Thanks for Giving, Doug Flack

Thanks for the Giving, Doug

The editors of Lancaster Farming put the word out to me they were looking for holiday stories that may not contain the usual Turkey or Christmas tree farm, but something different.  It’s been difficult to get my arms around this idea and breaking new writing ground in a not so pleasant farm economy.  The inspiration finally happened in a 40 minute talk about the love of some red cows.  My heart was uplifted, tear ducts flushed and mind cleared by the passionate words of a Sauerkraut wielding Vermont Grass Farmer.

I only know Doug Flack of Flack Family Farm in Enosburg Falls, Vermont because he is the father of the well-traveled farmer/teacher/consultant, Sarah Flack.  It was due to a trucking schedule change that I was able to walk across my pasture to the church that was hosting an American Milking Devon Association gathering with the help of local Devon enthusiast Lawrence Giley, to hear what this Vermonter had to say about his cows.  I couldn’t help feeling vulnerable as I sat in this hall where my parents, grand parents and great grandparents participated in services, plays, dances and peeled potatoes for harvest dinners.

When Doug shook my hand, I could feel the pleasure and pain of farming on those calloused fingers and realized mine still have a lot of work to do.  His rugged attire of flannel and wool oozed with Vermont country flair and his demeanor was so much like my grandfather Bill Bishopp, I thought I was in heaven.  This connection and conviction of two grass farmers meeting and talking carried over into the most articulate, heart felt, inspirational message for the love of cows I have ever heard.  Doug has a gift.

He described his herd of American Milking Devons as the driving force of fertility for the whole farm and being a survivor in a society at the crossroads.  “These cows have been patiently waiting for a return to the pastoral landscape since the first settlers prospered by their work, milk and meat.  This wonderful creature can take a bite of grass and pack their milk full of nutrients for us without a drop of oil from Iraq.  This grass-based system respects the animal’s contribution to making nutrient dense foods, feeding the soil biology and sequestering carbon,” said Doug.

The Flack Family believes deeply in good, local food inspired by the cow nucleus.  They produce and sell raw milk, grass-finished beef, eggs and lacto-fermented vegetables to name a few.  In addition they provide on-farm training and host a wildly popular “raw milk theatre.”  Doug says, “Fat is a driving force in my life and I feel like a medieval Icelander living off the sea.  Working as many hours as we do, we need these foods for energy, immunity and the bio-dynamic forces they create.  I think with the maladies in our health care system it’s time to embrace a new style of healing provided by our hard working cows.”  This message resonated well with the small group of breeders from all over the Northeast.

Doug’s reverence, love and deep respect for a cow’s contribution to all of life engulfed my mind at a time of great turmoil as I walked back home over the pastures that provided the sustenance for making grass-finished beef.   Recent headlines played loud between my ears; Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) announces a new herd retirement program and a new non-farm author, Jonathon Safran Foer tells folks on the Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres shows, how grievous it is to eat meat, and belittles the farming community once again.  I’m also a little unsettled by the installation of a new hand sanitizer station in the USDA building where I work.  What is wrong with me and why have these un-bridled feelings invaded my core?

I call it the “last paddock disease”.   It infiltrates my body every fall when the group of cattle I so conscientiously  care for eat their last mouthfuls of fresh grass before going on to provide food for a nation.  My chest pounds and my soul hurts with how healthy they look and that I have given them the best life possible.  The problem is I am the only one that sees this except for the trucker saying, “These are the finest steers I’ve seen”.  I am the only one that has struggled with the pasture planning, calving issues, weather, finances and the guilt of harvesting animals for meat.  Doug and I know this painful process of being a farmer and share prayers with our animals that someone will appreciate what we all have sacrificed for God’s bounty.  I am saddened by many “un”-farmer authors and writers  that take joy and make money by denigrating my bloodline of farming on national television without toiling one day in the real fields of agriculture created by a society that votes for cheap food.

Yes, ladies and gentleman of Agriculture I have a problem.  I have a self-esteem issue.  I need therapy.  Thank goodness, the pill of healing came to me from Doug Flack, another livestock farmer with a deep appreciation of what God created and our role in this biological system.  There is a certain bond between farmers who can share a few tears about our awesome animals and the daunting challenge of connecting our passion with the consumers.  I feel strongly that Doug should be on Oprah talking about the benefits of raw milk and butter, kimchi and grass-finished meat, not a person without the heritage or tradition of farming.

I think the road to recovery for our country is to recognize the un-paralleled commitment of farmers like Mr. Flack.  Hail to a man with passion for his animals, the soil and his family.  Let his farming practices heal the land and nourish a community.  His influence will be evident when you can enjoy a Thanksgiving feast minus the disinfectant gel.  Published in Lancaster Farming  11/19/09