#seriously I see more wildlife on the farmland than in the woods

[megpricephotography]

Pottering through local farmland with Flynn. It’s a busy time of year for the farmers - harvest time & some of the fields are already being prepared for new crops.

[aion-rsa]

The Walking Dead vs. Real-Life Survivalists: How to Prep for The Zombie Apocalypse

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According to a 2019 YouGov poll, 14% of Americans have a zombie apocalypse plan of some sort. Even the CDC provides zombie apocalypse advice, including having one gallon of water per person per day, stocking up on food, and choosing a rallying point for family members should everyone get separated in the mad rush for safety. That concept of preparedness has infiltrated popular culture like a walker in an unguarded camp thanks to The Walking Dead and other pieces of zombie media. Being ready for whatever life throws your way is no longer just for paranoid, reclusive mountain men. 

The survivors on The Walking Dead are from all walks of life, across a wide spectrum of ages, races, nationalities, and ability levels. As such, all could have benefitted from a bit of advice from experienced experts in the field of survival. So, Den of Geek reached out to a pair of preppers and asked them some questions about just how the various groups on The Walking Dead have fared in their quest to navigate the end of the world. 

A man based near Martensville, Saskatchewan who chooses to be known only as “Canadian Prepper” of the Canadian Prepper YouTube channel and Canadian Preparedness, sums it up succinctly. “I don’t think there’s one prepper who doesn’t know about The Walking Dead.” 

That’s an advantage preppers in our world have over their fictional counterparts. We know what zombies are, and we have ample opportunity to prepare for them. In the world of The Walking Dead, no one knew what a zombie was until they showed up, which took pretty much everyone in that world by surprise.

However, to Scott Hunt of Practical Preppers, those of us in the non-zombie world have good reason to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, whether it’s earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, civil unrest, or one of the many more mundane emergencies encountered in the modern world. 

Getting Prepared

“As Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail,’” Hunt says.

Hunt holds a Masters of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and takes surviving more seriously than your average person with a stocked cellar. Hunt and his family were featured on Season 1 of National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers. He later became a consultant for the show. Now he is a sustainable living design engineer specializing in off-grid water and energy systems. His popular YouTube channel, Engineer775, allows him to, in his words, “help others prepare for the worst type of events and make them as sustainable as possible.”

Hunt’s focus is on solar power and water access solutions, but given his experience with prepping and homestead farming, he has a lot to say about just what mistakes the survivors on The Walking Dead have been making throughout the show’s run. 

The mistakes start, logically, at the very beginning of the show. 

“I think there were a lot of mistakes initially made during the outbreak. For one, hardly anyone living in the city had any sort of ‘preps’, and those living in rural areas only seemed to have basic things like a few canned goods, maybe a well, and a few arms to protect themselves with,” Hunt says. “I think having a simple bug-out bag would have saved a lot of people. If you are like many of those living in Atlanta in season 1, I would advise you to have a ‘bug-out plan’ and ‘bug-out bags’ for you and your family. It does seem like a scary thing to imagine, but we advise people to think ahead, always.” 

The Walker Threat

For Canadian Prepper, part of thinking ahead is being ready for problems before they happen. Detecting threats before they can detect you is the best form of operational security in the zombie apocalypse. 

“Having a 24/7 lookout is the most important thing, being very vigilant with that and not wavering at all. If there is somebody who’s spying on you, they’re going to wait for one opportunity where you’re not paying attention.” 

Even if the threat is more walker-based, having a lookout is still of crucial importance. 

“You’re talking about a bunch of reanimated corpses who could come at any time. There’s no time that they’re going to prefer to attack. It’s just going to be whenever,” Canadian Prepper says.

Canadian Prepper emphasizes the concept of preemptive security, in addition to the active lookout. 

“Almost every single time it seems like the zombies surprise people. It’s like, do you guys realize you can just get some string and some tin cans? As the survivors evolve, you’d think that they would develop better perimeter alarm systems whereby they would be notified if there was a potential threat on the horizon.”

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As important as the lack of forethought, for Hunt, is a lack of bodies on the line. If you want to move into a fortified town, you have to have the security needed to keep the town safe. This isn’t an individual camp problem, but like the lack of tripwires and lookouts, a series-long issue. 

“The communities the main groups choose to settle in have all had issues with visibility, security, and manpower. It seems like every compound they encountered, there were never enough people to keep it safe from marauders or walkers,” Hunt says. “If you are taking over an abandoned compound, you must make sure you can secure it.”

The People Problem

Those big walled compounds, like Alexandria and Hilltop, have a lot of natural advantages, but they have one huge problem: they’re big targets. However, Canadian Prepper feels that having a big target, if properly defended, isn’t necessarily a negative in terms of a group’s survival chances. 

