An Anonymous Letter

Dated January 4, 2010:

"Dear Jacob and Courtney,

I hope this letter finds you well. Though we do not know each other formally, I first learned about your farm a while back through the wonderful, ever-bustling young farmer community - and I have since enjoyed keeping up with your blog as you bravely began year one on your farm. As a fellow (landless) young farmer, I am inspired by your story.

As winter fields lay laden with snow, we look diligently forward to the sugars of spring. Enclosed is a little something which will hopefully make these days of winter a bit easier. Find strength in your fellow young farmers, and forge fiercely forward knowing that the good you do each day will find its way back to you.

keep following your bliss.

all the best,
from one greenhorn to another"

That "little something" was a one-hundred dollar bill. Also included was a sticker with a drawing of two hands holding up a fork with the words "Vote with your fork, with your vote, and your life www.thegreenhorns.net". The Greenhorns, for those who don't know, is a vibrant group of people putting together a documentary on new farmers and building a movement at the same time.

If there had been a return address on this letter, this is what I would have put in the mail:

Dear fellow farmer,

This letter does indeed find us well, if not a little stressed about the upcoming season. I certainly appreciate you reaching out to us like this. If only you could have seen the enormous grin of amazement when I opened up and read your letter.

In the few months that we've begun our modest experiment, we've discovered an incredible community of encouragement and support that has only pushed us onward.

As (tentatively) landed farmers, we certainly hope you are able to move on from the landless stage. I can commiserate with the disconnection between what is in your head and what is on the ground. I understand that it is frustrating, but know that your passion trumps most impediments. With all the uncertainty of our situation, that is what I hold on to. Some days, encouragement is hard to find, within ourselves and in our relative isolation in rural Montana. But your letter serves as a reminder that we are part of a larger movement and that we are not alone, and for that we thank you.

If you find yourself in our neck of the prairie, please don't hesitate to stop by and say, 'hello'. We'd love to have you.

With much gratitude,

Jacob and Courtney