America's farm families
"Five Farms" explores the lives of farm families who plant, feed, herd, harvest and deliver food to our markets.
It's a good time to be a farmer in Iowa. Corn prices are soaring, and with help from chemicals and biotechnology, Midwestern farmers produce more corn on an acre of land than ever before. Craig and LaVon Griffieon and their four children are the fifth and sixth generation on the family's farm near Des Moines. They raise corn, soybeans, and livestock on 1,100 acres. They say times are good financially, but they’re ambivalent about the direction of American agriculture. Craig and LaVon disagree over how they should manage their farm and their land.
Most Americans know little about where their food comes from and even less about the lives of farming families who plant, water, feed, herd, harvest and deliver that food to market. PRI's "Five Farms: Stories From American Farm Families" confronts that information gap head on.
This remarkable series of five one-hour documentaries uses compelling first-person storytelling to personalize the lives and work of five farm families in New England, the South, the Midwest, the Southwest and West Coast. By tracking these families for a full year-long cycle of the seasons, "Five Farms" reveals the resiliency of the American farmer and documents what they do to help feed the nation, while being caretakers and conservationists of the lands and resources they use. "Five Farms" profiles people who work hard and make considerable sacrifices, but who can also flourish, and for whom the benefits — including a deep understanding of the land they work — are rich.
Each episode of this powerful series helps listeners make the critical connection between the food on their tables and families who work to produce it.
Watch the series overview:
"Five Farms: Stories From American Farm Families" is produced by Wesley Horner Productions in association with the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. The series will be available beginning April 27 on PRI Affiliate Stations across the U.S.
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