Life on the farm...

For those of you who've been to the farm, you know that it is much more than a place where vegetables are grown and goats are milked. The farm is an intentional community. It is a home for twenty or so people. It is a place to learn, a place to grow, a place to find beauty in the broken world in which we live.


I've lived at the farm for quite some time. I've seen people come and I've seen people go. The community is ever changing and yet always the same. There are always AMAZING people at the farm. People that make you laugh, people that challenge you, people to learn from, people to share life with...

I've been thinking about the farm quite a bit as I sit here thousands of miles away visiting my family for Christmas. I started thinking of all the things that make the farm home.

- the 100 steps it takes to get to work in the morning
- filtering goats milk while watching the sun rise
- eating lunch with twenty or so friends, whom you now consider family, every day
- talking about poop while eating lunch
- the sound of fresh goat milk hitting the bottom of an empty stainless steel pail
- sleeping in and still getting up before eight
- eating fresh organic local produce that you helped grow everyday
- Tuesday harvest
- morning devotions
- talking to goats
- sitting around with a bunch of people in the evening, each reading their own book and yet still feeling a sense of community
- making ice cream
- drinking out of jars
- hugs, smiles, and laughter from the youngest members of our community
- trying to figure out how many times one walks up the farm lane in a given week
- knowing that if you make muffins or cookies or brownies, twelve other people will gladly help you eat them
- talking about poop while eating diner
- the daily search for the newspaper in the drainage ditch
- trace minerals and the song that goes with them
- begin able to ask fifteen people for help when you get stuck on a crossword clue
- the almost weekly "Hot and Ready" that appears on the counter in the dorm
- going around the table and having everyone introduce themselves
- the sound of a rooster crowning coming from your roommates alarm clock
- the exhilaration of leaving the warmth of your bed and stepping onto the cold concrete floor in morning
- soup of every kind
- the smell of dirt and grease
- cooking for twenty and not thinking anything of it
- farm fresh eggs
- trying to find my bed in the dark without waking anyone up or tripping over my own mess
- the Waco Trib's headlines
- pulling into the farm and knowing who is around by the cars parked outside the dorm
- the six steps it takes to get to the throne, which is the Nannies composting toilet
- the many sounds of Lolita
- the farm's traveling minstrel playing "Wagon Wheel"
- running down the stairs to get the mail because the mail lady is sitting in her car honking the horn
- warm hugs from good friends
- spontaneous community breakfasts
- Friday morning hymn sings
- delicious Ghanaian Bofrotu
- fresh bread
- sitting around and talking about anything and everything
- my favorite sound in the world - the sound of the t-post driver driving a t-post into the ground
- our buck, Rasputin, and his yellow legs

the stumbles, stutters, and stark-raving wonderfulness of urban agriculture in east waco.

as part of the ever-burgeoning hipster movement bursting forth 'cross the nation - which hopefully proves more everlasting than such - world hunger relief presents urban agriculture. and all the joys and frustrations of uncharted territory - where beer stores are more prevalent than broccoli stalks and church's chicken more commonplace than chard or choi. where community once thrived but now only resides in the heads and hearts of a few from a different era.

urban agriculture is not just the story of sun, soil and water - but the story of a people. people coming together - be they life-long residents of east waco, eager green students from Baylor, or a wayfaring stranger from the dark, dirty corners of the midwest.

stumbles, stutters

• after-school program coordinators who snub their noses at unprofessional farmer-types, because they would rather have their students play guitar hero than dirty their hands and partake in their food system.
• water. and many hundred feet of hose. and weekday working hours, 9am-5pm. when the administration cooperates. (but praise God! we now have water!)
• too many white people. makes the neighbors feel suspicious.
  

stark-raving wonderfulness

• students who defy the expectations of their elders (see stumbling point #1) by talking so much about collard green seedlings that their parents call their teachers to see what's up with their raving child.
  
• conquering an inner-city teenager's fear of bridges by crossing them hand-in-hand, on our way to the garden as part of an after-school program.
  
