Ag Day

The house still smells like the bacon I cooked for dinner last night. Homegrown bacon, of course. With all the warnings about economic collapse Dad and I have been discussing ways we can be more self-sufficient, since we have the resources to do so. In the past few months I’ve been doing increasing amounts of reading about sustainable agriculture. The problem for us lies in our state itself. There are few organizations that promote local farmers, at least in the places we’ve looked. The farmers in the neighborhood support one another to a point, but it lacks the larger connections that other states seem to have. Or maybe I just need to get out more.

Regardless of my social connections, some interesting sites on buying local and sustainable ag in general came from Catherine Friend’s book The Compassionate Carnivore. She really makes an argument for why society needs to develop a closer relationship with our food. That lack of respect, I think, manifests itself in our current situation with global warming and pollution. If we respect the environment and the food that comes from it, maybe we could get away, at a grassroots level, from the “moremoremore” mindset. Things don’t make a happy life. You make the choice to be happy. Food is part of life and being happy with your food is at least a start. I’m not a believer, as my grandma is, that happiness only comes in fits and starts. I think it’s possible to be happy in everyday things. Sometimes you have to look deep and work hard to change your attitude toward the universe, but guess what? When you change your attitude toward the universe the universe might change its attitude toward you.

All right, I really didn’t mean to get that preachy. So, on a much lighter note, the puppy update is positive. Maxine hasn’t yet learned that the world is not her personal toilet, but she did learn that cows run away when she barks at them. It’s all rainy and cold today so Dad didn’t take her with him to the farm, so she’s in the mudroom. I feel bad leaving her alone, but she’s difficult, to say the least, to both watch and do any work whatsoever. Guess I’m not ready for any forqu-ing kids. (Sorry, inside joke.)

Some starter insight for those interested:
http://americangrassfed.org/
http://www.foodroutes.org/