If you have taken a glance at my Readings and Ruminations page, you will notice I am starting quite the collection of books. Who knows, I may need to add more shelf space if I keep this up. Along with the usual collection of Western paperbacks, I have everything by John Grisham and those college textbooks I paid too much for to throw away.
Along with these, I also have started a collection of Agriculture related books. Some on the history of ranch life and historic ranches. Recently I finished a book by Lisa M. Hamilton titled Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness. This was a little out of my normal reading, and I’m not all gung-ho switching to unconventional production methods, but I believe it beneficial to learn about both sides of the plate.
In Deeply Rooted, Hamilton takes readers along for the ride as she visits farmers in Texas, New Mexico, and South Dakota that have found their niche in the growing unconventional markets of Agriculture. She rides along with these farmers in their fields to gain a better understanding of their story and why they chose to separate from the mainstream in their production practices.
Instead of giving away the whole book, I will tell you that I greatly enjoyed the stories from these farmers, about their family history, and how they came to find theirselves in the organic markets. It’s a story of how these farmers work to stay in touch with their land, understand their crops and livestock, and still care about where their product goes when it leaves the farm.
Reading Deeply Rooted made me take a step back and look at how much attention I pay to the land and cattle I work with on a daily basis. It is a great message for consumers wondering if there are still farmers out there who care about the land they work and the food they produce. However, even though Hamilton’s focus in this book is on unconventional production, I do not think this the picture she paints with this book does justice to the producers in conventional production. Just because farmers and ranchers are involved in conventional production does not mean they do not have the desire to do more than what is expected.
Please give this book a read and let me know what you think about it.
Have you already read this book? Please, share your thoughts with me.
