Life is a Garden: An Interview with Joel Salatin
Iwas first influenced to Joel Salatin through his books on farming, which I read in the late ’90s. Those books were instrumental in our family’s decision to move to the Virginia countryside where we ran an organic farm for a few years. Joel is an outspoken farmer whose thoughts on his industry and its impact on our culture have been shared across the country, from features in Smithsonian magazine to his speaking at Google headquarters. Joel and I discussed his thoughts on the “life is a garden” metaphor taken from my illustrated children’s book, A Good Life. Listening to Joel is always thought-provoking. I’m honored that he agreed to spend some time with me on the topic, and I know the discussion will benefit those who hear his insights. (When he’s not farming or speaking, Joel spreads his philosophy via his blog, The Lunatic Farmer.)
Resources
Books and videos mentioned in this episode
The Nature Principle, Richard Louv
Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child’s Education, Raymond & Dorothy Moore
The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture, Sir Albert Howard
Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement, Rich Karlgaard
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan
Food, Inc., Robert Kenner
Polyfaces. This documentary on Joel’s farm isn’t mentioned in our interview, but it gives a good glimpse of his methods and philosophy for those interested in knowing more.
Joel Salatin’s Books
If you’re considering creating your own family farm, reading the “Salatin corpus” is a must. It’s not easy to make a living in agriculture, especially if you go the “conventional” route. Joel will teach you what’s worked for him and others, and you’ll go into the work well-educated, with no delusions about what’s possible. He’ll also teach you how to work in harmony with nature, which, oddly enough, isn’t a common approach in much of conventional agricultural instruction.
Below is one of the 22 beautiful watercolor illustrations by Ukrainian artist Dmitry Morozov in A Good Life, my children’s book that served as the inspiration for this interview series. Find out more about the book here.
