Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

An excerpt from a poem from Wendell Berry. Find the entire poem here

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Current Events

A couple of articles popped up this week that struck me as our travels quickly approach. Check them out, I hope they enrage you as much as they did me:

This one struck me as being as good an argument against industrial agriculture as just about any: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1213762.html
Also has all kinds of other ethical issues we hope consider sewn in. Find your local farmer's market or CSA now in preparation for next season.

Anger is not an emotion that comes quickly to me, but I almost could not see straight after reading this article. As people about to be strangers in another land, I pray that we are treated with the dignity hat Mr. Bizzell refuses to offer. (I will keep this blog G rated and leave out my other thoughts toward Mr. Bizzell).
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/immigration/story/1209646.html

Muchas Gracias a los Padres

No, we are not thankful to a San Diego baseball team. We are grateful to our parents for helping us to figure out some of the details for this trip. From being attached to bank accounts in case of emergency to helping us figure out hundreds of other little problems, they have been very helpful.

You never know what to expect from parents when it comes to telling them you are leaving the country for a year, missing all major holidays, will be only available by email and the occasional phone call and are traveling through countries that occasionally get press for unpleasant things. We have gotten only support and excitement.

We are grateful.


The parents (most recently known as Gramma and Pops); Maria who's Spanish is quickly surpassing mine, Helms and Greg (www.hyaets.org) who run a really cool place in Charlotte that all should check out and learn from; John Tyson, the handsome nephew a.k.a. Juan, El Guapo, J., etc.; and Tracy and I. (In no particular order since I cant see the picture as I type.)






Tracy and her parents in Vilas. Check out the barn quilt!

Que Hay de Nuevo?

One month until we are off. We are leaving Raleigh on the 26th and heading to Miami where we will hang out with Aaron and Lilly. Aaron is a good friend of many many years, so it will be good to see his face. On the 28th it is off to Montevideo and on October 1 we will be making our way onto the farm.

We tried to pack our stuff a few days ago just to make sure it would all fit. We each will carry about 20 pounds. Not bad for a year, but it should be interesting to see how that will work out.

We have made contact now with a farm in Argentina and have made plans to spend 4-5 weeks there. So far, no word back from Chile.

A dull update, but an update nonetheless.

The IT guy

A conversation at work with the I.T. guy who was fixing my computer:

IT Guy: What is the background on your computer?
Me:It is a bus station in Guatemala
IT Guy: oo, Guatemala, that is somewhere I could only go if I took my gun.
Me:hmmm...
IT Guy: I'm not gonna be an easy target.
Me: so...how about that computer virus...

Guns are heavy so I am going with a different, slightly more non-violent theory: beard size is inversely proportional to the likelihood of getting robbed.

Gettin' Ready

Less than three months before departure. Looks like the farm we were hoping for in Argentina might fall through. Since Argentina is going to be in our path anways, we may extend our stays on the farms in Uruguay and Chile and forego the Argentina farms altogether. Both of the others sounded more exciting and unique anyhow.

We are spending time in camping stores, realizing just how much money people spend on things that are light or waterproof or what-not.

We are also trying to spend time at the library and bookstores to fill up our brains with thoughts and ideas of some of the great Agrarian thinkers, food philosophers and travel gurus. Books are heavy, so we better read now.
























Plane tickets will be purchased soon. How would YOU like to store some of our stuff in your attic/basement/garage?

South America to Appalachian Mountains

You may know of my (Tracy) plans to go to grad school in Sustainable Development. I recently found out that I was accepted to Appalachian State in the program, and I was already able to defer for a year, so everything is set up for me to start in fall 2009. This is one of the reasons we are taking this trip; to learn about global sustainability. It's my hope that I will pick up many useful techniques and skills that I will be able to implement when we return. This gives us a timeline to return in early August to finish moving to Boone, find a place to live, and readjust to things in the US before starting school.

Until then, I have picked up a job with the sweet potato breeding department at NCSU, helping researchers in the greenhouse and field. I'm acquiring a nice farmer's tan, and learning more than most people would care to know about sweet potatoes (but I find it very interesting as I'm a plant geek).