Blog post #2: Growing a Farmer

This blog post will be devoted to the second half of "Growing a Farmer."
In addition to random/tangential information about various aspects of farming, Kurt is able to include a great deal of personal reflection in this section; helping the book wrap up nicely.

Earlier in the book we got insights in the processes of milking a cow, the medical procedures needed to keep them healthy and some aspects of how their milk production is maintained. In this later section of the book, we get a chance to learn about the bounty of products that can be crafted from their milk. Specifically, he talks about how raw milk can be made into butter, yogurt and cheese. Something that really touched me was his flashback into his childhood where he remembers not being able to afford cow's milk; instead having to rely on the powdered version. Flash-forward to the present, he owns cows that produce gallons of fresh milk daily-- giving him the ability to "take back" in a sense, some of the inadequacies of his childhood. Larger than just his ability to eat fresh dairy products frequently, I believe this anecdote serves as a larger metaphor for his transition from a consumer to a producer; from a bystander to a steward of nature. 

Although it existed in a relatively small portion of the book I also enjoyed his description of the dairy co-op that he participates. With the exception of a few friends and wise advisors, I initially got the impression that Kurt existed on a sort of Island; trying his best to make this way with little structure or support. However, he explains how he is part of a network of dairy producers that regulates the volume of milk that each farm has to store. This provides a revenue stream for the farms and a fix to a common problem of milk buildup.

In reading this novel, one could be forgiven for assuming that Kurt would eventually turn into a vegetarian as his journey progresses. In fact earlier in the book he describes his disgust in recieving packaged pork for his restaurant and stopping eating that. However, what a careful reader would soon realize is that Kurt doesn't advocate for less animal agriculture and meat consumption; rather meat consumption that feels more humane and environmentally conscious.  He notes that he tries not to "anthropomorphize" his animals because even though he is connected to them, he sees them for their roles as animals. I can't help feel disappointed in his choice to continue eating what seems like a heavily meat-reliant diet; disconnecting himself from the humanity of the animals he raises and slaughters. Some actions he takes feel downright wasteful. For example he describes the tedious process of attempting to successfully make a ham-- on his own admittance he describes wasting many hams over the course of years in  experiment-style food production. Without a doubt he has a much more direct connection to the food he eats; however, it is difficult for me to not me critical of the way that he regards animal life.

In regards to his writing, there are moments where he is able to use a funny anecdote to bring you even further into the story. For example he talks about making pork-hanger tacos with a freshly butchered pig writing " It is one of the few times when driving off the farm to the store for a couple of farms seems like a good idea." The way he describes it makes it very easy to picture a scene where Kurt drives off the farm in search of ingredients to make his pork tacos tastier.

In conjunction with the self-reflection we see in this section he makes a number of concessions that help to further illuminate the brutal reality of being a farmer. He talks about bacon and butter never being quite like their processed counterparts. He concedes that his circumstances were special in that most people would not be able to financially afford the path that he went down in starting a farm from scratch.  He concedes that he is willing to buy some things from the store; that rowing a boat out to a lake to scrounge up salt seems like a waste of energy to him when he can buy a perfectly adequate box from the supermarket for virtually nothing. In the end he presents a nuanced picture of a farmer; imperfect, but imbued with an incredibly rich perspective on the food we consume everyday and the lives we lead.