I’d like to take this small space to talk about the not-so-cool cultural phenomenon of “burn out”, specifically farm burn out. Last Friday, I spoke at the Viroqua Library about farm and food equity. I talked about injustices towards farmers and food workers who are pushed beyond their mental, emotional, physical, and financial capacities with very little support from the organizations and leaders who structure our food system, control price setting, and create the “cheap food culture” we currently live in, a.k.a capitalism. I look around this time of year and see almost every farmer experiencing burn out, wiping the sweat from their brow and wondering why they put themselves through it. I know farmers aren’t the only workers who experience burnout, but I’m pretty sure capitalism, large corporations, their lobbyists, and the policy makers they influence are to blame for this grinding cultural phenomenon, which makes the rich richer while keeping the poor overworked, underpaid, hungry, and sick. End rant.
~Joy