The Fine Arts Theatre screened a curious documentary about a most-unusual farm boy.
The documentary was titled the - "Real Dirt on Farmer John" - so what was I to expect?
Farmer John - as I later learned at the screening - was forced to take over the family farm in Illinois after his father's untimely death.
Yes, shy retiring John Peterson was quite at home with the Earth, but his life took an unlikely new turn when he headed off to Beloit College where his creativity subsequently blossomed among a gang of merry pranksters he soon invited to the idyllic countryside to "commune with the land".
The rebellious earthy youths got close to the soil, worked the fields daily - and in restrospect - it would appear that Eden had sprung up in the mid-west.
Of course, in rural areas such as this, the locals were not used to young fellas with long hair or glaring festive attire that was out of the norm. So rumors spread. In fact, quick as wink, Farmer John was accused of a number of evil past-times. Like, wild orgies, and devil worship,and even drug-running.
The neighbor who fueled the gossip-mill put it this way,
"The cows were restless at night. So, of course, I just knew somethin’ was up."
John meanwhile tried to hold onto the farm, but in the 80’s the bank foreclosed on his loans and he was forced to sell most of his large parcel of land except for a handful of acres he manged to keep for himself.About this time, he became depressed and drifted off to Mexico, and tried to fathom the meaning of life.
Inspired by the spirit of a dead Uncle who haunted him daily south of the border, one fine morning John suddenly snapped wide awake, pulled up his boot straps, and headed home to start anew.
With financial help from his mother - a kind soul depicted lovingly in the film - he got back to nature and what he knew best, planting crops. As a result, the farm began to flourish once again.
When it appeared he’d fail again, he stumbled upon new-age ideas about organically-grown vegetables which he ably put to use. At last, he was on his way once again.
Fortunately for us!
Farmer John now runs Angelic Organics, one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the United States.
In a nutshell, investors buy shares in a farm like John’s, then pitch in with the day-to-day operations so that city-dwellers and their children can get back to nourishing naturally-grown foods.
More than 6,000 families in the Chicago area receive a weekly delivery of vegetables and herbs from Angelic Organics during the growing season at last count.
The film also charmingly reveals other facets of John’s character.
He’s not only an outrageous artist - who occasionally likes to ride his tractor wearing a feather boa while his girlfriend follows behind in a mud mask - but also a maverick environmentalist, homespun rebel, and playful provocateur.
In sum, the man's an incredible human being whose inspirational story about revolutionizing his family farm and redeeming his own life has won accolades and awards at film festivals around the world.
See, "Farmer John".
It’s not only a "hoot", but it just may change your life!
No comments:
Post a Comment