By: Geoff Merz, sophomore, Community, Environment, and Development
Take a minute to go through this short exercise with me. Sit back and relax. Think about a large, rolling farm, stretching across hills and soaking up the sun’s decadent rays from above. Think about the farmers, pitchforks in hands, gracefully tending the land. All of the crops growing strong and healthy- pure abundance at fingertips reach. If you are like myself, growing up this was your image of what farming entailed. I recognized the hard work needed, but saw duped by a certain romantic sense that it just required tending the land and reaping the fruit of the harvest. After spending a few weeks working on a small vegetable farm last summer and now getting further involved with the Student Farm at Penn State, I have grown to see that this image is far from the truth.
Photo: Walt Curlee. Ah, farming. The image that is often depicted to us
What has been portrayed through milk carton images and cereal box advertisements is far from the truth. While there certainly is a sense of fulfillment and connection to the natural world that comes with farming, there is a lot of dirty work and precise planning that is often overlooked. Some of these tasks include planning out crop rotations, calculating the exact number of seeds needed, and picking up debris on the farm in the freezing winter- all things that most likely do not go into the ideal image of “farming”.
Photo: Geoff Merz. A spreadsheet planning out what plants to order for the growing season.
Through this internship I have had the opportunity to see first hand what it takes to make a farm function. The amount of labor and planning that goes into to preparing the field and making sure that everything runs smoothly is quite astounding. With this, my appreciation for farm work and appreciation for farmers, who work to produce food for us to consume, has greatly expanded. I have seen the value of preparation for future success. At times I fall into the trap of thinking that big things happen by chance or that or that achievements can be easily reached without worrying too much about the details. Fortunately, this internship has helped ground me and see that all the little steps are incredibly important, and when summed together, are what create, true, lasting change.