Customer Reviews

The Real Dirt on Farmer John

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The BS factor seems to be relatively low. Very little pretense, from about as far as you can get from either coast. I'm not a farmer, but I lived close to this area & I can relate to the characters in this dying segment of the United States. John Peterson is an original, born & breed on a midwest farm. A farmer was all he ever wanted to be . It was his destiny & inheritance. Success, failure, success, failure, success. That is also an American story. But failure for the American farmer today is inevitable. The farm John grew up on was a success. It fact it was easier to be a farmer post World War II than the mid 1960's & even today. John felt the guilt as his family's farm slipped slowly out of his grasp. He attended Beloit College in Wisconsin, basically because it was the school closest to the farm. People were drawn to him because of his natural goodness, forthrightness & nonconfrmist attitudes. He drew the counter-culture crowd, they used to be called hippies, to his farm in sort of a loose commune-type atmosphere. The economy of the whole country was entering a recession & farmers started losing their land, including John. Because he was a controversial character, he was a easy target to blame for the bad econmomic times. This is one man's life but it also an important documentary on the disappearence in America of the family farm from degradation of the land through chemical pesticides, fertilizers, overuse & urbanization. John, in another trait that is so very American was able to reinvent himself & yet able to stay on the land. It is that oppotunity for second & even third chances that has drawn people fron all over the world for over two hundred years. I did not know about this movie until I saw a blurb on the cover of the dvd in a rental store that indicated the Al Gore has viewed it. Some excellent extras, including two music videos fron John's girlfriend, Lesley Littlefield, that I watched twice. Really, a worthwhile effort.

I didn't know what to expect from `The Real Dirt on Farmer John'. Knowing that America was once known as "the bread basket of the world," I knew this documentary would have some import, but I never realized that it would be this engaging.

You get the idea you've stumbled into a different story when John Peterson, the focal point and protagonist of this little movie, is performing his work on farm machinery looking like Elton John if he had become a farmer. Flamboyantly dressed, we see a man with a colorful personality and an even more colorful past.

Since The Depression John's Scandinavian family obtained a farm in North Central Illinois where corn and hogs kept their existence simple, yet plentiful. After his father died when he was fairly young, John had to take over the farm with his mother's support and his uncle's inspiration. Determined, John like many other of his neighbors, fell upon hard times. Remembering Willie Nelson's initiatives with "Farm Aid" during the eighties, the film reminded me so much of those news reports that showed the farmer's existence being put to the way side. Like many effective documentaries, this film has home movies showing actual auctions as many American farmers lost their livelihood to real estate developers. The shift in America's agriculture is entirely accessible in this fun and informative little DVD.

Education was John's ace in the hole. He went to Beloit Community College during the hippie era and was able to recruit several friends who wanted the communal lifestyle. Artsy met earthy, and John offered a virtual paradise. Yet, differences often create suspicion, and John's neighbors started rumors that devastated him personally and financially. People started to scapegoat John for misfortunes that occurred and labeled him a Satanic cult member. At the head of the opposition was Sheriff Don, who is often interviewed and makes the story less remote and more real.

While John is resourceful, what actually transpires and how he copes is enough to see it all for yourselves. 'The Real Dirt on Farmer John' is an enjoyable experience that yields a large crop of interest.

(I have two things in common with John Peterson. One is that we both bear the same name, and the other is that we both grew up eighty miles apart from one another in Illinois.)

I can't imagine anyone watching this documentary, and then NOT wanting to either grow vegetables organically, or buy them only organically...

This film is life-affirming in so many different ways, and such a visual and emotional treat. It speaks to many cultural and ethical issues, including of course to the issue of corporate vesrsus local, organic farming, our flagrant use of pesticides and herbicides, and oil-based nitrogen, etc.

It also speaks to the value of human artistic endeavors, to the unfortunate conservatism and closed-mindedness of many traditional farming communities, to the value of human diversity, and much more.

Let's just say that, if you decide to see this documentary, your own life will be reaffirmed and made more meaningful.

How often do we come across entertaining movies from a Midwestern America point-of-view, and more specifically a farmer's point-of-view? I can't say that I ever have before. This movie engages people on so many levels! Adults can relate to the wonderful family histories of people and property, the way one's occupation can break your heart, the need to pick yourself up and dust yourself off afterwards, and the powerful pain that made-up gossip can inflict. I especially appreciated the film maker's gifts for making the audience see and respect people who can seem invisible in our society. For example, an aging mom or the Mexican-American worker with a gazillion handy skills. My church paired this movie with Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" for a thought-provoking focus on the food we eat and how we obtain it.