“You could take the Oceanside approach where you hide out in the woods, but your development is going to be arrested to a certain level. People are still going to be able to find you. A couple years into that universe, people are going to get a good nose for things. It’s not going to be a bunch of city slickers walking around. It’s going to be a bunch of seasoned survivors who are going to be able to smell out a community. You’re not going to be able to hide that.” 

Hunt adds: “You do not have a lot of choices when you are looking at the complete fall of humanity. A gated community has an advantage over the walkers and human threats. It is the more realistic and safer choice when your options are limited.” 

However, certain characters held onto their hope a little too firmly for Hunt’s taste. 

“I would tell Hershel to not lock up the walkers in his barn! I know he did this out of a hope that a cure would be found, but in his hopefulness, he ended up endangering the whole compound and forcing everyone to leave the safety and security of the farm. We believe if they were able to stay at the farm, a lot of loss would have been avoided. It is best in an apocalyptic scenario to lay low and stay where it is safe as long as possible.”

The loss of the farm meant a lot of disadvantages for Rick and company. The group lost a secure, isolated place with arable farmland, a supply of water, fences and wires, and good concealment from those that might prey on their weakness. That loss of food production, and the food storage when the farm went up in flames, brings Hunt back to the most important resource in the post-apocalypse, food. Specifically, the lack of it. 

“One of the least realistic things was the lack of starvation mentioned throughout the show,” Hunt says. “This might be an extremely unpopular opinion, but the fact that Rick held Negan as a prisoner, instead of using him as food, is unrealistic when you are looking at a worst-case scenario. Obviously, it is unethical to starve the actors, but I feel like it was very unrealistic to not show the struggle of just feeding the characters every day and the lack of supplies they would have encountered since they had no food storage or a sustainable way to grow food for very long. Not to mention, the walkers had completely depleted the wildlife in the area, so that was another issue for our characters. Short answer: we don’t totally blame the compound of cannibals.”

The true threat to any community in this world isn’t really the walkers, but people like the cannibals of Terminus. Humankind, according to Hunt, would quickly be the most dangerous opponent for Rick and his team to square off against once they learn the ways of handling walkers. “The show did a great job of transitioning into the man versus man struggle; the show steers away from walkers being the main threat to other humans being more of a concern. This is very realistic in any apocalyptic scenario.” 

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

For Canadian Prepper, the best defense for preserving the future of humanity from lawlessness and brutality is to look backwards. “I would go for an approach which is tried and true throughout history: making a castle. All castles have lines of sight. They’re not pressed up against forests for a reason. They’re surrounded by plains so that you can see threats coming from a great distance. The threats are going to come, but at least in that position you’re going to be able to fortify and defend. You don’t want to give a threat cover, and that’s exactly what you would do if you were smack-dab in the middle of a forest. Yes, you are concealed, but at the same time, a forest fire could take out your whole community.”

However, the human threat, according to the Practical Preppers team, wouldn’t be nearly as charismatic in reality. 

“It is easy to throw metaphorical stones at the characters from the comfort of our living room couches, but we still think this is something worth noting. We were surprised that no one had challenged characters like The Governor before he gained too much power and became extremely dangerous.” 

That shift from strongman leadership to democracy is a positive one for the survival of humanity, according to Canadian Prepper. 

“I noticed that in the earlier phases of collapse, it’s a very dictatorial society. It’s the Ricktatorship, where one guy is kind of the main leader. Like The Governor or the gangs, there was always this centralized leadership, but as time goes on, groups become more democratic, and you see that happen across various communities. Negan was kind of the last authoritarian ruler: democracy prevails, that whole liberty wins subtext. You could say there were some political undertones there, because I do think that democratic societies are more evolved.”

Hope For Tomorrow

Perhaps one of the reasons why The Governor was never challenged was because, quite frankly, he was one of the better politicians left after the fall of humanity. Like Rick at the prison, or Deanna Monroe in Alexandria, or King Ezekiel at the Kingdom, The Governor was someone people could rally around because he offered the the most important thing after the apocalypse second only to food: hope. A strong, charismatic, forceful leader is always going to be easier to follow than a government by committee, particularly when hope is in short supply. 

“The most realistic thing The Walking Dead characters did worth praising was that all the survivors mentally were able to see hope in a hopeless situation,” says Hunt. “I feel like some of us would have thrown in the towel the second the CDC blew up. It seems like throughout the show, our stronger main characters always had something to cling to. Rick still had faith in humanity, Gabriel had faith in God, and Carol had faith in Rick and Daryl.” 

