The following interview was recorded for the Poor Proles Almanac podcast with guest Chris Newman of Sylvanaqua Farms to discuss everything and anything around small-scale agriculture and cooperative business models.
Before the misnomered "Green Revolution" convinced farmers free-market capitalism which, like all other capitalism, had them investing their time and money into creating profit for the people in charge of the "revolution", farm co-ops were ubiquitous. The dairy ones were the best-known, but there were others, some going back to the 19th century when they did it to combat the same kind of capitalists modern farmers are being exploited by. And as much as conservative types break out in hives when they hear the word, that is literally all socialism is: those who produce the product are the ones who benefit from it.
My favorite take away is that people don’t know where they fit in. Obviously agriculture can be super complicated but it’s also pretty intuitive if it’s working on a scale that’s biologically/socially/neurologically appropriate. There is a level of complexity that we can deal with and is inspiring and generative. The level where can conceptualize and see how it all fits and where we fit mostly for sustenance and then also for the pumpkin spice variety of life things. But too little or great complexity and weird stuff starts happening.
There’s just a level of crazy that comes in when both consumers and farmers go maniac either looking for lowest prices at all cost, highly specific styles of farming for ideological reasons, bizarre nutritional phobias, etc.
I may be wrong but I think the nature of the climate based agricultural slow down will pretty much hinge on who people buy from. If consumers put their money into non-crazy farmers and farmers stay centered in their knowledge and experience, I think it’s be fine. Like it’s about the people not the idea or (within reason) practice
Before the misnomered "Green Revolution" convinced farmers free-market capitalism which, like all other capitalism, had them investing their time and money into creating profit for the people in charge of the "revolution", farm co-ops were ubiquitous. The dairy ones were the best-known, but there were others, some going back to the 19th century when they did it to combat the same kind of capitalists modern farmers are being exploited by. And as much as conservative types break out in hives when they hear the word, that is literally all socialism is: those who produce the product are the ones who benefit from it.
Really great. Thank you.
My favorite take away is that people don’t know where they fit in. Obviously agriculture can be super complicated but it’s also pretty intuitive if it’s working on a scale that’s biologically/socially/neurologically appropriate. There is a level of complexity that we can deal with and is inspiring and generative. The level where can conceptualize and see how it all fits and where we fit mostly for sustenance and then also for the pumpkin spice variety of life things. But too little or great complexity and weird stuff starts happening.
There’s just a level of crazy that comes in when both consumers and farmers go maniac either looking for lowest prices at all cost, highly specific styles of farming for ideological reasons, bizarre nutritional phobias, etc.
I may be wrong but I think the nature of the climate based agricultural slow down will pretty much hinge on who people buy from. If consumers put their money into non-crazy farmers and farmers stay centered in their knowledge and experience, I think it’s be fine. Like it’s about the people not the idea or (within reason) practice
Thanks for reading!
Great interview, is there an audio available?
Yep! Episode 179 of the Poor Proles Almanac, wherever you get your podcasts!