ICYMI: Michael Foley Q&A with Modern Farmer

In case you missed it, we’re real big fans of Michael Foley’s new book Farming for the Long Haul. Go back and read the review Jesse posted, or check out his more in-depth take on the book over at Hobby Farms. Better yet, just buy the damn thing, you’ll be so glad you did. Get it from Chelsea Green and use the offer code “NOTILL” at checkout to get 35% off. I also recommend it on Audible, because you can listen while you work—I’ve listened it three times already… a whole lot of broadforking done to this one.

Foley was just featured in a Q&A on Modern Farmer. It’s great. But, to be honest, for growers, it’s nothing particularly exciting. For one, it’s short. Too short to really dig into the message encapsulated in the book. Which means, for two, it’s relatively generic. The future is—or should be—resilient farms and local food. Yup, got it. Nothing particularly thought-provoking or controversial there, at least for me. It’s hard, though, to get into the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ and the ‘what for’—and the numerous case-studies therein—that makes Foley’s work stand out within what amounts to a sound-bites worth of space. However, I appreciate they took the time to recognize it.

It’s yet another entry point for readers to access his message. I sincerely hope more farmers, aspiring and experienced, come across the Q&A—it’s an easy read on a high-profile platform—and go on to read his book. Maybe I’m using the Q&A as an excuse for me to plug Farming for the Long Haul, yet again. Surely, it won’t be the last time. And I’m ok with that, too.