked. There is something so satisfying about working with others to accomplish a common task. This class as a whole has been a great reminder that when people of different backgrounds come together over a shared interest everyone will take away something valuable. Each week I returned from the farm and Thursday discussion so inspired by everyone’s contributions. I am grateful for this opportunity to better understand the interconnectedness of our food system and challenge my preconceived notions of community.

    Amy and John showed us that growing good food takes time, patience and care. All abiotic and biotic factors in an agricultural ecosystem are so dependent on one another. The inputs we put into the soil impact the health of the plants that sustain us. In many ways this class showed me that members of a community must be dependent on each other as well in a similar way. If the farmers in a community are suffering, the people dependent on those farmers will be impacted as well.
    Thank you Amy and John for working and learning alongside us, this class was a great way to spend spring quarter.
    This song always cheers me up:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=129kuDCQtHs

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  13. Shoot, this didn't publish earlier when I tried!

    Something I’ve learned:
    Wow, this is a difficult question to answer because I have learned so much! When I registered for this class, I thought that I would learn basic gardening and farming skills as well as some education into sustainable living. This does not even begin to capture what I learned in the last few weeks. I did not necessarily have a goal but wanted to learn a lot from my peers. This I did. One of the greatest aspects of this class is that we get to talk about global issues pertaining to food, the environment and connecting systems in a hands-on environment. I feel very strongly that much of ecological and many other forms education should be taught outdoors. In addition, as intelligent, knowledgeable and passionate as Amy and John are, I was able to learn so much from my peers!
    One of the most important and valuable messages that I was able to connect through this course was that ecological systems are becoming less and less sustainable due to human destruction. Some examples are what we touched on in class last week where we discussed how so much of our agriculture or monoculture is focused on spraying chemicals on our food and injecting them into the animals that we eat. The part that makes it unsustainable is that we will never be able to stop spraying as weeds and plants become resistant, while the soil becomes more and more depleted.

    This parallels with so many of our systems, health care (where sickness is normalized and we pump our bodies with antibiotics and “quick fix” drugs when those drugs will most likely cause long-term problems that are currently unknown). Even conservation ecology, where management teams clear large areas of terrestrial land to save certain species but not thinking of the various unseen factors that depletion could cause in that biosphere. Will we ever be able to account for long term affects with this a mindset engraved in instant gratification? It makes sense to me that the human brain has evolved to want to invent new ways to make life easier and to use facts to build opinions but I believe that the balance between innovation and simplicity has been disturbed.

    By working on the farm with the group and Amy and John, I have learned that I really only need to live simply. All of the extra “things” do not bring me joy. There are many things that bring me joy including, nutritious food, good people, beautiful ideas, nature and many more. Having the opportunity to work on the farm has allowed me to extend my relationship with the land to a new level of understanding. Amy and John always say that the best farmers are those who can really listen to the growing food and soil. This is something that I value and will strive for when I grow some of my own food someday.

    I have many favorite memories including seeing the milk snake, the birds nest, harvesting leeks and many more but one stands out. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to see what goes on in the day in the life of a honey-bee. These guys are amazing. The roles present in the hive as workers or drone bees and their communication is so fascinating. The honeycomb that they create in perfect hexagons is a reoccurring symbol in organic material. As much of a biologist as I am, the spiritual idea that these patterns were created and are represented all over the natural world seems intentional to me. I was so thankful for that experience as it connected many thoughts that I had about the beautiful design of the human body and many other intricate processes.

    Overall, this is a class that I would recommend to upcoming seniors for many reasons but the largest is that it is important to surround yourself with loving people, and that is who Amy and John are as well as many that choose to take this capstone. Thanks and blessings to you Amy and John.

    Here is a song that I like! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktgHNJ4RmIY

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  14. Thank you both for giving us the opportunity to reflect!

