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Why Work So Hard?


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Our society and culture promotes the ideal of leisure and luxury as the ultimate goals. But I have a philosophical objection to this idea. You don’t have to be very old these days to be hyper-aware of the serious problems in our world. It must be especially difficult for young people. The world in which I was young didn’t have the issues of climate change, racial and gender tensions, and political turmoil. The moral imperative seems to be: what is your choice about your role in this inescapable world?

And choices we Americans do have. It is a burden and a privilege all at the same time. If you were living in China or North Korea at present, there are a great many choices you would not have. Such a situation is not impossible to happen in the U.S. – but alas, I am waxing philosophic and political, and I digress.

What’s all this got to do with Miami County Locally Grown? I’m a late-coming farmer of the alternative sort: small acreage, diverse enterprises, more labor intensive, direct farm-to-consumer. After an epiphany, and along with the heritage of family property, my path seemed obvious. I have embraced the opportunity with gusto. But talk about commitment and sacrifice, OY.

It’s hard to put my current life philosophy in a nutshell; we can’t solve all the world’s problems, but there are always opportunities to make positive contributions. Another corollary is that even if you don’t see the results of your efforts, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t an important part of the larger, more complex situation. All of you customers of MCLG are making this kind of contribution.

This is the current iteration of Chez Nous Farm – difficult but rewarding work. And why do I do this? Because it is something larger than myself, a gift of opportunity. My “Magnum Opus” is helping others to gain understanding about soil health and nutrition, the importance of wildlife habitat, and pastured meat production: an honorable goal for which sacrifice is worth the doing!

Caroline McColloch
Chez Nous Farm
cheznousfarm@gmail.com

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