Last week I received an e-newsletter from Jean & Stan Potratz, owners of Premier1, one of my favorite farm suppliers.  The message from the ownerswas entitled The Chasm That Separates Small Agriculture from Large Agriculture.*  I found the article very interesting primarily because Stan had described the feelings that I have about our little fiber farm and its place in agriculture.

Let me start by saying that this is not a condemnation of “big agriculture.” Certainly big agriculture feeds the world, both body (food) and soul (yarn and fibers)!  But Stan’s comments about small farm food production mirror my feelings about small farm fiber production.  In his article, Stan writes:

Small-scale vegetable and fruit producers do not need GPS mapping devices to discern differences in soil productivity. Small livestock owners don’t need RFID ear tags to know which animal is more productive. Instead they rely on their eyes, brain and memory. Small producers often develop close bonds with their cows, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. In many cases they know them by name and by “personality.” ….

This is certainly true of our little fiber farm.  As I write, I’m looking out over very brown grass and wishing I had a deep well with which to irrigate. While we were thankful for the 40 round bales of hay we cut off the back 10 acres earlier this year, not one bit of our soil is not being very productive at the moment!  From hand shearing the goats these past few weeks, I know that I’ve got a sticker burr patch somewhere in the big pasture that I need to find and get rid of.  I know that some of my older goats are going coarse on me, and I’m going to be forced to decide whether it is feasible to keep them for rug wool or for weaving upholstery fabric, or whether it’s time for them to contribute to the great circle of life in another fashion. 

And it is irrefutable that many of our animals have “personalities” that we really appreciate.  You haven’t really gotten to know the animals around here until you’ve seen Rascal drink out of the hose, or watched Blackie’s eyes half close when you scratch the sides of his face and his chin. Boss Chicken, one of our oldest Buff’s plops down at Ken’s feet so that he’ll pick her up to pet her, and while our two roosters (Colonel Rock and Young Rock) don’t fight, if Colonel Rock sees Young Rock heading for one of the hens, he generally intervenes.  Loudly and quickly. Possessive little devil!

Stan goes on to say that, The motivations of small producers are more diverse. Profit is important but so is the opportunity to work together as a family. Also important is the connection it ensures with the natural world, as well as the physical exercise and discipline (chores) required. Further, there’s the urgency that comes from caring for animals that aren’t quite pets—but they aren’t just “profit/loss” items on a spreadsheet either.

Again, his comments remind me of our own situation.  Yes, Ken goes to work in Dallas during the week, but this farm is still something we do together as a family.  Regardless of whether he gets home at 5:00 or 7:00 in the evening, he has his chores, his routine, that takes him out into the barnyard to commune with the animals. Despite the fact that I feed them, often it’s Ken who will notice first when one of goats has scours or a limp. He won’t doctor them — that’s my job — but he makes sure I do it!

Stan wraps up his article by saying that, Small-scale food producers often sell direct to the consumer, either straight off the farm or via a farmers market. This system … ensures a personal relationship with consumers—and therefore has embedded into it a cultural and communal responsibility that the food be as healthy and free from defect as possible. As a result, it’s to a considerable extent self-regulating.

When you come visit our Farm, most likely you will enter the pasture not through the house, but through the building that currently does triple duty as the Bunny Barn, the Farm Store, and my studio space.  We have lots of fiber for sale (more every day!), plus dyes, and yarn, and knitting and spinning accessories, AND you can meet the animals who have graciously provided it for you!  How much more personal can you get??? Beginning next month, we will have a booth at several arts and crafts shows in Texas and Arkansas and, of course, we are throwing a party (come one! come all!) on October 30th. Please plan to join us and our animals on this date for our Fall Festival.

Stan ends his article with the comment that it is small agriculture that tends to enrich communities.  We agree and specifically work toward this as one of our goals.  The community of knitters and spinners and other fiber crafters is a large and diverse one.  Our community of friends and (former)co-workers is also widespread.  Whether you come for the fiber arts or just to sit in the shade, we hope that you will find a way to share the life of our farm, and that you will feel your life is richer because of it.

*If you would like to read Stan’s entire message, you can find it here.