Sunday 29 August 2010

farming


So, here I am, in this idilic setting called Church Farm, Arderley, not far from Stevenege, wich is not far from big black hole London.
What am I doing here?
I am helping Valentin Manz to build and fire his tree like clay sculptures. We are working in the farm grounds, where at some point in the past there was a clay pit. Which is the reason Valentin choose this setting.
The weather has been kind of awful since I have arrived, but with that I get to appreciate the brief moments of warmth that the sun gives. Someone here said we should cherished those moments like a love affair.
The farm workers are mainly a group of student interns coming from all over the world but mainly Europe. They get payed £50 a week and they are fed and sheltered for free. It is not a bad deal. The farm has paid workers too
The Farm consists basically on cows, pigs, chiken,geese,and sheep who are roaming almost free on their respective fields.
The space dedicated to agriculture does not look that much compared with the quantity of animals.
There is the cafe restaurant, a shop for selling the farm own produce, which includes meat, eggs, vegetable boxes, and other organic products produced elsewhere. There is also cabins to be rented for short stays and conference rooms.
I would have preferred myself a less meat based farm. With more vegetable production.
I would not mind to have a cow and sheep from whom to steal some milk from time to time, to make cheese and butter, but without killing their babies, neither depriving them from mum's milk. Some hens to have eggs. No pigs.
I would like a huge garden with many vegetables and crops, lentils, peas, rice, corn, millet. Lots of fruit trees, avocado, kiwi, apple, orange,lemon, mango, figs, vine, nut trees and etc, etc...
I guess this would involve much more work.
Or maybe I am just naive.

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