Thursday, January 27, 2022
Monday, January 17, 2022
Politics and Community
I am not a republican or a democrat and I frankly have been
disappointed with the leaders both parties have put forward in the past decade.
But it is precisely this focus on Washington DC that bothers me the most. I
have seen liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans, even Greens
and Libertarians fall into a hole dug by the system and made deeper by each
person who jumps in. We have allowed the political machine to turn us into all
the things we despise. Cheap shots, vulgar slogans and a refusal to have
mature, positive debate drives our behavior. We spin our wheels arguing about
the things we cannot change, instead of protecting and promoting the things
that bring us together.
I’m a small farmer
and I run a farmer training program which hosts a Farmers Market every week. We
are a community market that provides an affordable outlet for local farmers,
ranchers, artists and crafts people to sell their goods. No vendor at our
market comes from further than 10 miles to sell what they grow or make. Most
don’t drive more than 3 miles.
There are very few rules at our market as we want everyone
to participate. We only ask that farmers have a valid Certified Producers
Certificate, those selling food have a Cottage Foods License and that all
vendors have a City business license which is offered at no cost. Oh, and all
vendors must make or grow what they sell. We do not allow distributors or
corporate representatives. Each vendor pays a small fee to help offset the cost
of promoting and insuring the market.
Our Market is all about community and we have all walks
participating. The market takes place on City owned property in a parking lot
shared by a Veterans Organization and it is decidedly non-political,
non-religious and totally about our small semirural community and the diversity
of inhabitants that make it up.
We recently had a vendor who sells printed-shirts and was
selling one with a political statement. We had some complaints and I had to ask
her to remove the products from her booth. The statement, in my opinion, is
immature and feeds divisiveness. Just more people turning their backs on
community and jumping in the political cesspool. Many of the complaints about
the product came from veterans who served our Country. Yes that’s right they
served our Country, not a Political Party.
That vendor, who it turns out, doesn’t make her product, she
just buys and resells it, has chosen to leave the market. I am glad she has moved on and I wish her and
her business much luck. But it is not the kind of business we want at the
market. We are about building community, not tearing it down.
I look forward to the future of our market and our
community. I look forward to working with people who are building small
businesses that support community. I wake up daily excited to create a food
system that provides nourishment for the bodies and minds of my community.
If your idea of community is limited to a political party, a
particular candidate or politician, a single race, ethnicity or religious
background then you have no place at our Community Market. Nature has taught us
that diversity is strength. I for one look forward to building and maintaining
a strong community through connection and support not separation on division. I
hope to see you all at the next Farmers and Artisans Market as we build a
community that stands together.
The Practice of Natural History as a Farm Management Tool I don’t know a single farmer, regardless of the scale at which they grow- whether...
-
Highlighting the Family Business Flowers, Farming and the role of both in Community Events The past 15 months have been crazy. Lock downs,...
-
Staking Tomatoes When it comes to growing a caring for tomatoes, I don't over do it. Many of my colleagues trim and tie and care for th...
-
As a preteen and adolescent I had to mow the 800 square foot lawn in front of my family’s Garden Grove tract home. I hated it but it was o...