Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers In The Age Of Agribusiness (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Maybe not as hard-hitting as "Omnivore's Dilemma," "Fast Food Nation," or "Eating Animals"; but, this was still an interesting read. I felt a little like some of the more artistic flourishes presented in some of the passages seemed a little out of place. There are three stories in the book: those of a dairy farmer, a rancher, and a organic farmer. My aunt gave me this book because we share an interest in the importance of food and how it's grown and because the organic farmer lives in her small, North Dakota farming community. I found his story to be the most interesting. It discusses the importance of heritage farming and the balance of nature when it comes to producing food.As with just about any book dealing with the topic of food production in the modern age, I recommend it. We're far too ignorant and apathetic a people when it comes to what we eat. Reading more about it is an important step. Beautifully written. I think it's worth picking up for the craftsmanship alone. But it's also a fascinating, clear-eyed and yet emotional look at how farming has changed in the United States, and how some family farms are still trying to find a place within this new landscape. Hamilton takes us to meet a dairy farmer who believes that letting his cows out to pasture is not just an environmental good, but a spiritual necessity. We meet a New Mexico rancher struggling to preserve his family tradition of stewardship of the land. And we meet a family of organic farmers, cheerfully living by their own standards amidst a community that is hostile to their ideas -- even as agribusiness backs the town and neighborhing farmers into an ever-tightening corner. I rooted for these people, and wished that the current farming landscape were an easier place for them to succeed. Larger food producers with different priorities are often just doing what they must to survive. But Hamilton's subjects show that there is another way. Maybe it is time to start considering our options.
What do You think about Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers In The Age Of Agribusiness (2009)?
Wow. The title sounds a bit dry; Hamilton's writing, however, is superb. What a gem.
—evilpinkghosty
Beautiful and solidly researched read on agriculture families.
—jordy
