For my service learning this semester I worked on Prairie Roots Farms alongside Abby and occasionally one of her two sons. It was an eye opening experience to say the least, working on an organic farm. It was surprising how much I learned about the world by never even leaving the county and I learned even in seemingly developed areas, there are corners of it that operate by farming more than just corn. When I thought of organic farming, I thought of normal industrial farming on a scale that was much smaller and without the use of pesticides. Although I was right about the smaller scales, there was a lot more work to it than I had initially expected. Since I worked there later in the fall, most of what we did was preparing for the next season, but we still had to remove tomato vines, remove and …show more content…
This service learning experience taught me a lot about other people and cultures, most of which I learned from Abby. She was nothing like anyone I had ever met before in her personality and in her beliefs. It was refreshing to hear about all of these new ideas from her and learn about the way she thought and how she said she had feelings about people, a gut-feeling of sorts that told her who was good and who was not. She was also incredibly open with her thoughts, not afraid to ask what would be considered as inappropriate questions or express herself in an abnormal way. It was nice to see and hear something so different than what is considered the norm and it made me want to learn more about her and about other people in the world who do not share the same beliefs and ideas as the majority of Americans. She told me about how in her religion, which is more of a spirituality than anything, that they pray to a leader or a “guru” who is a living, breathing, human being. She also told me how it was similar to the Asian religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, saying
The young, recently married farmers living in the Great Plains during the 1930s had a terrible life. First off, being married meant having multiple people to provide for. This is more responsibility, and leads to dividing up the food between family members. Then, the country was also in an economic downturn, so the price of food and crops were low. Farmers already had debt because of new machines and land that was purchased during World War I to keep up with the demand during the war. Then the depression caused banks to fail, so farmers lost all their money that was in the bank. Everyday life was treacherous, and there were few amenities in the home, with no plumbing or electricity. Life was awful for a farmer during the Great Depression.
The farm uses a cycle of animals, which include cows, chickens, turkeys, bunnies, and pigs, in order to keep the land fertile which allows for little use of external human made input. Polyface farm also takes hours of work everyday to upkeep unlike factory farms where it’s mostly automated. The farm also makes use of forested areas and other non-farmed resources, which forces them to protect that land from being cut down to receive those benefits. However, organic farming’s limiting factor is human population growth and the resources needed by the growing population.
Los Vendidos, the movie that we viewed was performed by El Teatro Campesino, the farm workers theatre. The movie was made to show the views and ideas of the farm workers, who were just regular people who wanted to be heard. They were not extraordinary, exceptional, highly skilled and paid actors. They were just normal human beings who wanted what everyone else wanted: equality.
The Plight of the Late Nineteenth Century American Farmer From the early beginnings of America to well into the nineteenth century, America has been dominantly an agricultural country. Farming and the country life have always been a great part of the American culture. Thomas Jefferson even expressed his gratitude for the farming class by saying Those who labor on the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever He had a chosen people, whose breasts He, has made His peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue. The American culture was built upon farming and agriculture, but since the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slaves, things have changed dramatically to the American lifestyle. This time brought on the Industrial Revolution, which sparked many factories and new ways of transportation across America.
As you walk to the other end of the stage and look out into the sea of blue and gold corduroy, you realize this it! This is the moment you’ve worked toward for the last four years. You’ve stayed long hours after school working on you record book, spent grueling hours memorizing speeches, experienced the joy of winning first place at a state CDE contest, and best of all you met so many amazing people and doors were opened to opportunities you never imagined. Finally, after all of your hard work, you’re receiving your State FFA Degree! All of this from making one simple decision your freshman year of high school, signing up for the FFA. What you didn’t realize at the time was that this wonderful organization would help you build leadership skills and teach life skills that you are going to need in the coming years.
This experience was really out of my comfort zone. It was hard to be an outsider and not prepared for what was to come and not speaking one of the languages used to understand the entire service. This service learning project gave me the opportunity to try a new church and gain a deeper respect for a different religion. Everyone at the service was very educated on speaking the sacred texts and participating in the rituals practiced. I hope to have gained a better understanding for those who are new to religions and are nervous to come to a worship service. I will make more of an effort to be welcoming and accommodating to those who are new to our church.
The American prairie in the 1800’s was home to many homesteading families. There were also some challenges and limits to some of the people living during that time. In fact, the grass could grow up to 6 feet tall! Mothers would worry about losing their children in the tall grass. The men, women, and children all had different roles in the house. Men would fight, woman would run the house, and the children would help out, go to school, and more importantly, play.
