Ben Rooney uses a sickle to harvest rice, preferring a manual way to cut rice stalks.
Can a small-scale farm function as a closed circuit outside of petroleum-fed industry? Ben Rooney and other seasonal farmers try to address this question as they expand Wild Folk Farm in Benton, Maine. Located on what the agricultural world calls marginal soil, the farm has had a successful season of growing rice, and is now enlarging their test rice paddy to span an acre of land. However, to level the paddy by hand, and be in keeping with their fossil-fuel-free ideals would take over a year according to Ben. The farm had to compromise money, the environment, and their philosophies in order to grow.
The farm does not have electricity or running water. The kitchen yurt is a center of activity on the farm.
Tomatoes are grown without the use of pesticides.
Ben examines the rice before harvest.
Ben feeds the sheep after relocating their pasture to make room for the expanding rice paddy.
Ben discusses the rice paddy excavation.
Mike Conover lays down cardboard as a pesticide-free way to ready the soil for new crops in the spring.
Kate Wallace harvests dill to add to a salad she is making for lunch.
Greenhouses on the farm help to extend the growing season for crops.
This small structure is the only area with electricity and internet on the farm.
Ben is the manager on Wild Folk Farm.
Rice hangs to dry after the second full day of harvest.