Throughout The Walking Dead, the show’s survivors have continued to evolve, from a rag-tag group of argumentative people camping around a recreational vehicle to a full community with agriculture, democracy, and education. People are not only surviving in this universe, but thriving. The days of picking over the ruins of the old world for survival are over; a new world is dawning, and the hard work of the survivors has created it. 

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“The fate of the species is in your hands,” Canadian Prepper concludes. “You’re not just surviving for yourself. The human race is depending on your success.”

The post The Walking Dead vs. Real-Life Survivalists: How to Prep for The Zombie Apocalypse appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[leftysmambosal]

Rain or shine, Pioneer Valley in Western Mass. is great for a quick getaway

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WHEN SPRING ARRIVES in New England, some of us kind of lose our minds. Can you blame us? After being stuck inside all winter, we welcome those first feeble rays of March sunshine like a long-lost friend, greeting 50-degree weather with T-shirts and smiles. Behold, the prodigal sun!

But spring around here is fickle, and often very wet. As much as we long to get outside, sometimes nature just doesn’t cooperate.

That’s why the four-season playground of the Pioneer Valley makes for a great spring getaway. Amid the collage of college towns and rolling farmland, there’s every opportunity to hike, bike, or play outside when the sun is out — but also plenty of ways to get your outdoor fix indoors when Mother Nature douses your best-laid plans. And that’s not to mention a hyperactive year-round cultural calendar that, buoyed by the nearby colleges and universities, defies the bucolic landscape.

On my latest visit with my wife and young daughter, we stay at the historic Hotel Northampton (413-584-3100, hotelnorthampton.com). We always seem to end up there, just because it’s smack downtown in Northampton, the artsy epicenter of this “Happy Valley.” Northampton’s stroll-inducing Main Street and offshoots are jammed with art galleries, restaurants, bars, music venues, and unique shops worth a visit in any season.

With sidewalk musicians, cheap eats from all over the world, and a student-bohemian energy, downtown Northampton, only about 100 miles from Boston, feels a lot like Harvard Square; there are even familiar facades, like the original Raven Used Books (413-584-9868, ravenusedbooks.com). But one big difference is that driving for 10 minutes finds you not “almost to Watertown,” but rather enveloped by gorgeous countryside and pastoral landscapes immortalized by artists of the Hudson River School.

The Pioneer Valley is the Commonwealth’s bread basket; this is where farm meets table. I’m not just talking about the trendy restaurants that serve locally sourced ingredients (there are plenty); I mean that some working farms also serve food on the premises. In the past, we’ve stopped for lunch and a sweet treat at Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery (413-586-2142, barstowslongviewfarm.com), which offers ice cream, cheeses, and more. The burgers, when available, come from cattle that are raised on the pretty, family-owned Barstow’s Longview Farm in Hadley. But in the spring, perhaps no other foodstuff is better enjoyed on site than maple syrup.

On weekends during sugaring season, a number of Massachusetts maple farms serve syrup-soaked pancake and waffle breakfasts. So we stuff our faces full of blueberry pancakes, thick-cut bacon, and virtually unlimited pure maple syrup at the North Hadley Sugar Shack(413-585-8820, www.northhadleysugarshack.com), where breakfast is available daily through April 15 this year, and you can watch syrup making up close on weekends.

I’m of French Canadian descent, so I take maple syrup pretty seriously (though not as seriously as my mom, who used to carry a small bottle to breakfast in case a restaurant tried to pawn off some grotesque, gooey forgery). And I have to say: I’m in maple syrup heaven. I could do this every morning if I lived nearby, so perhaps it’s best that these breakfasts are as fleeting as spring itself. (The sugaring season typically runs from late February into April, but it depends on the weather; sap runs best when it’s below freezing at night and warmer during the day.)

We try to burn off some of those gloriously empty, syrupy calories by hiking to the historic Summit House, a former hotel teetering atop Mount Holyoke in Hadley’s J.A. Skinner State Park. The interior of the 19th-century landmark has been off-limits due to ongoing restoration work, but the wraparound (and around, and around) porch still offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the Connecticut River Valley and beyond.

The roughly 3.5-mile round-trip hike is on a paved, winding road, so we’re able to manage it in street shoes and with our 5-year-old. There are a variety of trails through the woods as well, but bring your duck boots — it’s mud season. And if you’re short of time or breath, you can drive halfway up — or even all the way to the summit — later in spring when the park gates are open, and soak up the scenery without breaking a sweat.

If the dramatic bend in the river below looks familiar, you might recognize it from Thomas Cole’s famous 1836 painting, known as The Oxbow. Around that time, Mount Holyoke was the second most popular tourist attraction in the United States, behind only Niagara Falls. That surprised me, too, at first — but after a long look and a deep breath at the summit, it makes a lot more sense.

