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01/25/2024 08:36 PMThere is growing evidence to suggest that a significant aspect of human evolution and neural development stems from our ability to support three generations of the species over a lifetime. This phenomenon of blending youth with elders has sustained and advanced homosapiens across millennia. From passing on wisdom and best practices to skill sharing and mutual aid, we are at our best when young people, middle-aged adults, and elders live vibrantly and healthfully together. After all, it’s a lot easier to know which wild mushrooms and fish are good eating or the best method for building a stable shelter when a couple of grandparents are around to give a few life-saving tips.
So, it is with all of history. We either remember it or end up repeating past mistakes. When faced with the twin realities of a climate crisis and growing class inequality, a little more listening and learning from one another, especially across generations, can go a long way in supporting sustainable and bipartisan solutions to our problems. It also just might renew some of that youthful energy and hope we can all use a little bit more of in our communities.
Agriculture, as well as the land and people who support it, is arguably one of the most indicative social, economic, and cultural arenas impacted by these twin crises. Farmers on small farms (defined by the USDA as operations with less than $250,000 gross annual income) find it harder to purchase, retain, and work the land they, and we, all rely on for our food. While inordinately impacted by climate change and recession, they are also uniquely situated to provide meaningful solutions through practices like topsoil remediation, sustainable land management, and local production of food, which relies less heavily on fossil fuel inputs, thus improving our bodies, souls, and planet.
During the past 10 years, while working on various urban and rural farms throughout New York and Connecticut, I’ve always been struck by the willingness of farmers to share with one another. I continually find a community of folks facing a common problem and an increasing sense of precarity while collectively deciding to support its members through mutually beneficial generosity. They will share tools and equipment, seeds and seedlings, weather forecasts (sometimes helpful, sometimes not), stories of good years and bad (sometimes all of the way true, sometimes not), tall tales and laughter, gentle encouragement, and gruff reality checks.
It’s a method for deepening strong roots for those times when life gets hard and an extra hand can offer a sliver of the necessary hope to keep us on the kind of righteous path that is inspired by hard work and a happy family. I believe this type of hope also comes from years and generations of being close to the land, internalizing the sometimes loud lessons and other times whispering wisdom of nature. From watching the ways in which the sun and wind move across a field to stewarding a place with the kind of affection someone else might cherish a lifelong friendship, farmers have something to teach us all if we just listen and learn to ask the right questions.
After starting our own small farm two years ago on the former site of “Fisherman’s Nook” in North Guilford, I have remained moved by the willingness of others to support our farming efforts here. It is the conversations with older farmers that continue to offer me the greatest insight into the traditions and ways of farming found in our communities. This column is an attempt to collect and share in that wisdom, as well as highlight the next generation of farmers in our area who are growing and evolving the best practices for promoting a strong culture through the production of healthy farms and food, people, and planet.
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Four generations of the Wettemann Family have lived and worked on the bucolic land in North Guilford on West Street. Through career changes, raising children, and following their dreams, Paul and Mary Ellen Wettemann have stewarded this land and continue to operate the Wettemann Farm and Almost Home Barn day in and day out, in every season, while weathering all of the joys and challenges a life on the farm might send their way. It was a great pleasure having the opportunity to sit down with both of them among the bustling horse stables and borders on a recent wintry Sunday morning.
SGM - What a beautiful barn this is!
PW - Thank you. Yeah, there are 13 horses that we can fit in this barn and two that we can fit over there. (He points to a smaller stable space about 20 feet away).
MEW - Two of ours are taking up space here, so there are still one or two spots for others in the future.
SGM - You all inspire me because you have kept this farm in the family for so many generations. As family farms get smaller and have to be sold off more and more, you all have made it a mission to remain and think creatively about how to use the land. How did this space get its name?
MEW - That was me. Almost Home Barns. I got my first horse when I was 19. That was about 40 years ago now. At that time, I always boarded. I bred my first horse, Lady, and so I had a foal and the mom; I always had to have two stalls, which wasn’t cheap. (She chuckles). Well, I guess it's all relative! It was cheap back then, but because most people board, I always felt that this was going to be the closest to home most people would get. This is a happy barn, and everyone is part of the Almost Home Barn family.
PW - This room we’re meeting in (an office just past the big sliding barn doors entering the stables) has heat, so people can visit their horse anytime and talk to a friend who has a horse here, too. We want it to be a friendly place. People come here, I think, because they don’t want to be involved sometimes with a big show barn. They want to come, spend time with their horse, and do whatever they want drama-free! (They both laugh.)
