By Porter Mitchell
Porter Mitchell is a Farmer Services Coordinator at Georgia Organics.
In this series, we’re revisiting our most recent Good Food for Thought conversation Continuing Towards Deep Sustainability led by Mark Cain of Dripping Springs Garden. To register for Georgia Organics’ upcoming Good Food for Thought events, visit gfft.georgiaorganics.org/virtual-events.
Mark Cain (front) and partner Michael Crane (behind) tend tulips Courtesy Beth Hall Photography.
Mark Cain and his partner Mike Crane chose the property for the creek. It was 1984 and the young couple wanted to reconnect with the land and begin their own farm. Like so many young farmers that came before them and like so many that would come after, they left the city and settled in a rural nook of the country to live out their dream of having their own farm.
Dry Fork Creek weaves through the back of the seven-acre property, located in a small valley nestled in the spectacular beauty of the Arkansas Ozarks.
“Mike and I used to set up a hammock by the creek on warm afternoons,” remembers Mark. It was one of the most special parts of their new lives as farmers. They would walk down to the creek together and relax in the hammock, enjoying the beauty and peace of their surroundings.
Creek Courtesy of Dripping Springs Garden.
But slowly the afternoons in the hammock became less and less frequent, and then they stopped altogether. There is endless work on a farm and no spare moments for laying in hammocks. There is irrigation to lay, tractors to fix, storms to recover from. There are hundreds of feet of onions to plant, thousands of pounds of greens to wash, and farmers market days that begin at three in the morning. “There’s no end to the work,” notes Mark. “You have to work incredibly hard to even earn a modest living.”
Photo Courtesy Dripping Springs Garden.
A few years went by. The farm was successful and growing a loyal customer base. But the work didn’t get any easier. A friend came to visit the farm and Mark took her on a tour of the property. They came to the creek. Mark explained how he and Mike used to love spending afternoons together in the hammock and how special the creek was to them. “When’s the last time you did that?” the friend asked. Mark couldn’t remember. It had been years.
Mark couldn’t stop thinking about the interaction. The very reason he and Mike began farming—to connect with the natural world and spend more time together—was totally lost in the farm’s whirlwind of constant work and stress.
He couldn’t keep going like this anymore. He was putting off enjoying his life—his hobbies, his friends, his interests—his whole life was consumed by the farm.
And he was getting older too. There wasn’t endless time to finally get around to enjoying himself.
“You don’t want to die wishing you had experienced all of these aspects of life,” reflects Mark. “How can we take time to enjoy what's important to you and still build up the farm?”
He realized that for his farm to be sustainable—to last and keep going—he needed to take care of himself. There is no sustainable farm without a happy and healthy farmer.
Mark began to change his relationship to work. He began to focus on training others and delegating so less was on his shoulders. He instituted a new farm schedule with a mid-afternoon yoga break to care for his (and his staff’s) minds and bodies. He began to focus on ease of movement in his work to put less strain on his body. He devoted himself to following routines, creating rhythms at the farm, and staying organized to reduce stress. He began practicing mindfulness to ground himself in the present and enjoy a cool breeze or the beautiful color of a flower instead of worrying about the work. And he created time for the rest of his life.
Dripping Springs Garden staff, photo courtesy of Dripping Springs Garden.
“We need to set boundaries around what’s important to us so the farm doesn’t eat all of it,” explains Mark. Farmers are not just farmers—they are people with hobbies, interests, friends, and families. Mark stresses how important it is to a farmer’s health and wellbeing to take time for activities outside of farming.
“Your attention is a precious resource and we need to use it wisely. Remember what makes you feel good—spending time with your kids, taking a walk, playing guitar—these things can be worked into your schedule,” encourages Mark.
“Farming is a big hog that will gobble up all of your time, so you need to build a fence around the things that are important to you and protect it.”
And take time to remember why you began it all in the first place.
“This is it! This is farming. Farming is beautiful harvests and a mountain of work that’s never done. Come to terms with that to learn how to enjoy what’s happening now.”
Check out the full recording of Mark Cain’s talk here: Continuing Towards Deep Sustainability
Learn more about Mark Cain and Dripping Springs at drippingspringsgarden.com/our-story
And check out regular tips from Mark Cain on our farmer newsletter, Grower News! Click below.