Today things are different than when my own father would take to the field to turn the soil, then plant the seed (first with his team of horses, then by the early 50s with a small ford fergason tractor), and a few weeks later cultivate the corn rows to dig out and cover the weeds.
Today, farming methods are a whole lot different than of those olden days gone by with the small family farm... thanks to Monsanto, Archer-Daniels-Midland and other petro-chemical manufacturers. Oh, and thanks as well to the world's never-ending desire for greater profit and our hunger to absorb cow and pig flesh into our own bodies. (Today, the overwhelming shares of harvested corn and soybeans go directly for the production of FAT on cattle and hogs and then in turn for the production of FAT on us human beings.)
So too will all the corn around me here in this field go toward the expansion of women's butts and men's bellies.
The system works beautifully, doncha think? Everybody gets more..
Well. this will be our last "Watching corn grow" in the series. Hope you have enjoyed it.
Patti and I will be hitting the road next week, heading back to our city home in Washington, DC. Our 2 month stay here has been grand. We succeeded in getting lots done to improve the old "camphouse" and speaking for myself, I am again feeling completely re-connected and in-line with my own history and most importantly, to the natural earth itself. (too much time in the city and I start feeling disconnected from that "nature-something" that is indescribably vital and life-affirming.)
Maybe I'll bring back to Washington a pot of good ole Iowa soil (that has not been saturated with petro-chemicals) and then whenever I start feeling that familiar "disconnect" because of too much city traffic and sirens and buildings and a million+ other people all scurrying about their business, I can close my eyes and plunge my fingers down into that little pot of soil, and think "aahhhh, that's nice."
