Risk for the Earth

Some years ago I first joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with Martin Hill Farms, buying produce from Farmer Mike. That means that at the beginning of the year I pay up front to get weekly produce during the season. Farmer Mike gets the capital needed to buy seeds and supplies and I get beautiful natural heirloom fruits and vegetables.

Recently I read the book In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan where the author distills his book into seven words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. He further explains that when he says food, that is not a given in our currently processed world. Reading Pollan's book made me all the more convinced that my CSA is an important part of how our family eats.

Not long after reading Pollan's book Farmer Mike shared some of the dilemmas he has faced recently. Farming is not a profitable business. Even with our capital up front, Mike hardly can make it work. A dry summer, a wet summer, a hot summer, rain on market day, heat on market day, market day falling on Fourth of July, so many things work against the best results. Mike told us in this email that we were taking a risk. I never thought of it like that before, I never realized that I was risking my money when I paid my share up front.

Everyday people line up to buy lottery tickets, believing they're going to get a payoff. They take that risk. And rarely gain a return. Risking money on good food is not only good for the health of my family, it's good for the earth, which desperately needs the kind of healthy wholesome agriculture Farmer Mike and his colleagues practice.

Opt into a CSA. Shop at farmer's markets. Buy real food. Do your part, despite the risk. We're all in this together.