The late Peter Dunning had a small hill farm in Springfield, Vermont, called Mile Hill Farm. Forest and orchards, wet spots and steep, rocky pasture picked over by farmers for hundreds of years. The kind of place that does not lend itself to the industrial production of anything, but instead lends itself to the production of everything.
Peter farmed, mostly alone, for nearly 40 years. When I talked with Peter in 2017, he was getting done. The animals were gone, the farm was growing up around him. We sat at his kitchen table and talked about what it's like to farm for a whole life, then see it go fallow.
I learned of Peter Dunning from a documentary, Peter and the Farm. It's stunning. Watch it if you can. Music for this show by David Schulman and Quiet Life Motel.
Thank you Geof Hewitt for your help with the poetry.
This show also features the last verse of a remarkable poem called Marshall Washer, by Vermont poet Hayden Carruth. Here's the full text.
Rumble Strip is a podcast produced by Erica Heilman and distributed on the radio by Vermont Public. Learn more about the show here.
