By now, you might have heard of Crop Mobs – organized groups of volunteers who go from farm to farm and work for a day: mulching, planting, tilling, hauling, cutting seed potatoes. Basically, they perform hand-labor to help small farms get a move on, for no monetary recompense.
I might have been the first to sign up for this do-da, if it had been offered back in the day (pre-cheese business).
Why become a Mobber?
I think it satisfies curiosity about what value-added farming is like, especially for those considering a bit of direct-to-consumer enterprise themselves.
There’s also the satisfaction of doing a good deed for someone you know (or barely know) in your community.
After looking at it a bit further, I think some mobbers might be doing it for the food; protocol dictates that in return for their services, the host provides a slice of bounty at the end of the day: hamburgers, donuts, veggies - whatever you grow, or raise up yourself.
These days, even at a sugarhouse dinner, you aren’t guaranteed homemade food. So, of course, a good feed factors in!
Why have a Mob over?
If you are a beleaguered dairy farmer knee-deep in it, you are probably thinking, ‘they can’t run machinery, or make a difference in only one day!’
True, they can’t perform daily chores, that’s not what they are about; however, they do want to make a difference.
Mobbers make light those activities that suck time and energy away from you. Things that just about anyone could do with a little direction, a positive attitude, and no prior work experience. Picking rocks comes to mind.
Does any of this sound familiar? The concept was around long before it had press coverage and a tagline, or any official organization.
The Boucher Farm has been doing this for ages, asking friends, and friends of friends to work on the farm for one day.
Remember our bi-annual “Chicken Day?” or “Turkey Day?” Volunteers are the core of our bird processing team. Afterwards, they feast on farm-raised beef or pork from the grill, with a heaping helping of our sincerest thanks for getting the job done in the shortest amount of time possible.
It’s remarkable to be on the receiving end of such assistance, and also a bit of a shock that anyone would want to help us out a second time.
What I mean to say is: it’s one thing to ask your friends to help you out for a day. It’s quite another when they ask you if they can come back.
From my perspective, Crop Mobbing is an opportunity to ease a seasonal burden and meet people who are genuinely interested in seeing you succeed and do well.
Might not work for monoculture dairies so much.
Green Mountain mobbers are booked up until November 2010, and are taking names for 2011.
Participants receive the opportunity to exchange an ordinary day of their life, for one in active agriculture.
Information can be found at greenmountaincropmob.weebly.com