MEW - If I had a business card, it would say, “Almost Home Barn - a place where you can work, rest, or play – whatever you want to do with your horse, you can do it here.”
SGM – Farms can be grouchy places, sometimes. They can be stressful because there’s so much precarity when it comes to vegetables and animals. We ask, is this year going to be an up year or a down year? If you can’t maintain a positive posture, stress will seep in and come out in many different ways. You all seem to offer an antidote to some of that. I think that you have a beautiful foundation for your place. How long has it been here?
PW - 20 years. We built the barn in 2003, and the first boarders arrived in 2004.
SGM - Can you tell me about some of the other things going on around the farm?
PW - Ever since my grandfather bought the farm in 1907, there has never been a time when there hasn’t been cattle here. Even when my dad sold the dairy herd in the '70s, I kept one cow. He said what are you doing that for? I said, “I can’t see the cows go.” Ever since then, I’ve kept Holstein cows, but basically, I also have gotten into Herford, Angus crosses, sometimes red Angus, and sometimes black Angus. When COVID hit, everyone was looking for eggs and maple syrup. So, I tried to increase egg production by adding more pullets. They are doing well. It’s about trying to stay flexible and responding to the needs of your customers.
SGM - I hear you; how to make it profitable is one question, but how to even make it sustainable so often requires someone doing outside work. But as you mentioned, it’s a way of life. Farming is a choice. It’s a choice to be outside, with animals, with the land. It's a gift for yourself and your family.
PW - Any child who grows up on a farm has a great sense of responsibility and work ethic. Even coaches can tell – our son’s coach from UConn said I can tell where he came from - he has a great work ethic. He goes the extra mile, which is important. You learn how to work hard and overcome obstacles you can take with you to other places. I don’t complain when farmers sell their land, though, because some feel it's their way toward retirement. I understand, but it is hard to see.
MEW - I think of the song “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” Pillaging the land, building more and more developments isn’t going to get us out of any crisis. So goes the land, so goes the farm, so goes the people. Too much of it, and we lose touch with who we are.
SGM: I love that. So, what else can you tell me about the history of this land, your family, and the ways it's been used during the last 117 years?
PW - Well, the Wettemanns are a big family. So, the land has been divided up a bit between brothers, uncles, and cousins. My father left me the bulk of it, the cow fields and farm, for the basic reason that he knew I’d never sell it and wanted to keep farming. There was so much history I didn’t want to see get lost. We’d cut and bale hay every year until 1987, when he died. We’ve cut and bale every year since as well. As our boys got older, they became more hands-on with the farm as well. They even helped build this barn when they were in nursery school! We do have the meat cows, chickens, eggs, maple syrup, and corn in addition to the horse boarding. We’re still constantly learning and trying to improve things here.
SGM - It sounds like farming IS a way of life! It also impacts the way you see and engage with others and the world around you. You’re caretakers of so much and so many.
MEW: I remember when we were talking about building this barn. We would ask, how can we make the land work for us instead of just working the land? It’s so nice to be able to share it with others.
SGM - Can you tell people what you’ve learned after all of these years? What’s most important to hold onto?
MEW - Well, the first thing I would tell people is, “It’s never too late to enjoy nature, and it’s never too late to get your first horse!” Haha. Also, whatever faith tradition you come from, even if it’s no faith tradition, try to say some kind of grace at supper every night. Express some form of gratitude at the end of your day for your food, your family, your friends, and your farm! Even if you don’t run a farm yourself, you’re connected to one in more ways than you may know.
PW: I’d also say the Department of Ag is so important in the State of Connecticut. Lawmakers always want to pull PA490, which is the law allowing a lower tax rate on farmland, otherwise most folks couldn’t keep what they have. So, if a farm makes or spends $2,500, it can get a farm tax number to stay above water. Whether a big farm with 1,000 head of cattle or someone smaller, it can be tough, but it allows these farmers to stay in operation. Supporting your local Farm Bureau and Ag Commission is so important if you believe in local farms and food.
Sean Gargamelli-McCreight is co-founder of the Benincasa Community farm in North Guilford. His column, “Homegrown,” is about his work on the farm and about other farms in the area. Benincasa partners with local organizations, churches, and school groups to share about sustainable community-based food production as well as grow and deliver free, healthy organic produce to those in need. You can find out more about Benincasa Community and reach Sean by visiting www.benincasacommunity.org