The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs by Joel Salatin

Author:Joel Salatin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion / Christian Life / General, Social Science / Agriculture & Food (See Also Political Science / Public Policy / Agric
Publisher: FaithWords
Published: 2016-05-03T04:00:00+00:00

Inviting

Our farms should be places that entice people to visit. The first thing an industrial farm places at its entrance is a No Trespassing sign. They don’t want visitors.

Who isn’t drawn to beauty? I’ve always thought that our farms should be places where children should want to be. “SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN, AND FORBID THEM NOT, TO COME UNTO ME” (Matthew 19:14), Jesus said. Everything about Him is people-friendly. “COME TO ME, ALL YOU THAT LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST” (Matthew 11:28 AKJV). Everything about Christ is inviting.

Is it inviting when stench, dead carcasses, and pesticides assault our senses? No. Our farms should be places where our children praise its awesomeness to their friends. When you have abundant and varied wildlife and surprises tucked around corners, the farm is a magnetic place.

Industrial farming tries to limit exposure and limit human interaction. From signing in and signing out to showering in and showering out, what does it say about something as basic and intimate as food when we have to walk through sheep dip and don a hazardous material suit to interact with it? These are hurdles to participation rather than helps to participation.

I’ve even read about efforts within the industrial fraternity to criminalize farm visits to minimize contamination and disease risks. But what does it say about our farming system if the people who are going to eat its bounty can’t visit, see, touch, and connect? I suggest that good farms should be favorite congregation spots for people. Rather than being repugnant, they should be the most soothing, inviting places in the community. They should be full of life, discovery, and inspiration. They should beckon us into a deeper relationship with life and the Creator’s handiwork. They should, as it were, stand on our rural landscapes with outstretched arms, accepting without judgment, showing without condescension, and growing without paranoia.

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