Other great beginner or moderate hikes in the area include a flat, 3.7-mile loop around Ashley Reservoir in Holyoke; trails in Mass Audubon’s 724-acre Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary (413-584-3009, massaudubon.org) in Easthampton; and Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation in South Deerfield, where a variety of trails are open year-round, with the summit road opening in mid-May. But our legs are wobbly enough for one day, and spring is starting to do that thing where it openly mocks your optimistic wardrobe decisions.

With rain clouds approaching, we seek shelter and find serenity in nearby Montague at the Montague Bookmill (413-367-9206, montaguebookmill.com), whose delightfully beckoning slogan, “Books you don’t need in a place you can’t find,” reads like a dare. We accept the challenge and find both the bookshop itself — a rambling collection of cozy rooms and creaky floors in a former mill on the Sawmill River — and an armful of used books begging to come home with us.

Attached to the Bookmill is the Lady Killigrew cafe and pub (413-367-9666, theladykilligrew.com), an equally enchanting space with industrial remnants and giant windows overlooking a mesmerizing waterfall. We pass up the tasty-sounding sandwiches grilled on local sourdough for the peanut-ginger udon noodle bowl and warm brown rice salad, paired with picks from the small but excellent draft beer list.

From Montague we meander west and then south on Route 5, where we make a brief detour into the Old Deerfield Village Historic District. Even if you don’t stop to visit the Historic Deerfield museum (413-774-5581, historic-deerfield.org) — a collection of a dozen or so impeccably maintained 17th- and 18th-century houses and furnishings — a slow drive down Old Main Street feels like a time warp.

When we reach South Deerfield, it’s pouring. But we enter a waterproof natural wonder: Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens (413-665-2805, magicwings.com). This 8,000-square-foot indoor tropical paradise hosts nearly 4,000 different exotic butterflies, who flit all around us as they dart through the lush greenery. Other inhabitants include colorful Gouldian finches, waddling button quail, and terrariums filled with frogs, lizards, and other critters. One of them, teeming with cockroaches, leaves me squirming but our daughter squealing with gross-out glee.

We were in the neighborhood, so I figured we ought to see what draws half a million visitors each year to Yankee Candle Village (877-636-7707, yankeecandle.com), the candlemaker’s 90,000-square-foot flagship store in South Deerfield. I was fully prepared to poke fun at this global capital of kitsch and candles . . . but, I’ll admit, it was pretty amazing as giant stores go.

Like some kind of New England-themed Disneyland ride, there’s an old-fashioned general store, a fudge and candy shop, and a Colonial candle-making museum. On top of the family-themed events and performances, kids can create their own colorful candles from scratch or make wax statues of their hands (after repeatedly plunging their fists into ice-cold water, then melted wax). There’s a 20-foot indoor waterfall, antique toy trains chugging along elevated tracks above you, and even, in the Christmas-themed Bavarian Village, indoor snow every four minutes.

A cure for the ensuing overstimulation can be found at Paul and Elizabeth’s restaurant (413-584-4832, paulandelizabeths.com) in Northampton. Its lofty ceilings, tall windows, and dozens of potted plants give off a refreshing, spring-like simplicity. And the menu, with a focus on seasonal specials, fresh fish, and locally sourced vegetables, was at once creative and comforting — and surprisingly affordable. The sesame-seed-encrusted catfish is perfection — light but incredibly flavorful — and my wife doesn’t leave so much as a trace of her organic pasta dish.

Just downstairs is the flagship location of Herrell’s Ice Cream (413-586-9700, herrells.com), which might ring a bell if you lived in Allston or Cambridge in the 2000s. I’m not ashamed to admit that we get dessert here two nights in a row. If your sweet tooth doesn’t do dairy, even the almond milk ice cream we sample is delicious — but you can also get fresh-made doughnuts, including vegan and gluten-free options, at Glazed (413-270-1885, glazeddoughnutshop.com), around the corner.

Walking around Northampton is its own urban hike, and we pop into store after quirky store. From the decidedly nonessential delights of Essentials (413-584-2327, helloessentials.com), which now shares space with Strada shoes, to the curated and crafty shops in Thornes Marketplace (413-584-5582, thornesmarketplace.com), it’s easy to find one-of-a-kind gifts and unique household items here. If your parents are bird lovers like my dad, talk to the helpful staff at Backyard Birds (413-586-3155) for a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift. We always struggle to get much farther down Main Street than the wonderful Broadside Bookshop (413-586-4235, broadsidebooks.com), which invariably sucks us in and spits us out over an hour later and a few books richer.