    Signing up for the class I expected to get my hands dirty and learn about the true hard work that goes into farming. I have always had a kind of romanticized idea of what it would be like to be a farmer. I knew this romaticized dream I had of farming was very much fictional, so I wanted to get some first hand experience of what farming was really like. From doing the work, and having conversations with Amy and John I can see what a big sacrafice it is to farm while holding to guidlines that value humans and the earth. I think I still find it romantic because John and Amy were too easy on us! They let us do too much fun stuff! I'm not sad about it, however I think I probably stil need more experience of long days getting my hands dirty before I can kick my farm fantasy.

    My main goal was to learn the details of organic farming. I think I have learned so much already, about soil, pest and disease control, seeds, and pollination. I have learned so much more than I ever expected, but now I realize that there is so much more to learn. I feel incredibly inspired to continue this learning!

    I knew that organic farming models, especially CSAs were something I thought of as a revolutionary act. However, working at the farm I have realized the extent to which that is true beyond my beliefs. The relationships that I have built, including the relationships Amy and John say they have created have blown me away. Food really does have the power to connect people, and food made with love, respect and care has more power to do that than any other kind of food. Also, the idea that farms can enrich ecosystems while they help us enrich our relationships with others was something that really inspired me.

    My favorite memoreis on the farm were just having conversations with John, Amy and all of you! I felt like I have built really special relationships with all of you. I'm not very spirtual, but I feel like we were all doing something pretty sacred together and I can't say I have done that with many people. We were loving the earth and each other. We put love into the earth and to the food. Every week I came to the farm and I felt rejuvinated with love and life! I especially felt this way after the week we foraged leeks. We had great conversations that day, per usual, but we also go to reflect on the earth and it's connection to spirtuality and all other beings. That was extremely special and I will never forget it.

    Here is a song that makes me really happy!

    https://youtu.be/FsglRLoUdtc

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  15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsglRLoUdtc

    I don't know if that last link was good, here is another

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  16. Thanks for the opportunity to reflect on this course! When the Wednesday group got ice cream last week, we talked about how there hasn’t been much time for reflection about our college experience. So I’m truly grateful that we’re making a space for this now.

    Slow Farming caught my eye right away as a chance to get outside, learn more about the process of farming, and further develop my understanding of our food system. Additionally, I had hopes of reflecting on my own relationship with food. The class certainly met and exceeded these goals. The quarter was filled with self-reflection, which often proved very difficult. I faced some really deep personal issues and struggled at times. However, our group was extremely supportive and helped me feel comfortable exploring some of these issues. It was also really nice to be surrounded by seniors who are in a similar position to myself — excited for the future, but not exactly sure where their path will lead.

    One of the biggest lessons I learned was related to the spirituality of food. The discussions in class, along with countless subtle lessons on the farm, helped me learn to view food in a completely different way. Yes, food acts as fuel, but it’s also tied to culture, family, tradition, and so much more. Eating food can and should be an act of respect. Like many of us, the day foraging for ramps was really powerful. After sprinkling the corn as an offering, something deep in my soul changed. I felt as if the ramps and I gained an understanding. I would pick a few, in a respectful manner, and the ramps would help feed me. In the days following, I truly appreciated every time I cooked with those ramps because I was completely connected to them — where they came from, how they were picked, and how they were treated beforehand. In addition to these thought-provoking ideas, I also learned many valuable, practical skills and learned the ups and downs of running a farm. I knew farming was difficult, but now I have a newfound respect for farmers.

    Overall, the best part of this course has been being in the presence of such passionate, thoughtful people. I wholeheartedly believe that what the world needs is passionate people doing what they love. To me, Amy and John embody this idea. Their generosity with not only sharing their land and food, but their knowledge, means so much more than they could ever know. Every time we came to the farm, I felt sincerely welcomed. Sunny and Bud were a great welcome crew, of course, but Amy and John absolutely made me feel at home. They are some of the most genuine, thoughtful people I’ve ever had the privilege to know, and I can only hope that I end up doing something that is as rewarding and inspiring as their work on the farm.

    It was impossible for me to pick just one song, so here’s a few that I love:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJlqpEq14SI

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4nrwxP2JPc

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWBJRTaVBn0 (with beautiful dancing!)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRmBChQjZPs

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6LUIwDtMLo (very relevant…)

    Don’t feel like you need to use them all…Music just makes me so happy!

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