Agri-Food Film Series: "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" April 1, 2010

The Real Dirt on Farmer John (dir. Taggart Siegel, 2006, 82 min.) is a documentary about a maverick Midwestern farmer. Castigated as a pariah in his community, Farmer John bravely transforms his farm amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors, and arson. He succeeds in creating a bastion of free expression and a revolutionary form of agriculture in rural America. Filmmaker Taggart Siegel has effectively woven together Peterson's home movies from the 1950s, with footage from the 70s (when the farm was a hippie art commune), the 80s (when Peterson lost almost everything), from Mexico (where he sought solace and healing from his failure), the 90s (when Peterson experienced his resurrection) and recent years, as the farm now brims with organic produce, student farmers, families and children as a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm serving 1200 families in the Chicago area. The film reflects the struggles of American family farmers over the last fifty years and, more importantly, the universal Hero's Journey through life, death and rebirth.

The Agri-foods reading group has organized a series of films on food throughout the 2009-10 academic year. Members of the group will facilitate a short (approx. 30 min.) discussion after each film.

Official Website: http://www.agrifoodumn.net/