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A Philosophy of Farming
“When you know better, you do better” — so said Maya Angelou, the venerable and respected American poet and speaker. Ever since I started doing this work, I’ve been trying to articulate — with varying degrees of success — why I think it’s worth doing. And pigeons, it’s been a struggle. It was like trying…
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Stars That Do Not Give A Damn
In 1957, the poet W. H. Auden wrote “The More Loving One.” This poem has long been a favourite of mine – for it’s candor, Auden’s mastery of his skills and for it’s blunt-but-beautiful message that some things are universal and inevitable. Autumn, for many of us, is a season of gorgeous colours, a crisp…
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A Stool With More Legs
Arlene Dickinson recently made a compelling case for Canada to become the agrifood superpower it ought to be. I read it with interest. . . And then the wheels started turning. “Hang on a second,” I said to myself. . . I’ve linked to the post below so you can read it for yourself. If…
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You Can’t Get Here From There?
The photos are beautifully lit. Maybe there’s a hand trailing over the grass or in the soil. The captions talk about things like “connection,” “ancestry,” “belonging,” “healing” or “rooted.” More and more often lately I am seeing posts that talk about Place. Without going into a lot of details or pointing out anyone in particular,…
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A World Without Wendell
Late last night the news started to spread that Wendell Berry had died. Although perhaps not a household name outside particular circles, Mr. Berry was a giant in my world. A poet, a thinker/philosopher and a tireless advocate for the rural, the out-of-the-way and the wild. Now that he’s gone at the ripe old age…
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Knowing Where To Knock
I wrote this for my August newsletter. It seemed to start a lot of conversations and so, once I surfaced from end-of-summer madness and before I disappear into September crazy, I thought I’d put the article up for you here. Let’s dig into craftwashing! I had never heard the term “craftwashing” before. Up until last…
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Mental Health and Missing Conversations
We have gotten so much better at talking about mental health in agriculture. However, when I look at the stories in my own family, I know some important people are missing. It’s time they got a seat at this table. I talk a lot here on The Commons about reading land. About reading my animals…
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All Hat, No Cattle
Bill 22 is now law. While I’m still supportive of the update to Alberta’s Animal Welfare and Protection legislation, a critical piece of the puzzle is mi$$ing. Back in April, when Alberta first introduced its long-overdue overhaul of the Animal Protection Act, I wrote about what the proposed changes might mean for farmers and animals.…
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Never Mind the Bollocks
Somebody once told me, “On every parade, a little rain must fall.” I’m afraid I’m about to bring the rain. I was recently being interviewed by one of the regenerative farming groups here in Alberta and they asked me what I thought the biggest threat to regenerative farming was. I answered promptly — I’ve given…
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Letter to YOUR MLA
You can send a message to your elected representative. Copy/Paste this letter into an email and send it to the MLA your community elected – to represent you and your concerns. Let them know our sisters, mothers, aunts, cousins, friends and family matter to us. And we are watching. If you’re not sure who your…