• a roving fellow who shouts obscenities at low-flying helicopters and passes out literature on the undercover kkk in east waco - and pray blessings over me after we harvest bok choi, head lettuce, onion greens and snap beans for him and his wife.
• a bike-riding neighbor (even tho our government would classify him as illegal) who offers his hands - and his neighbor's horse manure -in the elm ave. garden, excited that some dirty gringa shares similar passions that the world deems crazy.
  
• a redneck-ed amish-looking fellow who also rides a bike. and helps occasionally. also wears a feather in his hair.
• a forth-coming greenhouse/cold-frame, converted from the junked and soon-to-be gutted refrigerator wasting space on the farm (french men eat alfalfa). constructed in true freegan fashion. spending money is not my style.
  
• rows and rows of onions, collards, lettuce, bok choi, carrots, cabbage, broccoli . . .
  
• 1.5 acres of available land. ready for those brave - or naive - enough to dream.

signed lovingly,
the urban madame

(currently seeking abandoned toilets or bathtubs. and locations in need of some guerrilla gardening.)

reasons to be thankful.

1. biking in a farm hand-me-down dress to collect chicken eggs after lunch.
2. milking goats to the tune of the sun-rising.
3. sitting on abandoned couches in the middle of the yard as the big ol' texas sun tucks itself to bed.
4. folks who think dirty farmers are beautiful.
   
5. teaching city kids about compost.
6. having pre-schoolers close their eyes, inhale the scent of 35 tons of turkey manure, and watch the delight/disgust in their eyes.
7. snake-skin boots.
8. progressive tea parties with farmers who look like gypsies when they trade in their overalls and carhartts for skirts.
   
9. wendell berry's mad farmer liberation front.
10. farm-brewed kombucha.
11. friday morning baptist hymn sings.
12. beautiful community composed of broken folks (ie the body of Christ).
13. rocking chairs.
14. laundry lines.
15. the never ending pot o' coffee.
16. others who appreciate agriculture as art.
17. reclaiming the abandoned places of the kingdom by growing vegetables on vacant lots, in front lawns and old busted-up television sets.
    
18. God. neighbors. the opportunity to love and be loved on a daily basis. and give thanks.
    

Give Me Frost

This chilly weekend has offered multiple surprised for the lovely weekenders.

1. Our beloved turkeys, who are growing so fast in body but not brain, have discovered the art of exploring and their cousins the chickens.

2. Our strapping buck, Raz (short for Rasputin), has impregnated two females. Eliza and Frosty. If you have never witnessed a breeding session between goats, I strongly urge you to find a local goat breeder. It is a sight, and smell, to see. We are happy to help produce future kids, but we are also obliged to laugh at goats urinating on themselves for courtship.

3. We say goodbye to Verde Valley School from Arizona. A boarding school that has been living in the Nicarauge House all week and sharing in life with us at the Farm. They worked out, played hard, and were all around pleasant.

4. Saturday afternoon the Freshman Leadership Organization from Baylor University visited the Farm for two hours to volunteer. With thirty-one students we were able to accomplish four very necessary tasks. My favorite moment was watching ten or eleven freshman girls from the suburbs herd twenty goats from one pasture to another. The guys lifted heavy material and thankfully one guy carried knived and tools in his truck that came in handy. They had a good time and we were grateful to have the help and excitement. They finished off their afternoon, like any good college freshman group would: with a wrestling match and huddle. See below.




Cheers and Hurrahs,

Melyssa

Fiscal Conservatism: Rhetoric Reality

Peter Zylstra-Moore

One of the defining myths of the Republican Party is the concept of fiscal conservatism, as opposed to the so-called, “tax and spend liberals.” With economic concerns rising to the top among voters it is important to separate myth from reality. It is important to look at different factors including, overall growth, the national deficit, income growth of the rich and poor, and taxation rates and policy.