When you need replenishment, excellent coffee and sandwich-type fare is easy to come by: Haymarket Cafe (413-586-9969, haymarketcafe.com), Tart Baking Co. (413-584-0717, thetartness.com), and Woodstar Cafe (413-585-9777, woodstarcafe.com) are all the type of coffee shop you wish would open up in your neighborhood.

After ice cream and a stroll around town, it’s time for us to turn in. But if you’re without a little one in tow, make sure to see who’s playing at the Iron Horse Music Hall (413-586-8686, iheg.com). This legendary but intimate venue has hosted some of the biggest names in folk and roots music on their way to the top, from Tracy Chapman to Beck to Wynton Marsalis. The same ownership books bigger shows at the Calvin Theatre and club acts at Pearl Street; you can check a combined calendar of listings on the website, or call the Northampton Box Office at 413-586-8686.

When it’s not sugaring season (or when your travel companions don’t share your compulsion to guzzle maple syrup two days in a row . . . harumph), morning in Northampton means French toast and omelets at cheerful Sylvester’s (413-586-5343, sylvestersrestaurant.com) or eggs and the house hash at the cozier Jake’s (413-584-9613, jakesnorthampton.com).

Both get crowded on weekend mornings, so if you can’t stomach the wait, grab some bakery treats and coffee to go and have a picnic breakfast in Look Park (413-584-5457, lookpark.org) in Northampton’s Florence village. The 150-acre expanse is run by a private nonprofit that charges a fee to park, but it’s a beautiful place to spend a few hours outdoors. A small, free zoo includes pygmy goats, peacocks, owls, deer, and other animals kids can feed by hand, and a seasonal steamer train makes a 1-mile loop around the park for $2 and change.

Speaking of trains, the Northampton area is blessed with miles and miles of paved bike paths along former railroad lines. These flat, car-free routes make for the ideal bike ride (rentals start at $25 a day at Northampton Bicycle; 413-586-3810, nohobike.com), and they’re also nice for walking when hiking trails are muddy with spring snowmelt. The popular Norwottuck Rail Trail connects Northampton with Amherst, but if you take the Manhan Rail Trail about 4 miles south, you’ll come to a new gem in Easthampton: Mill 180 Park (413-203-1687, mill180park.com). Of course, you can also drive there, which we do.

Mill 180 is an indoor public park inside a huge brick industrial building on Lower Mill Pond. Designed to emulate a lively city park, but indoors, it has a landscape of artificial turf, various lawn games, and hundreds of hydroponic plants that eventually make their way into the cafe’s delicious salads. Local beers and wine are on tap, too; I enjoy a Nightshade Stout from Abandoned Building Brewery (413-282-7062, abandonedbuildingbrewery.com), whose taproom is a couple of buildings down.

We meet up with friends and let our kids explore the park’s features together; they include a giant chess board, foam building blocks, and a whimsical mushroom-shaped cabin. Weekends often bring some type of family entertainment, and our daughter gets her face expertly painted for the price of a small tip. It’s tough to get the kids out of there, but by early evening, the family crowd begins to dissipate and the grownups take over, with periodic concerts and other events.

Despite the soggy weather, we return home with our spirits brightened. And thanks in no small part to the area colleges, the valley is saturated with other rainy-day entertainment as well. There’s art everywhere, from the heavy-hitting collection of the Smith College Museum of Art (413-585-2760, smith.edu/artmuseum) in Northampton to more whimsical works at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (413-559-6300, carlemuseum.org) in Amherst. Get your fossil fix at the free Beneski Museum of Natural History (413-542-2165, amherst.edu/museums/naturalhistory) or visit the homestead of a cherished American poet at the Emily Dickinson Museum (413-542-8161, emilydickinsonmuseum.org), both in Amherst. And drizzly days make a fine excuse to visit some of the area’s excellent craft beer taprooms, like Berkshire Brewing (413-665-6600, berkshire-brewing.com) in South Deerfield and Lefty’s Brewing Company (413-475-3449, leftysbrew.com) in Greenfield.

But if it’s the outdoors you’re after, you can always find it in the Pioneer Valley — rain or shine.

Jon Gorey is a writer in Quincy. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.Follow us on Twitter @BostonGlobeMag.

BEST BETS FOR SUNNY OR SOGGY WEATHER

Get your fill of nature no matter what the fickle spring skies throw at you. Here are your best bets no matter the weather in Pioneer Valley.

OUTDOOR PARK

Northampton’s Look Park (413-584-5457, lookpark.org) is a treasure in good weather, with acres of grassy fields and a petting zoo, plus a seasonal steam train ride, mini-golf, and pedal-boat rentals.

