Farmer 2

Chapters 10-15 of Kurt Timmermeister’s, “Growing A Farmer,” cover fowl, pigs, slaughtering, butchering, the current state of his farm, and the farm to table style eating he has grown to love. Unlike the previous chapters, Timmermeister’s language becomes more confident and he lessens his constant reference to making decisions just because it supplements his vision of the ideal ‘farm.’

In my previous “Farmer 1,” I pose the question of what Timmermeister’s definition of farmer would be. In “The Table” chapter he states, “It is most likely that I am imitating a time period and a lifestyle that never truly existed” (Timmermeister 292). Upon further contemplation, I realized I never even truly questioned why he had this image in his head, and why I agreed with it. Why does he think a farmer must have animals? Why does he think he needs a tractor to be a farmer? Because in reality this vision never really did exist. The industrialization of food was built on the idea that more people meant the need for more food. In contrast, Timmermeister is building his farm around the idea, not to increase crop yields, but to create a symbiotic system. He only grows foods that are local to the area, uses all waste as fertilizer or dog food, and grows his own feed for his animals. This definitely is not the type of farming that his dream farmer was doing. Yet, as his definition becomes more dynamic, he realizes that he will never reach that end goal of ‘farmer.’ The morals turns out to be along the lines of, its not about the destination, its about the journey. He realizes that his style of farming suits his desires and that is all that matters. He also realizes that Kurtwood Farms truly changed his life from a 9-5 job in the city, to a full time lifestyle change. A change he welcomes.

Though I’m sure he is responsible for a great majority of the creation of the farm, I wish he gave a bit more credit or at least information on the people that helped him along the way. He gives a brief run through of the men that helped him with slaughtering and in the last chapter he mentions Jorge, who helps him with his chores. However, these people aren’t given much personality, making the read a little less dynamic.  Additionally, I would have liked a bit more information on the business side of his decisions. I find it hard to believe that he grew a successful farm solely based on his visionary farmer decisions. In the second to last chapter he gives a brief synopsis on why growing a commodity crop is a bad idea, and how he manages his costs. It would have been nice to see throughout the book, as it is a more realistic approach to decision making. This may sound pessimistic, but I’m sure it is a more accurate representation of how Kurtwood Farms came to its present day fruition.  

In the final chapter, “The Table,” Timmermeister gives the metaphor of his table for the growth of his farm. The table, made by him, started as a rough chop of would with no finish. Over time the top surface of the table had been smoothed from the eating and spilling of food on the table much like the running of his farm has been refined throughout the years. The bottom of the table, which is still rough as the first day he chopped it, helps him remember where he started and far he has come.