Chris Wellington.

The unspoken responsibility of farmers…

Leave It Better Apr 9

To meet Chris is to like him. Whether he’s jamming out to techno dance pop in the greenhouse while splicing tomato breeds in early April, or filling five gallon buckets with feed for broilers in the sweaty heat of of a September afternoon, he’s always focused on the job on hand.

“What’s next?” is a question often overheard on farms, the phrase itself a kind of ethos. Chris and Kirsten ask this question of each other daily as life partners; farmers whose work is so physically, spiritually and mentally demanding that it requires an unceasing focus.

As I bobbed along in the passenger seat of Chris’ truck, trying in vain to hold a steady shot, it was no surprise when I learned he was a Marine. It’s been said before that farmers make for good soldiers, and that is indeed true, however, it is just as true that soldiers make good farmers. And this latter path was the one for Chris. Not one for sitting still, or for classrooms, he very briefly considered becoming a graphic designer before enlisting. The military was a blessing, with its outdoor-focused work, and clear cut sense of purpose. Back home, it was again work outdoors- this time farming that filled the void.

A rogue pig refuses to go under the electric fence into the new paddock.

Remarkably, Kirsten’s family has been continuously farming the same land since before the Constitution was written in 1789. It’s a double centennial farm and part of the reason the farm has lasted so long is because of the “what’s next?” philosophy of life. Lots of hard work, long hours, blizzards, stubborn horses, faulty alternators, slaughters, scorchers, lawn cutting and feeding grain. Unsurprisingly, the few farms in America that are bicentennial farms- are tight knit, and Kirsten and Chris have leaned on this network whenever they’ve had questions or concerns.

Kirsten and Chris are not only receivers of this kind of generosity but givers too. A couple years back, they hosted a young person from Hawaii who interned on their farm, Muddy Roots Farm. She brought a newfound joy in the everyday tasks of the farm. For Chris, it reminded him – that one of the key jobs of being a farmer in America is to spend significant time recruiting the next generation of farmers.