INDOOR PARK

Mill 180 Park (413-203-1687, mill180park.com) in Easthampton is an indoor public green space designed to make the best parts of a great city park — such as greenery, community, and programming — available in all weather.

OUTDOOR FLOWERS

The Bridge of Flowers is an old trolley bridge spanning the Deerfield River in Shelburne Falls that’s lined with hundreds of flowering plants. It makes for a colorful and sweet-smelling stroll between April and October. See what’s in bloom at bridgeofflowersmass.org.

INDOOR FLOWERS

Get your bloom on at the Lyman Plant House at the Botanic Garden of Smith College (413-585-2740, smith.edu/garden), which holds thousands of plants from around the world encased in glass greenhouses.

OUTDOOR CLIMB

The Pioneer Valley has plenty of scenic day hikes, such as Mount Holyoke, Mount Sugarloaf, Mount Tom, and Chesterfield Gorge.

INDOOR CLIMB

At Central Rock Gym (413-584-7625, centralrockgym.com) in Hadley — the second of more than a dozen locations in this fast-growing Massachusetts-based chain — we and some friends hired a staff member to belay for us as we took turns scaling the 40-foot walls. It was surprisingly cheap when split four ways.

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[newstfionline]

An English Sheep Farmer’s View of Rural America

By James Rebanks, NY Times, March 1, 2017

MATTERDALE, England--I am a traditional small farmer in the North of England. I farm sheep in a mountainous landscape, the Lake District fells. It is a farming system that dates back as many as 4,500 years. A remarkable survival. My flock grazes a mountain alongside 10 other flocks, through an ancient communal grazing system that has somehow survived the last two centuries of change. Wordsworth called it a “perfect republic of shepherds.”

It’s not your efficient modern agribusiness. My farm struggles to make enough money for my family to live on, even with 900 sheep. The price of my lambs is governed by the supply of imported lamb from the other side of the world. So I have one foot in something ancient and the other foot in the 21st-century global economy.

Less than 3 percent of people in modern industrial economies are farmers. But around the world, I am not alone: The United Nations estimates that more than two billion people are farmers, most of them small farmers; that’s about one in three people on the planet.

My farm’s lack of profitability perhaps shouldn’t be of any great concern to anyone else. I’m a grown-up, and I chose to live this way. I chose it because my ancestors all did this, and because I love it, however doomed it might seem to others.

My farm is where I live, and there is actually no other way to farm my land, which is why it hasn’t changed much for a millennium or more. In truth, I could accept the changes around me philosophically, including the disappearance of farms like mine, if the results made for a better world and society. But the world I am seeing evolve in front of my eyes isn’t better, it is worse. Much worse.

In the week before the United States elected Donald J. Trump to the presidency, I traveled through Kentucky, through endless miles of farmland and small towns. It was my first visit to the United States, for a book tour. I was shocked by the signs of decline I saw in rural America.

I saw shabby wood-frame houses rotting by the roadside, and picket fences blown over by the wind. I passed boarded-up shops in the hearts of small towns, and tumbledown barns and abandoned farmland. The church notice boards were full of offers of help to people with drug or alcohol addictions. And yes, suddenly I was passing cars with Trump stickers on their bumpers, and passing houses with Trump flags on their lawns.

The economic distress and the Trump support are not unconnected, of course. Significant areas of rural America are broken, in terminal economic decline, as food production heads off to someplace else where it can be done supposedly more efficiently. In many areas, nothing has replaced the old industries. This is a cycle of degeneration that puts millions of people on the wrong side of economic history.

Economists say that when the world changes, people will adapt, move and change to fit the new world. But of course, real human beings often don’t do that. They cling to the places they love, and their identity remains tied to the outdated or inefficient things they used to do, like being steel workers or farmers. Often, their skills are not transferable anyway, and they have no interest in the new opportunities. So, these people get left behind.

I ask myself what I would do if I didn’t farm sheep, or if I couldn’t any longer farm sheep. I have no idea.

Perhaps it is none of my business how Americans conduct their affairs and how they think about economics. I should doubtless go back to the mountains of my home here in Cumbria, and hold my tongue. But for my entire life, my own country has apathetically accepted an American model of farming and food retailing, mostly through a belief that it was the way of progress and the natural course of economic development. As a result, America’s future is the default for us all.

It is a future in which farming and food have changed and are changing radically--in my view, for the worse. Thus I look at the future with a skeptical eye. We have all become such suckers for a bargain that we take the low prices of our foodstuffs for granted and are somehow unable to connect these bargain-basement prices to our children’s inability to find meaningful work at a decently paid job.

