Growing a Farmer Pt. 1

In “Growing a Farmer,” Kurt Timmermeister was able to write a unique memoir of sorts about his trials and tribulations as a restaurateur turned small farmer. Kurt is able to speak of his journey in a way that feels both authentic and charming. I remember going through a phase as a child where I wanted really strongly to have the experience of growing up on a farm; the simplicity and connection to nature really spoke to me. Reading through this book allowed me to imagine a bit of what living on a farmer would truly be like.

Initially, I observed this book from an academic point of view-- trying to ascertain why this book in particular was assigned within a unit that has been focused on clear and authentic writing. I noted that he used personal pronouns excessively, barely going a sentence between using “my” or “I”, with the exception of segments where he went into more detail about farm life. This choice made sense to me within the context of this memoir-styled essay. It also allowed him to keep the focus on him and his narrative, rather than some vague idea of a farmer. I also appreciated the emotional context he provided to his story; allowing flashbacks to his past to have much more depth than a rote retelling. He included quotes like, “My shoulders held tight as if I were on a crowded city street, gradually I began to relax.” His constant use of descriptive imagery allows us to connect to his experience and understand more of what he truly went through. I appreciated the nuanced story he told, especially in times when he faced challenges. He told of his successes, but also of his many shortcomings and mistakes. It made me think about the amount of reflection he must have done to tell a story of this magnitude, spanning the course of decades.

One of my favorite parts of this book was his courage to talk about the challenges he faced as a farmer and the lessons that came along with these challenges. At parts his commentary did seem somewhat self-critical, but it largely served to showcase the complexities and difficulties of his path. He carefully lays a plan for a large apple orchard that ends up foiled in part by marauding deer nibbling on the young trees. He also struggles with ethical decisions on his farm: deciding to kill diseased animals and choosing to buy non-organic animal feed because of the high cost ceiling. In many instances he relies on the wisdom of his friends and contacts to work through roadblocks-- helping him learn how to care for his animals, teaching him what plants to grow for pastures and showing him how daily milking can be a rewarding lifelong practice. The sheer amount of resources (read-lots of money) and time If one of his goals was to showcase the difficulty of starting and maintaining a farm, he succeeded handily.

Another aspect that I enjoyed was how he displayed his personal growth throughout this story. As we see him become gradually more involved with his farm we see him start to develop a more environmentally conscious mindset; developing an aversion to the packaged and processed meat that is circulated through his restaurant; acting as a steward of the land he owns, gradually improving the fertility through grazing, rather than leaving a virtual waste dump like the previous owners. He also achieved his goal of developing a daily practice like the 90-year old beef farmer he admired. I connected personally to the idea of creating a daily practice to keep the mind and body active-- this seems like something that could be really beneficial for my life.

There were also parts where I felt frustrated as a reader, like when he described his practice as a beekeeper in excruciating detail only to concede that he allows his bees to die-off every year because he isn’t experienced enough to keep them alive and he can afford to buy new ones every year. Also, although time seemed to pass sequentially, there were gaps in time where 3 or 4 years would pass by and it would be annoying for me to see years pass by in mere sentences with little concern for my experience.