--One of the areas I am interested in exploring for my proposal was agriculture in Vermont. As one of the land uses that has a big impact on the way Vermont looks, and is a part of the rural landscape that people site as one of the main reason they have stayed here or decided to move here, I want to engage in some of the issues around agriculture. --My experience this morning at our feed store was fairly typical, a farmer (dairy) in front of me in line complaining about a particular change in milking regulations (some valve has to be replaced regularly), and saying he was tired of having "the government" telling him how to run his business. Of course government subsidies to dairy farmers have helped the 1000 or so dairy farms in Vermont stay in business.
--Most of the issues that I've seen discussed by the finalists and others deal with some sort "good news, bad news" duality. If it is a good thing, then too much of it results in some deleterious outcome (development).
--Farming is seen from the outside as a romantic and picturesque addition to the landscape, tying us to the land, our past, sustaining us... The reality is messier: farming is dirty, hard work, and not always profitable. People should probably be eating fewer dairy products anyway, and definitely less meat.
1 comment:
I think you are rather hard on the dairy farmer at your feed store. While I am very grateful for government support for the arts (such as it is)I don't think that support should bar me from being concerned about potential bans on toxic paints such as cadmium and lead white.
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