Enliven the Land

“Already the land is too quiet. What if our metrics for well-being included birdsong, the crescendo of Crickets on a summer evening, and neighbors calling to each other across the road?”

–Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry

We started our farm nearly 20 years ago. As part-time teachers finishing school, our money was tight, and after covering basic expenses, there wasn’t much left. But we saved everything we had for perennial plants and our dreaming-of-a-cow fund. Slowly but surely, over a couple of years, we saved enough to purchase two bred heifers (cows were a lot cheaper back then). A retiring farmer let us visit his pasture and pick two with gentle temperaments and a good build for the rotationally grazed system we had in mind for them. They arrived on New Year’s Eve, and we named them Betty and Margaret.

That spring, both had heifer calves, and everyone thrived with the rich grass. We grew the herd, fed our family, and each year, donated a bundle to the local food pantry to share the abundance. This small donation grew into larger ones, and then a farm that was open for free farm camps for local kids during the summer months, and then, more recently, a tired old orchard that we reopened to the community for pick-your-own apples, picnics, and hiking. It’s satisfying to imagine how to make the land less quiet and then to make it happen.

Inspiring examples of enlivening the land are all around us. “Share Your Green Thumb with Your Community” tells the story of hundreds of pounds of food grown by and for a small town. “Sharing Networks Sprout Local, Go Global” explores seed swaps where people come together and share. There’s also inspiration to be found in “Iowa Residents Build Pocket Prairies”, where citizens are piecing together habitat one backyard at a time. These small but meaningful acts benefit not only pollinators, crickets, and birds; they also strengthen the human community.

As the days become darker, it can be easy to get caught up in the cycle of overconsumption and overbooked schedules that the holidays can bring. We offer you some alternatives here. Get together with family, friends, and neighbors and make a big batch of homemade tamales (“Gather the Family,”). Resist cheap plastic junk (see “Before Recycling“) and make a day of crafting together with “44 Holiday Gifts from the Homestead“. Fire cider, elderberry syrup, a heartfelt note, a stargazing adventure, and a basket of winter storage vegetables from a local farm are all on our gift list!