Farm Life, Here I Come…Three Days and Counting

A few months ago I was overcome with an incredible feeling. It was both magical and disconcerting. That feeling was the that I had the world at my feet – that I had no binding commitments preventing me from completely turning my life around. I struggled with that idea for a few days, and then decided that if I didn’t do something out-of-the-ordinary now, I’d be nuts.

For years I’ve been uncomfortable with the idea that we must either work to live or live to work. Neither scenario particularly appealed to me – having a job that I didn’t like just to get by, or having a job that I loved that I did 24/7. Of course the latter is slightly more appealing, but with my life up until this point having been filled with one phase after another and one passion replaced by the next, I couldn’t bear the thought of doing any one thing for the rest of my life…at least not in the sense that is expected of Americans today. And I still sometimes wonder, is that really how it has to be?

I chalk this all up to me being 25 and still somewhat juvenile about the world. I frankly still have a childish optimism and idealism that I frequently am chided for by my friends. I argue that people are inherently good, and always lose. And as much as I don’t want to admit it, I believe in fate and purpose and the idea that people will eventually come to their senses and live for each other and not just for themselves.

Okay, I’m seriously diverging here. But basically, a few months ago I decided that it was time for an adventure, and it was now or never.

So, I did what I felt was the logical thing – I began looking into volunteer opportunities in Africa, Asia, India, South America. I found hundreds of purposes that I would be incredibly eager to help with, but was extremely disappointed with the fact that one has to PAY to volunteer – a depressing reality that I hope someone is working on a brilliant solution to right now.

Then, during a trip to the amazing Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, I came across a book called “Alternatives to the Peace Corps” that really laid out volunteer opportunities in an easy-to-understand manner, and allowed me to find the projects that I could afford and for which I would be the most useful. And in the last few pages of this incredible resource, I came across an entry for WWOOF, Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (formerly Willing Workers on Organic Farms).

It only took me a few hours of research to realize that this was exactly what I was looking for. And funnily enough, it coincided perfectly with the passion I was beginning to explore through my work at Care2 and my recent obsession with the work of Michael Pollan – sustainable food systems, agribusiness and animal rights. This organization made me realize that I could put my passion for this cause to work – dirty, hard, physical work.

I briefly considered WWOOF in other countries. I have always wanted to go to Ireland, so I thought, why not WWOOF there? But then I attended an amazing film festival, Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada City, and saw films about community activism across the country, activists (and eccentrics) such as Edward Abbey and how people across the country were refusing to give up on their own communities despite the most extreme environmental degradation and corporate greed.

So I formulated a plan. I was going to travel across the United States – my country, a country that I have ultimately seen very little of – and offer myself as a willing worker to organic farms along the way. I chose to break out my trip into two-week visits, for the sake of seeing more states, minimizing fatigue and learning about a broad range of produce. The act of contacting farms and researching my route has been an adventure in itself. I’ve talked with farmers of all types about what kinds of challenges they face with workers, what they are able to offer volunteers, and what they do when they have free time.The majority of the farms I contacted offer room and board (often the “room” is a tent on the land, but it should be warm enough through the growing season for that to be fine with me) in exchange for 4-6 hours of hard work per day, with 1-2 days off per week.

And now here I am, moving everything out of my San Francisco apartment and into a storage unit, save the few luxuries I can fit in my car (okay, so I’m probably taking way too many “luxuries” with me, but I’ll abandon things as I go). I am bringing with me a guitar and a “picnic” fiddle to share music with as many people as possible along the way. I also am bringing painting and drawing supplies, a bike and an obscene amount of reading material.

I have replenished my collection of American naturalist and environmentalist writers, and will read these during my trip, including John Muir, Charles Darwin, Rachel Carson, R.W. Emerson, H.D. Thoreau, Aldo Leopold and more.

I have my route planned through Bloomington, Indiana in mid-August, and have mapped it on Google for anyone who is interested:

Google Map of Emily’s WWOOF Trip

It’s still in the works – I need to figure out what I’m doing come mid-August, but I’m hoping to finish up the season on a few more farms in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York, before visiting my mother, uncle and grandmother in upstate New York for a couple of weeks and perhaps taking a short trip up to Montreal while I decide what to do next.

But as of this moment, I am ecstatic. I realize that I will most likely be challenged in a lot of ways on this trip. I hope that Mother Nature watches over me and keeps my injuries and dangerous situations to a minimum. And I hope that my young body can adapt to the strenuous farm work and occasional long drives. But most of all I hope my mind can finally quiet itself a bit, and maybe during this time I can re-prioritize my life, perhaps figuring out how I can once and for all live a life that is financially sustainable, mentally and physically challenging, and just plain passionate. I look forward to eating fresh food and helping to be a part of what is sure to be the new United States food system – community-based organic farming.

So, this is the new Rose Noise. Hopefully there will still be noise in this equation, but for the most part it will be a blog about my travels. I am aiming to update it once a week, which may or may not be possible with staying in places that are potentially off the grid. But I hope you will follow my trip and send me updates about yourselves as well. I wish you all the best on your own adventures and journeys. Peace.