I agree. I’ve read a plenty of Mr. Berry’s writings and I don’t remember much that concerned the New Deal or farm policy. I’m sure it is there but is beside the point, I think. Let us remember, Berry is more than a political activist, he is a poet, novelist, and moralist.

If anyone is interested in the Greek agrarian view, I recommend listening to Dr. Fleming’s lecture “The Greek and Roman Agrarian Tradition.” Unfortunatley, there is no longer free access to it. Here is the link anyway.

http://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/lectures.php

On the propriety of the “bareknuckles” thing–well, it depends on the sophistication of one’s understanding of the concept, doesn’t it? Andy Griffith was a helluva lot tougher than Barney.

For the record, it appears the 2005 Tobacco Federal Buyout ended the subsidies so I misspoke upthread. Also, I got a little overheated in my last response to Mr. Beer. Let me reiterate my shared respect and admiration for Mr. Berry and bid peace to all for a blessed Palm Sunday and Holy Week, Passover, spring fiesta…

Also, are you any kin to Congressmen Henry Steagall

Yes, but only very distantly. But I have always been proud that that piece of legislation bore my family name.

I did not suggest that your last four paragraphs were in conflict with any of Mr. Berry’s outstanding corpus of work. Rather, what I did say is that the heart of Hanson’s particular defense of agrarianism-the culture of personal sacrifice, pratical engagement, and grit- is strikingly parallel to the “bareknuckles” approach you have, in my view, rightly advocated for the Cruncy Con set.

I think this is right, but was pointing out that the criticism I levy at Pollan cannot, I don’t think, be made of Berry. But if there is a criticism to be made, I do think it concerns a certain acceptance of “new dealism” in a strain of agrarianism. Where Berry fits in this strain seems an open question to me. Berry’s views in this regard strike me as problematic at times, but also complex, and at times contradictory (as any thoughtful Christian’s must be, from time to time). I do think a possibly profitable line of inquiry may focus on the Greek vs. Christian distinctions raised above.

As for my own views on the matter, I think you’ve read them correctly.

Had to to go out make the rent money so just getting ’round to my reply tonight. Where to begin?

“Milk and Water New Deal Socialism” are actually not my words but those of Thomas Fleming over at Chronicles.org/Rockford Institute. So go poke a stick in his cage since that seems to be your mood, but be forewarned he gives as good as he gets. Secondly, I don’t think Mr. Berry would necessarily take issue with being called a New Dealer, which was in many respects turned out to be watered down socialism and which many good men such as Congressmen Wright Patman and Sam Rayburn did support more often than they opposed. In my view Huey Long was more right and preferrable to FDR. Perhaps I’m wrong and Mr. Berry would agree with that assessment. I do know that my great grandfather’s cattle and truck farm that he started as a young man by himself in southwest Arkansas was hurt far more than helped by Mr. Roosevelt and Rex Tugwell’s paternalism. But his sons only came to realize that in hindsight.

As to your “with us or against us” rhetorical reach of accusing me of “hero” worship”: Horseshit. I don’t happen to support Hanson’s foreign policy agenda any more than you do, so call off that dog. I would point out that the only reason he hasn’t farmed as many years as Mr. Berry is that he was born a generation later.

Never did I nor would I disrepect Mr. Berry’s work ethic, I simply stated the truth which is that Hanson has worked the land too. And you might actually want to reread his books before shooting your mouth off about what Hanson hasn’t done in fighting for small farms when his books discuss organizing neighboring farmers in lawsuits against processors who cheated them.

Maybe it doesn’t tally more than Mr. Berry’s “practical efforts”, but it’s something. You can hate the man’s foreign policy views and his guts personally, but don’t bear false witness as to his physical labors or his solidarity with the farmers in his local community. God will judge on the Iraq debacle, but his being wrong there does not discredit his life’s work in and writing on farming. That is, unless your one of those people who want to drive T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound beyond the pale of literary respectability because of their political views. And lastly, throw another hissy fit if you want, but last I checked burley tobacco farmers still get federal subsidies. Farmers of specialty crops such as grapes and peaches do not.

@ Mr Stegall:

I did not suggest that your last four paragraphs were in conflict with any of Mr. Berry’s outstanding corpus of work. Rather, what I did say is that the heart of Hanson’s particular defense of agrarianism-the culture of personal sacrifice, pratical engagement, and grit- is strikingly parallel to the “bareknuckles” approach you have, in my view, rightly advocated for the Cruncy Con set. My impression is that Mr. Berry is more pacifistic in approach, but if I’m wrong I’ll be the first to cheer him on when farmers start dumping Big Dairy’s milk in the ditch and shooting Big Beef’s cattle, instead of their own as they did in Iowa in the depths Depression.

Also, are you any kin to Congressmen Henry Steagall who teamed up with Senator Glass to save capitalism from the New York capitalists until the excreable Phil Gramm and Bill Clinton revived the unholy alliance between commercial and investment banking?

Something that is very bothersome about the current political scene is the way conservatives have essentially forgotten, or outright repudiated, the value of an agrarian culture. In contrast, most of the folks I know who are gardeners, starting or buying into CSA’s, looking for farm apprenticeships, or just starting their own farm, are socially liberal.

While farming might not turn a liberal into a Mel Bradford or even a Wendell Berry, I suspect that farming for a lifetime will necessarily lead to new values and ways of thinking that are essentially, and in the true sense of the word, conservative. Is this what Pollan fears?

Although I think the neo-conservative a detestable sub-human of noxious gunpoint ideology who compounds the taint with a compulsive yammering that possesses all the charms of squeaking tank tracks (see Kristol et al), if they accidentally strike upon the wisdom of agrarianism, I’ll chase their errant mule with pleasure…Greek, Christian, Semite, Lefty, Agnostwhatever, Hindu-Arabic, Animiste or, ….well….this is hard…but, ehhh, maybe even Mormon too….but only if I can reserve my rights of plausible deniability.

Welcome to the era of Political Feed. Just as the Conservatives were once actually “conservative”, the Lefty once saw a certain solidarity with the working stiff whether they made cars or plowed a mean furrow behind an even meaner jackass. Now, we have Supermarket Politics where the Greater country around the outside, the vast and last redoubt of authentic opinion based upon real food for the mind surrounds a toxic middle, that perfidious little pissant town called Washington D.C. where we have bi-partisan feed for the mind pumped up on the preservatives of cant and neatly packaged in flashy plastic boxes.

I am reminded of an article on Thomas Hart Benton I read years ago in which he brutally outed himself as an admirer of agrariansim, something very distinct from those who actually, dare I say, get it done. The context was his brilliant tempera on panel “The Hailstorm” (www.artchive.com/artchive/B/benton/hailstorm.jpg.html). As Benton recalled his orginal vision for the painting was one where two frightened farmers were seeking refuge from the tempest under the sheltering grove. Then he realized, being a Kansas City boy and I guess close enough to sodbusters of that era, many an actual farmer would as soon looked death in the face as leave a valuable mule and plow to be scattered to the four winds. So it became the masterpiece that still hangs today in Omaha, with the dogged sumbitch carrying on right down that furrow, lightening and hail beating be damned. When enough people have learned that sort of toughness again, there may be hope yet for our small farms

Thank you kindly for taking the time to post with all you have going with the pigs. I look forward to watching this place take off.