The Farm

by Wendell Berry

A collector's edition, and the perfect gift for the stalwart Wendell Berry fan.

First printed in 1995 by Gray Zeitz of the beloved Larkspur Press in Monterey, Kentucky, this gift edition is a beautiful reproduction of Wendell Berry’s book–length poem, illustrated with the original drawings by Carolyn Whitesel.

Genres: Poetry, Agriculture, Ecology, Nature

56 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Wendell Berry is a conservationist, farmer, essayist, novelist, professor of English and poet. He was born August 5, 1934 in Henry County, Kentucky where he now lives on a farm. The New York Times has called Berry the "prophet of rural America."

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This long-form poem serves as a microcosm of many of themes of Berry’s work. The poem is an instruction manual of sorts on how to run a farm, and run it sustainably. But it is also is a reminder to live within one’s means, to coexist with what’s around us rather than conquering or subjugating it, and of the growth that comes with putting down (both real and metaphorical) roots. This is a simple but beautiful poem, with beautiful illustrations to accompany it.

[Kai Thiessen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes me want to homestead and walk in the woods would recommend

[David Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tiny book is one single poem, with illustrations; but what a poem! Berry takes you through your first arrival at the farm, through a year's worth of work, not forgetting the nearby woods. He touches on work as prayer, fellowship with neighbors, the way you shape the place and the place shapes you.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Poem denotes the problem with society no longer just confined to America. Theologically we know men were designed to work and keep the garden. Farming and agrarian culture has been a staple for the Christian since Adam took his first breath. Throughout scripture we see over and over "work" "keep" "cultivate" figuratively and literally with synonyms, analogies relating to farming. Sure, can a farm be automated to run off a iPad, yes. Should we, I don't believe so. Technology makes things empty, unfulfilling, destroys our attention spans. Just like the VR argument posed about how experiencing Roman architecture on a screen is not the same as physically being there, the same can be said about the farm, down to household economics. I can experience love of a family in VR, or I can pray for, hopefully be graciously gifted physical family, children, land, to work and keep according to the creative order of scripture. I don't want to be attached to technology more than I have to, I want to touch grass, grow things physically, spiritually, in reality. I'm thankful for being given this short poem to read.

[Scott Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Farm might be the best, but less known, book-length poem Berry had written. It is uncanny how similar Berry’s philosophy of life is to St. Benedict’s rule and his contemplative friend Thomas Merton’s writings. This is a poem I want to live and love in for years to come.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hesiod?

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, plant your veggies in the spring. Your squash and stuff like that will be ready in the late fall and early winter. Now you don't have to read the book.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, lovely, lovely. It almost makes me want to start a little family farm. ❤️

“Work done in gratitude,
Kindly, and well, is prayer.”

[Nicholas Trandahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely perfect poem.

[Christine (Tina) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prose-like poetry by a man who knows his subject well. This quick read allows for me to reminisce about my grandpop's farm and gives thought to the amount of commitment it takes to care for humanity in this capacity.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timeless description of seasons on the farm.... with plenty of life advice sprinkled in. What a better way to contemplate the meaning of it all than in the context of growing food for your family, neighbors, and community!

I loved thinking about work and how work that is well done can be a form of prayer. How the farm is changed only a little each day by all of our sweat and toils. How the land could return to its own if we were to leave. But somehow also there is beauty in the human involvement in it all!

Praise the Lord for his creation and all that we have to learn from each other and the land! ~

[John Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely and sublime. A manual for life disguised as instructions for tending a farm. Simple, practical observations that strike the soul.

"Then you must cultivate  
To keep them free of weeds  
Until they have grown tall  
And can defend themselves."

"A Sabbath for the land,  
Rest and enrichment, good  
For it, for you, for all  
The ones who're yet unborn;  
The land must have its Sabbath  
Or take it when we starve."

"Work done in gratitude,  
Kindly, and well, is prayer.  
You did not make yourself,  
Yet you must keep yourself"

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am definitely a Wendell Berry fan and I recently found this gem in a local bookstore. One must slow down and picture the experience of the seasons of living on a farm while reading Berry's work. If you would like to reminisce about living on a farm or enjoy nature or love gardening on a grand or small scale, give this book a try. It is a short prose-style read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for the GoodReads 2021 reading challenge for the book of nature poetry prompt. The poetry prompts are always hard for me because I don't have much of a concept, let alone words, for what I like and don't like. As a kid who grew up on a farm, this brought back good childhood memories of time spent outside watching the annual progress of the land. I think I liked it.

[Lainie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you live in the city or in a rural community, you'll enjoy this short piece. Wendell Berry's love of the earth he farms and the life surrounding it reverberates through everything he writes. His writing always feels like getting a big gasp of fresh air.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't resist a well packaged and illustrated book like this. I am far from a poetry expert but I did enjoy how Berry describe the life and seasons of farming even as he gently nudged the reader to think about the benefits of such a life and its meaning for our time.

[Paul Cloutier · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can a 38 page poem act as a near complete set of philosophical instructions for how farm? I don’t know what magic Wendell Berry uses, but magic it is... this little book is lovely, meditative, and an object lesson in the value of printed books. (This thing is nice to hold)

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that is Wendell Berry's "The Farm" poem. I'd read it before. This edition contains some drawings. With relatives that are farmers, I find this poem especially enjoyable as it walks through the seasons of the year and what needs to be done.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a pretty little book that contains one poem, "The Farm." The illustrations are gorgeous.

"And so you make the farm, / And so you disappear/ Into your days, your days, / Into the ground."

Wendell Berry knows good land stewardship.

[Sarah Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely instructional poem. “Work done in gratitude, / Kindly, and well, is prayer.”

[Anne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very near perfect. I almost never read something more than once. This I’ll read as often as I remember it or see it on the shelf. A dainty gift book, with generous heft of heart and life.

[Frank Karioris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could probably read this every other month and still enjoy the simple beauty and instructiveness.

[Valerie Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peaceful, gorgeous writing.

[Erika Stromerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small, clear, simple, and true. It's a profound poem.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple yet profound. If only men of moral character such as Wendell Berry were in the White House.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Save the best hay
To feed the suckling ewes."

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lovely. This poem is a feast of nourishing flavor—a call to work, rest, and find one’s place on this abundant earth. Makes me want to be a farmer, but not idealistically so.

[Avril]

Totally not because I've recently seen Minari.

[Leanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It touched my roots and my heart.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is my life a constant tending to a farm?