The Last Crop

We went to see a showing of a film on Thursday night following the travails of an organic family farm near here, Good Humus. We know the produce of this farm intimately and Annie by sight, since she’s often in Davis talking about local food sources. The filmmaker was in attendance along with the protagonists.

Farmland in the Capay Valley is valued way above its farm value because developers have their eye on it for 5-acre ranchettes that will likely end up in foreclosure if the signs in the English Hills to the south are anything to go by. This is prime land, 6” of topsoil in a fertile river valley that is under threat. The Mains are more concerned that their land be continued in farming than that they leave it to their children, none of whom has expressed a firm interest in continuing in farming.

Looking at the film, you can see why. It’s backbreaking work; you’re always behind; there’s always the unexpected huge expense, so that saving for retirement is a risible suggestion. And yet:

The room was filled to capacity with people across the age spectrum who have a passionate interest in making sure these kinds of farms don’t disappear. Hosted by the Agricultural Sustainability Institute on campus, it drew a wide and diverse crowd.

Something seems to be happening, something big, and it doesn’t seem unrelated to Occupy Wall Street. Food security. A passion for growing things. I feel caught up in it and don’t know where it will go, but it seems much more hopeful than some of the alternatives…