Today’s economy and the environment are hurting due to the lack of nurture we have been providing. Conventional farming rules the world of agriculture, but not without a fight from organic farming. Organic farming is seen as the way of farming that might potentially nurture our nature back to health along with the added benefit of improving our own health. With her piece “Organic farming healthier, more efficient than Status Quo,” published in the Kansas State Collegian on September 3, 2013, writer Anurag Muthyam brings forth the importance behind organic farming methods. Muthyam is a senior at Kansas State University working towards a degree in Management. This piece paints the picture of how organic farming methods
This research plans to compare and contrast the similarities and differences in agricultural development between the Jericho Valley,in present day Palestine, and that of the Andes Mountains. There are several aspects to compare in these regions. First and perhaps most obvious is the environmental differences of these regions as well as the ecological changes in each region has itself undergone. Closely linked to these environments is the native biological species, how these native species have been domesticated, as well as looking at what crop species have been introduced to the regions, and their effect on the native species. After explaining the differences in climate of the two regions it is important to understand who was doing the farming in these areas. This will be looked at in terms of cultural evolution, groups' social approach to farming and how that affects land use and technical procedure.
How society created a system in nature where animals and farming actually ruin the land, the same land that was once so cherished by our ancestors, completely stupefies me. When America moved from the locally-owned farms to the gigantic food manufacturers of today, it also moved away from the idea of the sustainability of earth by not preserving the land. Since this movement skyrocketed our economy and allowed for growth in several sectors of life, people gave no second thought to the changes being made. How have we as a society gone so long without even considering the impact of such an enormous revision within our agricultural system? Through industrialized farming, we allow our land to be demolished. However, some farmers know an alternative way of farming. Some farmers use the alternative method of organic farming, a natural agriculture solution. Although there are various factors involved in organic farming, weighing the benefits and costs of this type of farming—on both large and small scale levels—permi...
Thirty years later, organic farming was in high demand, but suffered developing pains. Although there was agreements being made, there was no regulations put forth towards organic farming. Fast forwarding to present time, many consumers are starting to purchase organic food products even making it a trend. Written in Inouye, Alena, and McCauley’s 2006 article “Organic Farming Should Be Pursued”, “organic farming is gaining in popularity due to Americans ' increasing concern about food safety and environmental protection.” This quote assumes the reasoning behind the sudden popularity in organic farming is society’s attraction towards the idea of a cleaner food industry and environment. The article also mentions, “As a result, sales of organic foods in the United States have increased by more than 20 percent every year since 1996, reaching $7.8 billion in 2000.”(Inouye, Alena, McCauley) The fact that popularity towards organic farming grows at a rate of 20 percent every single year further proves how its movement has such an impact towards the consumers of
It is estimated that 37 farmers leave the land every day to pursuit in different field (Herro 2006). The decline in rural farmers is from the consequences of industrialization of agriculture. Only 1 percent of the UK workforce is now employed on farm, compared to 35 percent in the last century (Herro 2006). Many of these workers are being weaved out by better technologies that can do the same work at a faster and more efficient rate. On the contrary, organic farming relies more on people for knowledge, daily monitoring, and production. A study by the Soil Association shows organic farming can potentially provide 32 percent more jobs per farm than conventional farming in the United Kingdom (Herro 2006). However, critics have argued that human labors will lead to higher food prices, which makes the shift infeasible. But while this may be true in developed country, a full scale shift to organic farming in developing countries, where labors are much cheaper than pesticides, can lead to a much higher profit for the farmers. Organic farming attracts younger employees than any other work industry. Currently, the average age for conventional farmer is 56 (Herro 2006). If a full scale shift to organic farming were to happen, it would draw a more vibrant and enthusiastic workforce who are food conscious than that older generations, setting up a platform
Envision a farm with an abundance of animals and crops. The farm that most likely comes to mind is not one of giant machinery and smokestacks of pollution, but a vision of the old red barn and cows grazing freely. Sadly, these types of farms are mostly gone in the United States. These ‘family farms’ are being replaced every day by bigger, more industrialized farms. It is sad to see such a staple of the American culture being washed away by a type of farm that is being used purely for economic reasons. Family farming is slowly disappearing from the American landscape. We, as Americans, need to realize the importance of family farming because it produces high quality foods and helps economically for the local community.
Organic agriculture is the oldest form of agriculture on our planet. Until post World War II, farming without harmful petroleum based sources was the only way of farming. There were no hazardous fertilizers and pesticides made from petroleum based products. During World War II many agricultural technologies were created. For example, ammonium used for munitions during World War II evolved into nitrate fertilizer and organophosphate production led to the creation of strong insecticides. These technical advances have resulted in economic gains at the cost of severe environmental and social consequences.
...ers in future. Thirdly, we can import professional trainers from other countries who have better technologies and have better crop production. For instance, countries like China, India, United States of America, Indonesia and Brazil are successful in this field and trainers from these countries are capable of training our local organic farmers for better improvement of agricultural sector. Fourthly, study trip to organic farms can be carried out for both scholars and farmers as a fun way to learn and appreciate the enormous benefits that it could provide to environment. Last but not least, law enforcement should be implemented in our country so that the land which has been abandoned could be utilized efficiently. Since countries which do not practice organic farming are deprived from many benefits, as such, the role of organic farming should not be under-estimated.