If we consider some actual numbers from 1948 to 2005, a common measure of economic growth, Real per capita GNP, grew significantly faster under the Democrats. During their 26 years of office, after accounting for inflation, GNP grew an average of 2.78% per year. Under 32 years of Republican administration, real GDP grew an average of 1.64% annually, over whole percentage point lower than Democrats. In other words, our economy grew 2/5 more quickly under the Democrats.

Not only has economic growth actually been slower with the Republicans, but they have also significantly increased the deficit. In fact the national deficit has increased 36.4% or 2.25% per year, in Republican administrations since 1978. The Democrats, on the other hand, have increased the deficit a total of 4.2%, or.35%, per year in office. We have spiraled into debt seven times quicker with the Republicans. Per year in office, government spending rose .76% under the Republicans, while it grew .83% per year under the Democrats. Government spending has grown only .07of a percent faster under the Democrats. The reason for this slight difference in spending is because Democratic administrations have made payments on the deficit rather than taken out substantially higher debt. It should also be recognized that one of the main reasons for a growing deficit is the fact that both Republican and Democratic budgets include irrationally high spending on the military.

In considering the economic effects of each political party it is important to also consider the distribution of wealth. Princeton Professor, Larry Bartel did a mass study of political parties and their effects on economic growth for various groups in American society. He found that after accounting for inflation, the era of Roosevelt’s New Deal policies which began in response to the Great Depression not only provided the most economic growth overall but also the most equitable growth. Starting with Reagan, the income gap between rich and poor in the United States has increased with every Republican administration. Including Roosevelt, the gap between the rich and the poor has declined slightly with all Democratic administrations except under Carter who was hurt by oil inflation. According to Bartel, during Democratic administrations, Real Incomes (the amount you can buy with each dollar) grew twice as fast for middle-class families and six times as fast for working-poor families than with Republicans in office.

Yearly Real Income Growth Rate, 1948-2005 (Bartels, 32)

Democrats Republicans
Poorest 20th percentile 2.64% .43%
Bottom 40th percentile 2.46% .8%
Middle Class 60th percentile 2.47% 1.13%
Upper 80th percentile 2.38% 1.39%
Highest 95th percentile 2.12% 1.9%

It is fascinating to note that even the richest 5% grow quicker under Democrats (2.12% compared to 1.9%). Thus even if we don’t care about the poor we should vote Democrat. If we look back on history if we vote Republican for economic reasons, then it is because we want inequality, stunted growth, and deficits.

Examining what has actually happened under each administration, we recognize that with Republicans our national debt has increased along with the disparity between rich and poor. At the same time their overall tax revenues have been equal to those of Democratic administrations. Finally per capita income has slid under Republicans. With Republicans, tax cuts for the poor and middle class which create consumption and equality are replaced with tax cuts for the rich and business, which leads to increased indebtedness and more frequent recessions. Even growth for the rich slows, because they can only produce profitably in relation to what is demanded. When we separate rhetoric from reality, it becomes clear; if we really want a government that will grow our economy and balance the budget, we had better vote Democrat.

It is time for the Democrats, but not the Democrats of the past 30 years who look more and more like the Republicans. It is time for labor. It is time for unions. It is time to accelerate progressive taxation. It is time for big businesses to start paying taxes again and to start paying workers again. It is time for higher minimum wages. It is time for estate taxes. It is not about giving the poor handouts, but allowing the poor and middle class to compete. It is time for the Fed to be run not by big banks and their friends, but by democratically elected governments. It is time to improve rather than undercut our public education. It is time for an efficient single-payer medical system. It is time to create new, high-paying jobs; green jobs in producing renewable electricity and making our homes and businesses more efficient, infrastructure jobs to maintain and repair our country. It is time to focus our technology not on the military but on things that actually improve our lives and the lives of our children. It is time for the Democrats and it is time to demand of the Democrats a new New Deal.

Evangelical Concerns and Republicans: Rhetoric or reality?

