If only people would see the benefits of proper farming and make changes to society so that we could have a healthier public, I think there would be many positive side effects. People will be in better moods, won't have so many medical problems, and mental health issues should decrease when people get the nutrients their bodies need.
This book was a wake up call to me. Even in 1946 when this book was written, the author was watching the conversion from local family farms to farms that existed purely for profit. Looking at the farming environment today I see all the factory farms everywhere, the long path food follows to get to my table, and I am repulsed. It is just sick to think of the way animals are treated in the world now, injected with growth hormones, locked up in a closed factory where they will never experience the sun and air that healthy animals need. Read the following quote, from the introduction to "Pay Dirt" by J. I. RODALE, which is available at the following link: Pay Dirt
A REVOLUTION in farming and in gardening is in progress all over the world. If I were asked to sum up in a few words the basis of this movement and the general results that are being obtained, I should reply that a fertile soil is the foundation of healthy crops, healthy live stock, and last but not least healthy human beings. By a fertile soil is meant one to which Nature's law of return has been faithfully applied, so that it contains an adequate amount of freshly prepared humus made in the form of compost from both vegetable and animal wastes.
This revolution in crop production involves making the very most of the earth's green carpet -- that marvelous machinery for producing all our food and a great deal of the raw materials needed by our factories. Both units of this natural factory -- the green cells of the leaf and the power which drives them (the energy of sunlight) -- owe nothing to mankind. They are the gifts of Providence which all the resources of Science cannot copy, still less improve. Mankind can only assist the food factory in two directions. He can look after the soil on which the green carpet rests and in which the roots of crops and the unpaid labour force of the soil -- moulds, microbes, earthworms, and so forth -- live and work. He can also by selecting crops by plant breeding methods make the most of the energy of sunlight and of the improved soil conditions. But the plant breeder must avoid one obvious blunder. He must not be content with improving the variety only, otherwise his labours will soon lead to the exhaustion of the soil. The improved variety will take more out of the ground and will soon become a boomerang. The plant breeder, therefore, must always be careful not to confine his attention to the variety, but must increase the fertility of the soil at the same time. Such crops will look after themselves, and insect and fungous pests will do little or no damage.
Why have we taken the wrong path in our society? Why have we treated our animals and land with disrespect? Greed has lead us down this path. Business just wanted quantities of food. If the farmer could plant 20% more of his crop by using chemical fertilizers instead of taking the time to properly care for his land, he will be able to get more money at the end of the year. Business and uneducated citizens do not care if there is less nutrition in the food, and this has created our current situation. Chickens, locked away in a factory farm, produce eggs and meat that to all appearances seem to be the same as meat from a more tradition farm. When you buy your chicken sandwich at your favorite fast food resturant, there is no easy way to tell what nutrients are in the chicken. Now, if the chicken has been allowed to roam a farm out in the open air, they have had a diet of bugs, seeds, and anything else they were able to find. Such a variety in their diet will allow them to get a balanced group of nutrients to support healthy growth. The factory chicken however, is in a cage, with very little room to walk, does not get exercise, does not get to experience life as nature intended. The factory chicken eats premade food, the same diet its whole life. For years this chicken feed has included the byproducts of slaughtered chickens, so we have basically been forcing chickens to cannabalize their own species.
So, we signed up for a local program, where we have bought a 'share' of the output of a local farm. We will be getting milk, butter, breads, fruits, and delicious bagels every week from farmers who take care of their land, and take on the responsiblity of running an organic, healthy farm. When we went to sign up, we were also able to purchase some of the food because some farmers had brought extra in case you hadn't made a selection yet. We bought some whole wheat bread, rolls, and the most delicious bagels I have ever eaten. It is unbelievable the change you notice right away when you eat truly healthy food. I was able to eat two slices of bread for lunch, with two eggs, and I was not really hungry when supper came around. My body was satisfied.
Rodale was a visionary of his time. I really wish his vision would have spread and became the norm...the factory farms, oil wars, and sickness running through our country are symptoms of our lost connection with the land. From the conclusion of his book:
The back-to-the-land movement is a formidable one -- whether you construe it to mean to farms for careers in agriculture, or whether you imply a sort of small town garden developments and "weekend" farms for commuters. It is a fact that the majority of human beings need some contact with country life, to restore the soul.
Click here to read Pay Dirt
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