Quite the story! Coming from a family and a state of farmers, this isn't an uncommon one. A bit sad, but also the karma that comes with over use of chemicals and overextension of finances. Farming is a hard life and business. I remember, in my early 20s, working during the summer for a local potato farmer. He strictly grew seed spuds. We would rogue rows of potatoes all day long, all summer long. It was rough work, but it paid well; a college student's blessing.
I know! I had actually forgotten about that job until I read your post and it came flooding back! Thankfully, the small farm I worked on was all about doing things as organically as possible, so workers and neighbors and the like were not exposed to some of the harsh crud often used in farming. It does require more labor to work the fields, but the end result is a better farmed product and better farming practice. My folks were melon farmers, too, and staying away from the harsh chemicals was always so important.
I also forgot to say how neat it is to hear of you working the small beat as a journalist. Always appreciated our local papers and those who covered our area's stories.
I can imagine it was enjoyable! My stepdad was a photographer and journalist for several papers in Montana and loved it. Then, he went to melon farming! It was good that we farmed organically, for the most part….I don’t miss squishing cut worms between my fingers by the thousands! Though, my younger brothers thought it was cool! HaHa! Still, was worth it to have the BEST melons around, naturally!
This story reminded me of both Long Island NY's past duck and potatoe farms. Introduced in the early 1870s Peking Duck from Eastern Long Island duck farms were famous and served in restaurants all over the US.
However, by the end of the 60's through the 70's environmental regulations started to strangle the duck farmers. With a production of over 7 million, the odor of the ducks and their waste products were both poisoning our water and disturbing the ever growing number of summer tourists and new homes going up on former grain farms.
That and the increasing rise in the cost of importing grain and competition from foreign and more domestic duck farms drove the farmers to sell waterfront properties whose prices had risen as people moved out east on Long Island.
Potatoes were also a big crop both in Nassau and Suffolk counties on the Island but also suffered for many if the same reasons. Also started in the 1880s and where farms grew to over 75,000 acres by the 1950's gradually reduced to just a handful of family farms by the 1980s when prices boomed, and environmental regulations started to choke farms.
While building boomed on the 60 mile long Island due to our ever growing population eating up farmland, and The Hamptons were built, many farms went the way of the duck farms. Suffolk County and various environmental organizations have preserved land, still some other farms persevere especially organic farms on our East End.
Thank you for sharing this story about duck farming in Eastern Long Island. I was unaware of it. I imagine there are so many interesting stories about farming across our country and elsewhere.
Good job. This was an important story to tell. Not just because it was particular to this person but because it's the story of so many others as well. If farming is ever going to become sustainable for the land and for the people trying to make a living on it, these stories need to be told in full painful detail. One of the pertinent details brought out here illustrates the role that toxic chemicals have played in conventional agriculture, especially since WW II.
I tell my kids about the plane that would fly over the house early in the morning, sprayed Temik on the Old Smith Farm, on the hill above our house. And about how my sister and I were driving to Adams extremely early the morning of the fire, and how I vividly remember the heat on the side of the truck, as we waited for the firefighters to put boards over the hoses that crossed the road. Thank you for this more complete history!
Those are vivd memories. According to old new articles, that was what happened to that farm worker. When we lived in Worthington, I did research in back issues of the Gazette for those early accounts. Plus I obviously covered that news when I was a reporter. Although my story isn't long, I wanted to share a factual one.
Poor Ben was just one of too many others who've been screwed by Big Business and its lawyers. Given the antics of the current regime, it'll only get worse.
Quite the story! Coming from a family and a state of farmers, this isn't an uncommon one. A bit sad, but also the karma that comes with over use of chemicals and overextension of finances. Farming is a hard life and business. I remember, in my early 20s, working during the summer for a local potato farmer. He strictly grew seed spuds. We would rogue rows of potatoes all day long, all summer long. It was rough work, but it paid well; a college student's blessing.
Enjoyed your story, Joan!
Blessings,
~Wendy💜
Thank you! So interesting that you had this experience with potato farming. In that's case, the use of chemicals was a huge issue.
I know! I had actually forgotten about that job until I read your post and it came flooding back! Thankfully, the small farm I worked on was all about doing things as organically as possible, so workers and neighbors and the like were not exposed to some of the harsh crud often used in farming. It does require more labor to work the fields, but the end result is a better farmed product and better farming practice. My folks were melon farmers, too, and staying away from the harsh chemicals was always so important.
I also forgot to say how neat it is to hear of you working the small beat as a journalist. Always appreciated our local papers and those who covered our area's stories.
Blessings,
~Wendy💜
I so loved being in the thick of things as a journalist. And kudos to your folks for farming that way.
I can imagine it was enjoyable! My stepdad was a photographer and journalist for several papers in Montana and loved it. Then, he went to melon farming! It was good that we farmed organically, for the most part….I don’t miss squishing cut worms between my fingers by the thousands! Though, my younger brothers thought it was cool! HaHa! Still, was worth it to have the BEST melons around, naturally!
This story reminded me of both Long Island NY's past duck and potatoe farms. Introduced in the early 1870s Peking Duck from Eastern Long Island duck farms were famous and served in restaurants all over the US.
However, by the end of the 60's through the 70's environmental regulations started to strangle the duck farmers. With a production of over 7 million, the odor of the ducks and their waste products were both poisoning our water and disturbing the ever growing number of summer tourists and new homes going up on former grain farms.
That and the increasing rise in the cost of importing grain and competition from foreign and more domestic duck farms drove the farmers to sell waterfront properties whose prices had risen as people moved out east on Long Island.
Potatoes were also a big crop both in Nassau and Suffolk counties on the Island but also suffered for many if the same reasons. Also started in the 1880s and where farms grew to over 75,000 acres by the 1950's gradually reduced to just a handful of family farms by the 1980s when prices boomed, and environmental regulations started to choke farms.
While building boomed on the 60 mile long Island due to our ever growing population eating up farmland, and The Hamptons were built, many farms went the way of the duck farms. Suffolk County and various environmental organizations have preserved land, still some other farms persevere especially organic farms on our East End.
Thank you for sharing this story about duck farming in Eastern Long Island. I was unaware of it. I imagine there are so many interesting stories about farming across our country and elsewhere.
Thanks for sharing this story. As a city girl, I know nothing about farming and was often guilty of believing the romanticized version.
Thank you. Yes nothing romantic about this story.
Good job. This was an important story to tell. Not just because it was particular to this person but because it's the story of so many others as well. If farming is ever going to become sustainable for the land and for the people trying to make a living on it, these stories need to be told in full painful detail. One of the pertinent details brought out here illustrates the role that toxic chemicals have played in conventional agriculture, especially since WW II.
Thank you. There's nothing romantic about this kind of agriculture, especially the chemicals that were used.
I tell my kids about the plane that would fly over the house early in the morning, sprayed Temik on the Old Smith Farm, on the hill above our house. And about how my sister and I were driving to Adams extremely early the morning of the fire, and how I vividly remember the heat on the side of the truck, as we waited for the firefighters to put boards over the hoses that crossed the road. Thank you for this more complete history!
And I was told the person who died was murdered! Glad that wasn’t the case.
Those are vivd memories. According to old new articles, that was what happened to that farm worker. When we lived in Worthington, I did research in back issues of the Gazette for those early accounts. Plus I obviously covered that news when I was a reporter. Although my story isn't long, I wanted to share a factual one.
An interesting piece.
Thank you.
Sounds like Ben bit off more than he could chew.
Or what he couldn't hold onto ...
Poor Ben was just one of too many others who've been screwed by Big Business and its lawyers. Given the antics of the current regime, it'll only get worse.