I just cracked open Eliot Coleman’s Winter Harvest Handbook, and got sidetracked by a quote at the very front of the book. I think it’s worth sharing:
“What business man, except a soil worker, will ‘stop and talk’ with a stranger? Who but a farmer or fruit grower or gardener will tell of his experience so fully and so freely, and so entirely without hope of gain? Who else will so frankly reveal his business secrets for the benefit of his fellows? Who else so clearly recognizes the fact that the world is large enough for all mankind?” – Henry Dreer, Dreer’s Vegetables Under Glass
This has got me thinking about what it means to be part of an agricultural community, and the importance of sharing what we know – helping each other to move forward, acquire new skills, get better at what we do, and thrive as a whole community. I feel lucky to have generous and wise farmer friends who freely offer up their support and advice as a matter of course, and are able to see their own success in the success of others.