Our demand for cheap food is killing the American dream for millions of people. Among its side effects, it is creating terrible health problems like obesity and antibiotic-resistant infections, and it is destroying the habitats upon which wildlife depends. It also concentrates vast wealth and power in fewer and fewer hands.

After my trip to rural America, I returned to my sheep and my strangely old-fashioned life. I am surrounded by beauty, and a community, and an old way of doing things that has worked for a long time rather well. I have come home convinced that it is time to think carefully, both within America and without, about food and farming and what kind of systems we want.

The future we have been sold doesn’t work. Applying the principles of the factory floor to the natural world just doesn’t work. Farming is more than a business. Food is more than a commodity. Land is more than a mineral resource.

Despite the growing scale of the problem, no major mainstream politician has taken farming or food seriously for decades. With the presidential campaign over and a president in the White House whom rural Kentuckians helped elect, the new political establishment might want to think about this carefully.

Suddenly, rural America matters. It matters for the whole world.

[northernlifemagazine]

Who doesn’t love Cornwall? Rugged coastlines, gorgeous beaches, pretty fishing villages, fantastic food…

But here’s something Christina Brion from holiday company Gorgeous Cottages thinks we really ought to consider; you can experience all of this a lot closer to home:

“I absolutely adore Cornwall, there’s no denying it has that something special. But what a lot of people don’t realise, particularly those in the South, is that you can experience the same wonderful things in Yorkshire. And what’s more, it’s easier to reach us!”

Not only is it easily accessible from air, road or plane but God’s Own County has plenty to offer even the most discerning traveller.

“We’ve long been advocates of the many wonderful experiences Yorkshire offers the discerning holiday maker, and now with the advent of Andrew Pern’s latest restaurant in Whitby, we feel 2017 is time to ask ‘Is Yorkshire is the new Cornwall?’”

Here are Christina’s top 10 reasons why Yorkshire should be top of your UK holiday bucket list this year…

The rugged coastline and wonderful wildlife

Staithes

Yorkshire has miles and miles of coastline to explore. From quaint fisherman’s coves to seaside towns that are steeped in history you certainly won’t be short of something to do.

Whale watch in Whitby, go rock pooling in Runswick Bay, then explore the meandering cobbled streets of Robin Hoods Bay (once a haven for smuggling)!

The 109 mile Cleveland Way runs along the Yorkshire Coast and can be broken into manageable walks to see some spectacular clifftop views (at the highest point in Staithes the cliffs are 200 metres high), rocky shores and sandy beaches.

On your bike!

The Tour de France in 2014 and subsequent Tour de Yorkshire races have certainly put Yorkshire on the cycling map and it isn’t hard to see why. Take a bike ride through the region and you’ll get dramatic climbs, peaceful country roads and some truly jaw-dropping scenery. Don’t worry if you aren’t quite up to the standard of Bradley Wiggins as there are lots of routes to try that range from gentle to challenging!

Darling dales and magical moors

North York Moors

They say the best things in life are free and in Yorkshire you can explore two National Parks to your heart’s content.

The North York Moors are home to heather-clad hills, Dalby Forest (one of the best places to go stargazing in the UK), and even a heritage steam railway (the NYMR). Stretching out to the coast there are lots of pretty villages to visit including Goathland (also known as Aidensfield in TV’s Heartbeat) and Thornton-le-Dale which looks like it has come straight from a chocolate box!

The Yorkshire Dales is a rugged landscape that encompasses some of the highest peaks in England and is home to lots of traditional stone built barns and cottages. You’ll find crags, caves and waterfalls amongst the landscape that is sometimes wild, sometimes peaceful but always breath-taking.

Stylish towns and pretty villages

Pately Bridge

It’s not all about the countryside though – oh no. As well as York and Harrogate (both heaven for anyone wanting a bit of retail therapy), towns such as Helmsley have injected some serious style into Yorkshire. Think micro-breweries, independent boutiques and restaurants that are embracing the latest food production techniques.

There are also lots of villages to visit with traditional 17th and 18th century inns, tea rooms, riverside walks and even a castle or two! We recommend:

Pateley Bridge

Named Village of the Year 2016 it has a lovely riverside location in Nidderdale plus a high street that’s brimming with tea rooms, independent shops, award-winning butchers and the Oldest Sweetshop in England.

Hutton-le-Hole

Set in a peaceful valley within the North York Moors, this is a classic English village, complete with babbling brook and local pub. It’s also the setting for the Ryedale Folk Museum which tells the story of rural life from the Iron Age to the 1950s.

Ripley

Home to a 700-year old castle complete with magnificent grounds and a World Famous Ice Cream.