I married into a farming family and teach in a rural area in Southwestern New York. This film resonated for both me and my husband on so many levels! We loved the opening where John takes a bite out of a clump of dirt...this is something my husband does! He tells everyone how much he loves dirt! I hope to add it to your school library....so much here in this film about rural life,communities,families, what it means to be different,and the same...the filmmaker must have had tons of material to work with. As my husband said, "Thank goodness John's mother bought that movie camera." Good films about contemporary rural life, such as this one, are rare.

This surprising, stunning, satisfying film sneaks up on you, then embraces you. Interested in organics? Part of the organic movement? It's a must-see for you.

It celebrates the soul of true-grit Americans, artists, dreamers -the men and women who just won't quit. It celebrates the human condition.

Lovely!

"It used to be that everyone in this country had a connection to farms, but now most of these farms have gone". This film shows the history of farming in the US, through the eyes of a particular farmer in the Midwest, John Peterson. Bankruptcy eliminated most of the small family farms, being unable to pay back their loans from the 70's on through the 90's. This was also the fate of John Peterson, who had to sell most of his land (330 acres), and was left with only 22 acres.

John Peterson is a wonderful individual. He's not only a farmer, but he's also very fond of art. He makes all kind of stuff, he writes, he paints, he sings, he makes music videos, he performs in theatre and of course he is the star of this movie. He is also aware of his being not very common. In his hippie period, he said his farm was located on the "Midwest Coast".

But he's also a tough guy. No matter how big the misfortunes, after some retreat and meditation, he always comes back with a new plan, and goes forward. So, after suffering from bankruptcy, he decided to quit chemicals and transforming his farm to organics, like it used to be, in the 20's, fertilizing with manure. The next logical step was getting involved the community. His farm, Angelic Organics, has now 1200 shareholders from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme. Each shareholder receives each week a box full of fresh and healthy vegetables and fruits. This way, the farm performs its historical role again, reuniting the people with the source of the food.

We should definitively all be supporting farmers who switch to organics. They need us, as we need them. Look for organic farmers in your local communities. It's good for your health and it's good for the environment.

Wow. Farmer John has lived five lifetimes in one, it seems. I didn't know what to expect after seeing John plow a field in drag on his tractor but the film turned out to be more human and multi-dimensional in short order. From losing his father early to losing his mother late, John moves from a seemingly idyllic boyhood to a college experience that has one of his feet in the past and one in the future to an adulthood marked by a struggle to articulate his vision for living his life, all the while enduring the ignorant judgments and harassments of his neighbors. How fair and proper it is that John found his niche in organic CSA farming. May many happy days and bountiful harvests fill the rest of his years.

John Peterson's grandfather bought a farm following the Great Depression. His father farmed it, and raised John to be a farmer as well. But the easy credit of the 80s imploded, and John had to sell all but about 28 acres.

His satanic cult was prospering.

Except the credit crisis was real, and the cult was in the imagination of others. They both affected Farmer John in profound ways.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John is John Peterson's story. He grew up on the farm, but his dad's early death due to complications from diabetes put the farm on his shoulders. This farm boy also went to a local college (Beloit) and was exposed for the first time to... people unlike him. He fell in love with art and artists, and invited them to the farm. Needless to say, artsy folk look and behave differently, and soon rumors of a satanic cult started circulating. John was just trying to keep the farm, and his friendships, continuing.

The farm credit crisis led to a loss of the majority of the acreage, and his reputation, sullied, didn't endear him to the sheriff and his neighbors. John traveled, trying to get his head together.

Eventually (and the path is described in this movie), he begins to develop his small farm into one producing organic farm products sold at a roadside stand. This eventually becomes a community-supported agriculture (CSA) operation called Angelic Organics.

This entire story is touching, inspiring, and hopeful. Farmer John refused to be pigeon-holed into a "farmer" stereotype, nor was he willing to hide or escape from his farming background. What he learned was that his passions were shared by others, and today Angelic Organics is a model for the survival of other small-scale farmers.

Where does your food come from? Where CAN it come from? Let Farmer John tell you his story, and you'll be able to answer these questions.

This is a wonderful documentary that has won many awards at film festivals in the United States and foreign countries. I have seen it three times and plan to buy copies to give as gifts to family and friends who, I am sure, will enjoy it as much as I did.