07/09/2024
"The effort and care that the Smith family has put into healing the land, bringing it into sustainable productivity, and providing nourishment for the community imparts a value that is impossible to quantify in our current capitalist system. This presents a serious problem for regenerative growers as land prices and taxes rise and the consistently low price for farm products make it difficult to maintain a living wage.
Eric notes, “Land is expensive, food is cheap. The farmer is squeezed at both ends. If the consumer could see through this thick veil and understand what good food is and what it is really worth, maybe they would invest more of their money in nourishment. Nourishing their health. Nourishing the community. Nourishing the farmer. Nourishing the land. At some point, it will be seen that a carrot is not always a carrot. One builds community. One builds corporations.”
Eric and Cher’s life’s work is alive; the farm itself holds the beautiful and abundant benefits of years of stewardship. So long as they are able to walk and tend to their land and livestock, biodiversity builds in place, serving as a vibrant sanctuary of ecology whose positive externalities spread. But what becomes of the land when they are to retire? As Eric and Cher grow in years, the burden of this question becomes heavier. “Now, in our early 50s, we have started to ponder where the farm will head from here. Will any of our four children continue with it?”
>>> Continue reading on The Farmers Land Trust Blog!
https://www.thefarmerslandtrust.org/post/behind-the-buzzword-regenerative-agriculture
Bugtussle Farm
