Farmscape is inspired by the community play which documents the contemporary Midwest farmscape. Savor the taste of organic vegetables on a truck on its way to the local farmer’s market, suit up in protective clothing and a mask before you enter a hog confinement operation. Experience the David and Goliath story of an organic farmer up against the economic forces of the 3500 acre agri-business operation next door. In the end, you’ll understand that during the pioneer days, farming completely changed the ecosystem of the prairie. A hundred and fifty years later, this landscape is dramatically changing again. This book contains the full readers’ theatre script as well as commentary on both Farmscape and the Changing Rural Environment by Anna Lappé, Frederick Kirschenmann, Gene Logsdon, J. Harley McIlrath, Francis Thicke, Jim O’Loughlin, Mary Klotzbach, Claudia Prado-Meza, Leigh Adcock, Jason Arbogast, Laura Sweeney, and Vicki Simpson.
Farmscape was written up in Grist, Farm Aid, and BookList check these out.
Super write up in Edible Omaha magazine
Others on Farmscape:
“Destined to become an American classic.”
—Osha Gray Davidson, Broken Heartland: The Rise of America’s Rural Ghetto
“A beautiful, often heart-breaking portrayal of the wrenching changes in Midwestern farming.”
—Richard Longworth, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and author of Caught in the Middle: America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism
“An inventive and intimate look at the lives of people throughout the spectrum of agriculture.”
—Lisa Hamilton, Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness
“This is theater that really matters to everyone involved, and people in communities far beyond Iowa want in, want to participate in this unique experience themselves.”
—Deborah Koons Garcia, film producer, The Future of Food
“It’s a rare treat to find a play that captures the agricultural experience.”
—John Peterson, lifelong farmer, Angelic Organics and star of The Real Dirt on Farmer John
“Farmscape nails the rural experience.”
—Denise O’Brien, farmer and founder of Women, Food, and Agricultural Network