GUEST COLUMN: Free ag documentary won’t disappoint you
September 09, 2009 · Jeff Walberg

can think of only two great films depicting the drama of agriculture and rural life. The first is "The Grapes of Wrath." The second is "The Real Dirt on Farmer John."

I know I'm not alone in my admiration of Farmer John's film because I was among the 2,000 people giving him a five-minute standing ovation at the Roger Ebert Film Festival in Urbana, Ill., last year. We are fortunate to have the same opportunity this Friday when Farmer John comes to Cornell College for a free showing of the film at 7 p.m. in the West Science Building.

In his 2007 review, Ebert wrote: "This is a loving, moving, inspiring, quirky documentary that was made while the lives it records were being lived. We get a sure sense for the gradual death of the American family farm, the auctions of land and farm equipment, the encroachment of suburban housing, and then an almost miraculous rebirth through the introduction of organic gardening."

One of the most powerful aspects of the film is its engrossing portrayal of traditional farm culture through the home movies made by John's mother. These images, juxtaposed against scenes depicting the ups and downs of John's fortunes, clearly display the simple yet profound connections that once existed between families, communities, and the land.

Much is made in the movie about John's eccentric nature; his life is clearly equal parts theatre and farming, and it's astonishing to recognize as the story unfolds how much of his life was filmed in real-time by a friend he met in college. But for me, it's John's relationship with his mother and his farm, all inextricably linked, that forms the heart of this film.

Perhaps that's in part because of the profound impact John had on my life in the early 1990's when Kara and I became shareholders in Angelic Organics, his community supported farm in northern Illinois. We were living in Chicago in an apartment with bars on the windows and a commuter train rumbling past our front window. Every Monday I trekked to O'Hare Airport to begin my workweek in Atlanta or Dallas or Boston, and then back home late Friday night.

John's vegetables, his essays, and especially the farm itself, helped draw me back to roots I never really understood or knew I cared so much about. The last 15 years of my life have been a journey to investigate those roots and to claim some part of my history as my own story, all the while doing my best to honor the lives of my grandparents. Though they were retired by the time I can remember, I'll never forget Sunday dinners in the home they built themselves - no indoor plumbing, wood-burning stove for cooking, Grandpa's enormous garden, Grandma's root cellar packed with jars, and wall-to-wall aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I owe John a huge debt of gratitude, and the only way I can think to repay him is by inviting you to meet him yourself. Please don't be shy - 2,000 Ebert Fest patrons can't be wrong. Whether you're a regular visitor to campus or a first-timer, know that you are very welcome to attend, and your presence will be appreciated.

(Editor's Note: Jeff Walberg works in the Office of College Communications at Cornell College. He is also serves on the Mount Vernon School Board and is a former Sun correspondent.)