The Power of Seed: Why We Love What We Do
“The grower of trees, the gardener, the man born to farming . . . to him the soil is a divine drug. What miraculous seed has he swallowed that the unending sentence of his love flows out of his mouth like a vine clinging in the sunlight, and like water descending in the dark?”
–Wendell Berry, poet & farmer-philosopher
What is it about tending one’s own plants that so wholly captures the senses, emotions, muscles and intellect all at once? The truth is, there is just something about it. At 10:00 one recent morning, a group of colleagues who would usually be found behind desks in the High Mowing offices trickled into parking spaces along a dusty roadway leading to a field of pepper plants. The office staffers were amenable, snatching up tools and heading straight for the pepper beds with hardly a word of training or advice. They had only allotted an hour of time to help the High Mowing Trials field crew with the task at hand – weeding six rows, 200 feet each. As the sun rose higher in the sky and the lengths of healthy, newly freed pepper plants increased, the group’s satisfaction was palpable. Soon the hour was past, and yet in the heat of the midday sun, they remained – smiling, laughing, exchanging stories and knowledge. And before long, what would have taken the usual three-person field crew the better part of a day was well on the way to being finished in just a couple of hours. August on a farm means weeding. Weeding, harvesting, planting, managing pests, more harvesting, more weeding, more pests . . . on and on and on. And that list doesn’t even encompass all the little steps that go into each of those larger tasks - like washing, packing, storing, irrigating, composting, bed prepping, seeder calibrating, putting reemay on and pulling it off, breaking things, fixing things, storing things, buying new things, retiring old things. So, August on a farm means lists. Long lists of hard tasks. In fact, there’s so much to do that it can be easy to lose sight of why we do it. For the staff at High Mowing, as for many growers, this question of “why” speaks to our very core. There is a joy in laboring to provide good food. It is this joy that motivates a farmer to hoe just one more row before the sun sets; the joy that motivates a gardener to sow just one more planting of lettuce before the frost; the joy that motivates the eater to say, with pride, “I grew this” as they sit down to enjoy a meal. It is important to us to take the time to reflect; to engage not only our hands, but our hearts. We are dedicated to this work that is so essential to maintaining the foundation of a healthy, sustainable food system. This idea of why we do what we do is one that High Mowing has been discussing and collaborating on as a company this summer. We are excited to share some of this visionary work with you. We’re in it for the long haul – committed to our task until that last bed of peppers is finally weeded. Here’s what some of our staff have to say about why they love what they do: “I believe in High Mowing’s philosophy that healthy environments, healthy economies, healthy communities and healthy bodies all start with the seed.” –Julie, Sales & Customer Service “At High Mowing, we get to participate positively in the evolution of organic food systems by addressing a part that is essential and universal: the seed.” –Jacob, Contract Seed Production & Product Development “The belief that we can change the world one seed at a time is very alive and in practice at High Mowing.” –Susanne, Human Resources & Accounting “Passion and commitment are at the heart of what each person brings to High Mowing. We’re working towards a mission so much greater than ourselves. I’m motivated by the energy of my peers, their faith in the mission that drives each person to bring a positive, engaged energy every day they come to work.” –Kristen, Commercial Grower Sales “High Mowing challenges me to help create sustainable solutions to the problems we face. I consider it work that really matters.” –Tom, General Manager “I love farming for a million reasons, but farming at High Mowing is special. Our impact goes beyond just growing seeds. We are modeling a new way to grow seeds that fits with our values in a changing world.” –Molly, Seed Production Keep an eye out for our new seed catalog - available November 1st, 2017 - for more highlights from High Mowing about why we love what we do.
Categories: About High Mowing Organic Seeds & Philosophy
Posted On: August 21 2017
Posted By: High Mowing Organic Seeds
Search
Recent Posts
Categories
- About High Mowing Organic Seeds
- Articles by Farmer Paul Betz
- Articles by Megen Hall
- Ask The Expert
- Beginner Gardeners' Guide
- Breeding / Research Program
- Commercial Growing
- Contests
- Covid-19 Updates
- Crop Talk
- Events
- Farm Ethics
- Farmer Authors
- GMOs
- Greenhouses
- Growing Tips
- Health and Wellness
- Kids and Gardening
- Philosophy
- Plant Diseases
- Plant Pests
- Recipes
- Seed Bin Article - 2011
- Seed Saving and Production
- Soil Health
- Story of a Seed
- Trials
- Uncategorized
- Variety Highlights
- Winter Growing
Archives
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- January 2008
Recent Comments
- cindy corriveau on Our Garden Beanpole Giveaway
- cindy corriveau on Our Garden Beanpole Giveaway
- Deanne O’Donnell on Our Garden Beanpole Giveaway
- Jennifer Munoz on Our Garden Beanpole Giveaway
- Quinn Piper on Our Garden Beanpole Giveaway
My Wish Lists