The Red Brick Times

I just read a book by Ohio native, Pulitzer-Prize author Louis Bromfield, who wrote books and screenplays in the 1920's through 1950's. He founded Malabar Farm SE of Mansfield (near Lucas, Ohio) which is now a state park. He practiced, and preached, rejuvenation of beaten down and badly-used farmland, espousing sustainable farming as the basis for the overall health of the nation. The book, "Pleasant Valley", describes the work done at Malabar Farm to prove these practices. He was on the forefront of what is now known as "organic" farming. The cartoon Russ posted highlights Bromfield's thesis that an urban population (for convenient cheap industrial labor) causes destruction of the middle class by forcing higher highs and lower lows. He explains that this destroys family self-sufficiency and forces existence close to the edge at the behest of creditors and marginal retail suppliers. Sound familiar?

I don't have a good grasp of modern "scientific" farming practices, but the fact that Malabar Farms, in Bromfield's plan, did not survive his decease in 1956, leads me to think that such an enterprise, both then and now, requires external infusions of capital to stay alive. Bromfield was the capitalist for his venture, using his literary profits to fund Malabar Farm. I have some friends near Ashland who farm organic cattle, and crop hay for fodder. They heat with wood from windfalls on the property. It takes a massive amount of effort from both of them. Without his income as a tool and die machinist, their modest farm would not have been possible.

Betsy and I visited Malabar Farm a couple of weeks ago after I read Bromfield's novel "The Rains Came", about the people in an isolated province in India and the changes from a traditional Maharajah leadership to a more decentralized administration. Published in 1936, it captures, in microcosm, the tensions that have created the current Indian nation. Malabar Farm today has a museum feel to it. There are still animals, and there is still a working farm producing organic pork and beef, but the house is a time capsule of Bromfield's life as of 1956, and the barn, rebuilt in the 1990s after a fire destroyed the original structure, is set up for meetings and public events (above) as well as for horses and livestock (below). Tractors (biodiesel) pull peoplewagons instead of manure spreaders or harvesters. But the valley is still spectacular and the land will always be there. Read "Pleasant Valley". Then visit Malabar Farm to look for the places described.

This link has a biography and bibliography of Bromfield's works at the bottom.
Here's another link, an article about Louis Bromfield, "The Man Behind the Farm."
Posted 4:28 PM by Andy (1) comments

       Comments:

No-till farming, or "natural" farming, differs from organic farming, although the boundaries are blurred and advocates for each will argue endlessly. Both methods are in reaction to the massive mechanization and chemical dependence developed after WWII that gave rise to factory farms, and to the earlier pioneer practices that took everything and left wasteland behind. Organic farming has relied more on soil tilling (what happens when you use a traditional plow) for weed control. Plowing or between-row cultivation turns over the soil completely, burying surface growth and exposing the bare soil to potential nutrient leaching, drying and erosion. No-till farming relies on year-round surface cover and harvest detritus to retain soil, moisture and to preserve microbial and earthworm cultures. The seeds can be broadcast above existing crops before the standing crop is harvested. An adequate humus layer and standing crop shading provide good germination, and the standing crop is mowed or harvested before the under-crop gets tall enough to be cut. Legumes and white clover in the rotation add nitrogen and nutrients when cut or disked into the surface. More suitable for small farms is the technique practiced by Masanobu Fukuoka in Japan. He studied as a microbiologist and worked as a soil scientist specializing in plant pathology. He became distrustful of existing "scientific" farming practices and at age 25 dropped out to start his own farm and develop different practices that follow naturally occurring patterns. He is currently 94 years old and still practicing and lecturing. I guess that the moral of the story is "do no harm" whatever practice you follow. Every plot of land differs.

# posted by  Andy : September 20, 2007 1:29 PM
 
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