Cal Poly Farms

Wendell Berry’s poem, “The Timbered Choir,” is easy to identify with in the presence of the enormous trees that sprawl overhead. The branches wind their way upward in gnarled paths, and the main trunk manages to support the enormous weight. A canopy is formed overhead. The branches form natural arches that rival the splendor of cathedrals, a fact that Berry was well aware of.

After taking time to appreciate Berry’s literature in a natural setting, we continued on to Cal Poly’s main field. Hundreds of neat, evenly spaced rows of plowed dirt extend into the distance where a hill obstructs further expansion. I always imagine farmland as uniform plots, each containing a single type of crop, with every plant more or less at the same state of growth. This field is notably different. Roughly ten rows are planted, for only half the field’s total length, and they contain a wide mix of vegetables. Carrots, lettuce, turnips and more. It looks like pathetically little from afar, but by walking down a row I quickly revise my judgment. What looks like little is actually a lot, and what looks like a small field can support all sorts of crops. I will have a new perspective the next time I drive by a farm, because I have a new appreciation for the amount of food contained in plot of land.

The trip culminated with a tour of the dairy unit. We went in through the front door, and my first view of the operation was through a series of second floor hallway windows. Rows of cows were being milked below, surrounded by complex machinery. Cold steel was the dominant impression. A runway extended straight out, sloping downward with railing on either side, increasing the futuristic and artificial appearance of the facility. I couldn’t help feeling like I was looking into a manufacturing facility, sheltered from the true experience by the walls of glass. I thought of the scene in the movie Independence Day at the secret military facility, when the president and others are looking in while the aliens are operated on. It has a distinctly un-naturalist feel, but I understand, and accept, its place in modern society.