We just finished watching an episode of Clarkson’s Farm from season 2. At one point, Bryon turned to me and asked if I was still congested from my taking-its-sweet-time-to-disappear cold. Yes, I am, but also, yes I did tear up over one particularly touching scene with a group of local farmers discussing how they can barely afford to farm.
The show itself seems like a gimmick, and maybe it is. Jeremy Clarkson, a British guy who apparently likes fast cars (Top Gear and some other show whose name I can’t recall), decides to buy a farm in Oxfordshire. He makes a lot of mistakes and rubs villagers the wrong way. Then again, he seems to truly care about the crops, his animals, his employees, and in tonight’s episode—about his fellow farmers.
When he made a plea to the planning commission for his restaurant that would feature locally produced products, I wanted to cheer. Whatever the outcome of his particular situation, he’s championing this cause on television. People will view this and maybe stop to think about their farming neighbors when deciding what food to purchase—and not just look for the cheapest option on the shelf.
I feel this deep in my bones. We recently shifted from “Come on, birds, we need more eggs!” to “Dang, what the heck am I gonna do with all these eggs?!” Crossing over that line always feels like a panic attack lying in wait.
I’m blessed to work at a non-profit whose mission includes increasing access to local food, and we are just starting to sell local farm products, including ours, with the goal of accepting EBT/SNAP. Yesterday, Nature Nurture Farmacy posted on social media about carrying Star & Sparrow eggs and Hop Frog micro greens. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with lots of reactions, comments, and shares. But my cynical side still worries about people scoffing at the prices, which aren’t even at the level they should be if we wanted to pay ourselves for our time.
Which brings me back to tonight’s episode and a farmer who said she hadn’t paid herself a wage in ten years or else they’d have had to give up the farm. Others nodded in understanding and sympathy. Jeremy asked the group if there was any other industry that worked under that mindset. Maybe there is…but the more I learn about farming, the more I realize this can’t continue. I wonder what happens when more and more farmers reach their breaking point. The phrase “No farms, no food” might become more than a bumper sticker or hashtag.
So the moral of the story is this: shop at farmers markets, farm stands, co-ops, and if you can’t do that—opt for the products in grocery stores grown nearest to where you live, particularly ones that aren’t sold nationwide. Each decision is a cog in the wheel of the food revolution that needs more speed. Maybe Jeremy Clarkson can lend it one of his cars.