Feast on This Film Festival

Oh, the truth about Farmer John.... Last night about 40 film-goers shared the highs and lows of John Peterson's life in agriculture. The documentary, The Real Dirt on Farmer John, kicked off the third annual Feast on This Film Festival in Keene, NH. The festival continues all weekend with a total of eleven films and shorts all featuring local farming, food and agriculture issues.

We are proud to be a part of this festival because the Red Eft Project shares the same goals as the Monadnock Farm and Community Connection: inspiring dialogue and action for more sustainable living.

Farmer John's story is one of tragedy, loss, and triumph. The documentary was filmed over a span of 30 years including vintage footage of his family farm from its early heyday, before it was lost like so many farms in the 80s. The story is different than those you have heard before. The farm turns commune in the 60s as artists gather to help with the farming and experience life together, upsetting neighbors and isolating John from the farming community. The farm eventually collapses, and his debt forces him to sell most of the land his family had owned since the Depression.

I won't give it all away, but I will just tell you that John Peterson's farm is one of the first successful CSAs in the country, Angelic Organics. Seeing how he accomplished this against all the odds makes it well worth the viewing.

Our screening, hosted at Antioch University New England, ended with a lively discussion on farming led by Tracie Smith, owner of a local CSA in Fitzwilliam. Farmer Tracie shared her own inspiring story of what it's like to grow a CSA and how to make organic farming a success.

See more from Tracie on these excellent videos at Yankee Magazine.

For anyone in the Keene area, I hope you will join us for a film or two this weekend. Most of the screenings are followed by discussions led by local farmers, beekeepers, community leaders, and even a few of the film's directors!

And don't forget to stop by the farmer's market Saturday morning...