This may sound extremely idealistic, though it is a common look at farming life in North Coast California. North, referring to north of the San Francisco Bay Area.
"In many respects, she most conforms to the organic imaginary. She is a particularly urbane back-to-the-lander, who purchased the once-cheap rolling pasture on which her farm sits for its beauty and seclusion as well as for its ample space to support her organic gardening interests. She is active in the organic movement and has a well-articulated vision, saying, for example, 'it is dangerous not to know where your food comes from.' In addition, her very small farm--say, two acres--comes closest to the agroecological ideal. She is able to integrate many design elements, borrowed from her extensive readings of organic philosophy and technique. Since her farm was carved out of a space that had not previously been brought into agricultural production, she is situated where beneficial habitat is ample. In addition, she has plenty of water to grow winter cover crops, plant only one cash crop per year, being limited by heavy winter rainfall and a colder climate, and is too far away from primary farming regions to source expensive fertility inputs. The farm's microscopic size also allows a very labor-intensive approach.
In addition, she does all of her own marketing, catering primarily to upscale restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her preexisting ties to the gourmet food community enabled her to start a commercial operation, growing to the specifications of chefs. In return, she receives extraordinarily high prices for her herbs and heirloom tomatoes, allowing her to supplement her part-time professional job. She hires her friends and neighbors to preform harvest labor, and she pays an unusual wage, although the work lasts only a few weeks at best. In that way, her farm is not exactly an alternative institution. "
*This excerpt is taken from Agrarian Dreams: The Paradox of Organic Farming in California by Julie Guthman.
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