Foodie heaven

With plenty of farmland and a long fishing heritage, you will never have to travel too far in Yorkshire to find the freshest fish, meat, fruit and vegetables. As well as famous Yorkshire products like Wensleydale Cheese, there is a whole range of artisan producers who are creating high quality items that are home-made rather than mass produced.

You’ll also find regular farmers’ markets in many Yorkshire towns. Malton in North Yorkshire has become a bit of a mecca for local foodies (recognised by Antonio Carluccio) and each month you’ll find lots of local suppliers congregating at their monthly food market.

Restaurant choices in Yorkshire range from rustic and hearty to seriously fancy and there are even some Michelin Star restaurants to try. There’s no need to head into the city to enjoy the finest food either as many Yorkshire restaurants have picturesque settings with stunning views. Provenance is key in the region so you’ll find lots of seasonal dishes using the freshest local ingredients.

Time for tea

We do love a nice cup of tea in Yorkshire and there are numerous tea-rooms and restaurants that will serve you a top-quality brew along with a selection of sandwiches, cakes and other tasty treats.

Betty’s is probably the most famous tea room around and no trip to Yorkshire is complete without sampling one of their Fat Rascals or treating yourself to a Lady Betty Afternoon Tea.

We also recommend the Black Swan at Helmsley which offers a traditional and luxurious afternoon tea in a characterful building that dates back 500 years.

Charming country pubs

Now I always think the best thing about a little break in the country is discovering a hidden gem of a pub, complete with original features and roaring log fires and there are plenty of charming pubs in Yorkshire. You won’t have far to walk to enjoy some real ale (or a G & T if your prefer) and some excellent home-cooked food as traditional inns are dotted around the various villages and hamlets throughout the Moors, Dales and Wolds. A growing number of pubs are now dog-friendly so you can even take your four-legged friend with you.

Historical houses

Castle Howard

Yorkshire is a bit of a haven for stately homes, castles, abbeys, and mansions so there are plenty of places where you can delve into some English history.

Stately homes include mansions and country houses from the Georgian, Elizabethan and Regency periods and you’ll find walled gardens, woodland walks and beautifully recreated rooms. Places to visit include Castle Howard, Sledmere House and Burton Agnes Hall.

Castles provide a fascinating insight into some of the bloody battles of the past and examples include Bolton Castle which is one of the UK’s best preserved medieval castles and Middleham Castle which was the childhood home of Richard III and has the largest castle keep in the country.

There are also several fine examples of Cisterian abbeys dating back to the 12th century including Fountains Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey and Jervaulx Abbey.

A literary history

It’s no surprise that the beautiful Yorkshire countryside has been the inspiration for some literary classics. The three Bronte sisters are arguably the most famous authors to have come from Yorkshire and were inspired by the moorland near their home in Haworth. Today the Bronte Parsonage Museum (the 19th century home of the Brontes) showcases their life and classic works such as Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre.

Another famous book with roots in Yorkshire is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The gothic Whitby Abbey was one of the inspirations for this classic horror tale. The imposing remains are perched high on a cliff and though you’ll have to climb 199 steps to reach it, the views from the top are well worth the effort.

Beautiful cottages

Yorkshire has lots of gorgeous old Georgian townhouses, stone barns and traditional cottages that have been transformed into some truly stunning holiday lets.

As well as original features such as oak beams and fireplaces (complete with wood-burning stoves), you’ll find lots of design flare with sumptuous fabrics, monsoon showers, statement furniture and Farrow and Ball wall colours.

Whether you are looking for a romantic getaway for 2 or a celebration for 16, you will find some great choices of properties in Yorkshire:

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The Old Reading Room – Just over the road from a fab Yorkshire restaurant (The Wensleydale Heifer) and with a wood-fired hot tub in the garden.

Gilling Lodge – a sumptuous Georgian manor house with grand rooms and gorgeous gardens that sleeps up to 16 people.

Dugdales Barn – a stylish barn conversion in Settle with dramatic double height living space and 2 en-suite bedrooms.

Rosemary Cottage – a country cottage for two, complete with walled garden and pretty village location.

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If this has whetted your appetite for a holiday in Yorkshire, Gorgeous Cottages have 130 luxury properties throughout the Moors, Dales, Coast and Wolds.

Visit gorgeouscottages.com or call 01642 263249.

Top 10 reasons why Yorkshire should be top of your UK holiday bucket list this year Who doesn’t love Cornwall? Rugged coastlines, gorgeous beaches, pretty fishing villages, fantastic food… But here’s something Christina Brion from holiday company Gorgeous Cottages thinks we really ought to consider; you can experience all of this a lot closer to home: