Going against the grain is very relative to the grain — it depends on which group defines the grain. To not be an NFL fan in America, for example, is to forsake one of our few remaining common cultural landmarks. To not be an NFL fan in, say, China, though, isn’t that unusual.
Going against the grain in agriculture can be quite a bit riskier than choosing not to follow profession football. It involves having fields that look different than all of your neighbors. It means having to search far and wide for new markets to sell into, or to have to do the hard work of marketing and selling products directly to consumers. It incurs odd looks and awkward conversations at the local diner.
Finding a community that runs along your grain is immensely helpful, though. This is what Acres U.S.A. has been for over fifty years for ecologically and regeneratively minded farmers. Knowing there are others trying to farm in tune with nature — even if they’re not in your county — is comforting.
And while the direction of conventional agriculture is not changing as quickly as many of us would like, the grain of overall public sentiment about food is. More people are concerned about the quality and safety of their food than possibly ever before. This provides opportunities for farmers who shun the synthetic-chemical grain of conventional agriculture.
Joel Salatin says this well in a recent interview with Acres U.S.A. owner Taylor Henry for our podcast. Joel comments that there are “fantastic opportunities for people that are running counter to [the] orthodox narrative. And that’s where Acres U.S.A. is strong.”
Farmers who provide clean, healthy food, who raise animals in line with their natural proclivities, and who preserve, and even regenerate, their land, are attractive sources to the many consumers who are beginning to realize their need for an alternative.
“Acres readers,” Joel continued, “those of us in this tribe — when everything becomes hopeless and helpless, we’re the ones that provide hope and help. That’s the shining light on the hill that we have to cultivate, that we have to grow, and we have to own as hope for the future.”
While shining-light-on-the-hill rhetoric can serve to unnecessarily immanentize the eschaton if taken too seriously — our ultimate hope should not be in earthly endeavors — Joel is certainly right that ecological farming offers a positive alternative for those looking for better food. And our Acres U.S.A. community offers an encouraging alternative for farmers — a path against the dominant grain of conventional, synthetic-chemical-laden agriculture.
And that’s the view from the country.
