For the love of farming

Abstract

In this most recent book which traverses three agricultural regions of the United States, she attempts to capture what compels her subjects to pursue their unconventional mode of thinking, working and being, as they resist the dominant economic and political forces of agribusiness which shape how the world is fed. Hers are stories of mindful farming: philosophies, belief systems and ways of life that are imbued with the drama of love, pain and deep connections with the more-than-human world of farming-that is, interactions between people, animals, plants and even microbes. By bringing attention to how ethics and pasture are inextricably bound up together for Harry, Hamilton opens up the space to the possibilities offered by thinking about organic food production as a spiritual practice rather than a certification system. There is a moment in the book when-sitting in a dairy covered in sweat and surrounded by cow excrement, flies and the muddy mess of the milking barn-Hamilton is offered a cup of milk which she drinks after some hesitation, surprised by its tantalising, buttery richness.