The Old Versus the New
Tracy Patterson
While at university obtaining my undergraduate degree in
physical geography (similar to an ecology degree), soils classes were among my
favorite. I loved learning about the layers of soil, the making of sub and
topsoil, the relationship and the importance of soils to, well, pretty much
everything else. Other classes in ecological land classification, vegetation,
landforms, glaciology, climate, etc., etc., etc., along with years of working
and playing outdoors, provided me with a pretty good knowledge of ecosystem
processes.
After reading this month’s feature, “Beyond Factory Farming,” I watched One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts, one of the films listed in the resources
at the end of the article. I was moved by this film on many levels; it stirred
some old passions that I hadn’t acknowledged in years. It brought back some of
what I learned in school and in life regarding soils and their integral role in
the ecosystem and the sustainability of our planet.
The farmer in this film provides an example of how
someone can make a difference, not only in his own practices but in the act of speaking
up. It’s not easy to physically change the production on such a farm, or change
the minds of farmers who have been engaged in the same practices for
generations—practices that have provided them with an income for their families.
I think it’s important to understand that this is not
someone speculating on what can be done—this is someone who took his “factory”
farm and began the long, and sometimes painful, process of turning it into a
productive and sustainable piece of land that supports animals, domestic and
wild; his family; his employees; and, ultimately, his community.
This film is about how we need to work with the land,
and not against it, to ensure a sustainable future. It’s a great example of how
that works. The reality is that in some areas simply growing crops is not a
reasonable approach to an ecosystem that requires so much more. The balance in
nature is to have all the parts working together. How much we eat, what we eat,
and how much we waste, that’s another topic.
And it’s hard to change old ways because farmers, like
all of us, have to make a living. Many have left the farming business because
they cannot make enough money to feed their families and have been pushed out
by the big guys. And yet, films like this one make sense and give me hope that
if more farmers move in this direction, we will at least be headed down the
right path.y
Tracy