Peter Zylstra-Moore

As a former youth pastor of an Evangelical church, I felt and continue to feel that there is a lot within evangelicalism that the world needs to hear. However, I have grown increasingly concerned over how evangelicals have been manipulated by empty rhetoric of especially the Republican Party. Evangelicals, more than any other group in American society, suggest they vote the way they vote for moral or ethical reasons. These issues often concentrate around the issue of abortion. However, are the outcomes of Republicanism consistent with their claims, and are they consistent with Evangelicalism?

Many Republicans claim moral high ground when it comes to the rights of unborn children. The American abortion rate is 20 abortions per year for every 1,000 women of child bearing age. The rate is actually the highest of any of the G8 countries. Western Europe’s rate stands at 12 and Canada’s at 14.1. The global average is 29, with the most abortions occurring where it is illegal, where there is poor or no healthcare, and/or in countries with poor access to contraception. Thus abortion rates go down where there is strong promotion of women’s rights, including reproductive rights.

Conservatives have traditionally sought to avoid abortions through policies of abstinence-very often fighting against sex education, or at least certain topics within sex education. I don’t disagree that saving yourself for marriage is incredibly rewarding, that it can be a source of trust, selflessness, safety and joy. Subsequently, it should be a part of sex education. However we must also recognize a world around us where pre-marital sex is a reality both inside and outside of churches, and thus hold to an ideal while working within a muddy world. Thus we must cry out against the Bush administration that is cutting aid for condoms in AIDS-ravaged Africa.

Biblically, many passages used to support full human life within the womb relate God’s intimate knowledge and knitting together of life within the womb. However biblical poetry has been used to argue that the earth is flat, that contraception is wrong, or that the earth is center of the universe, etc and so how clearly these verses apply is debatable. Verses pertaining to intimate knowledge of the hairs of our head or birds of the air aren’t then used to suggest cutting our hair or eating meat is subsequently murder. Similarly poetic verses like Genesis 2:7 can argue the other way-that humans become a living soul upon receiving the breath of life-thus life begins at first breath.

Scientifically, accidental miscarriages are normal. “50% of pregnancies miscarry before implantation in the womb occurs. Early after implantation, pregnancy loss rate is about 30%. After a pregnancy may be clinically recognised (between days 35-50), about 25% will end in miscarriage.” (http://www.womens-health.co.uk/miscarr.asp).
So then what is our spiritual reaction to abortion? Do we honestly feel the same way about mass murderers and abortion doctors? Do we feel the same way about women who have an abortion as murderers? Our grieving process is also different for fetuses, though not absent (especially for the couple involved both psychologically and biologically for the women). However, the death is often without funeral. Again, suggesting whatever our professed beliefs, our internal beliefs are very different.

In summary, abortions are the poorest available option but it remains an issue among issues. Practically, abortions are least common where women’s reproductive rights are respected, where protection is available, and where social services help mothers receive the medical help and the financial security in their need. If Republicans were concerned with the life of children they would be advocating for and not against single payer healthcare. Evangelicals should advocate against the death penalty. Evangelicals should argue for more diplomacy and not less, to save lives of Americans and other persons rather than play fast and loose with them. How the issue affects our voting should be based on the real world, and not political rhetoric, and in the real world the democratic strategies favored in Europe and Canada have something to teach conservative America about protecting our unborn children.

As Evangelicals, we have an important voice in helping an increasingly individual and confused generation recognize the fingerprints of God in all creation, and the image of God in all people. Evangelicalism desire to place high value on life, even that of the unborn, is an important message in a world where many people are unsure of even who they are and their inherent worth as bearers of the image of God. However, if we want to reduce abortions, it is not through making it illegal, but through a mixed approach. We can maintain that sex is best confined to marriage, while allowing for sex education, accessibility to protection, and providing single mothers, the poor and middle class with affordable access to health care and social services.

You Too Can Talk to Animals!

Farm Day is just around the corner. 

Saturday, October 18th, (pdf) to be exact.

Be there.  

Its.  Gonna.  Be.  Huge.

If you come, you can talk to animals just like Mark Wahlberg.

PS - We still need a few volunteers (pdf) so check it out and get in where you fit in.