Farming is the root of the American Dream. In 1785, Thomas Jefferson argued, “Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens” (CR 12). Two centuries in the future, this is arguably still the truth: without farmers, there would be no survival because there would be no food. It seems simplistic to say but given the movement toward Agribusiness (and what I would call the dehumanization of the farm), it’s worth noting.

Farming, though, is not merely the economic foundation of our nation: it is also our moral foundation. Jefferson refers to farmers as “the most virtuous, the most independent, the most virtuous” occupation and indicates that the United States could not effectively stay on financial and moral track without them.