But now, I mean, you know, I think– in the book, I mentioned at one point like I was playing Star Wars as a kid, and everybody in our generation, and you know, now more generations are going to play Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and A Team, and all these iconic shows of our childhood, but I don’t think there was any accident, you know, like Luke Skywalker, you know, George Lucas wrote that character as a farm kid, you know?įorrest Pritchard: The farm kids are dreamers, and farming can be like you know pretty confining field where dreams can sometimes be squelched or made to fit inside a box. You know, I wanted to be Spiderman, and I thought my cousin, Peter, was a luckiest guy on the planet, because he had the first name like Peter Parker.įorrest Pritchard: And I was stuck with this crummy Forrest which didn’t serve me till Forrest Gump came along like 30 years later whatever. When you were a kid, was farming something you saw yourself doing like when you were in high school, like, yeah, I want to be a farmer, were you ready to get out of town and head to the big city?įorrest Pritchard: What I wanted to do more than anything when I was a kid was be a superhero.

You grew up on this farm working on it with your grandfather and your dad to extent. Your farm that you run at Smith Meadows, this is seventh generation farm, right, it’s been in your family for seven generations, a long time. Let’s talk a little bit about your history before we get into kind of what your book is about. You’re a farmer, which is a manly profession, goes back thousands of years, so it’s very appropriate that you are on The Art of Manliness podcast. Thanks for inviting me.īrett McKay: Well, you’re very welcome. I’m honored to have anything to do with The Art of Manliness. So listen it.įorrest Pritchard: Hey, thanks, Brett. So today, we’re going to talk about his story and we’re going to talk a bit about his book Gaining Ground. This farm has been in his family for eight generations, and he just came out with the book called Gaining Ground, and it’s basically his story of how he saved the family farm, because before he took it over, it was in pretty bad shape, and on the verge of being sold, and he decided to change directions in his life and become a farmer. This is an eighth generation family farm. He is the owner of Smith Meadows Farm, located in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. To me, it sounds really cool, but if I’m honest to myself, that’s never going to happen. Well, I don’t know about you guys, but every now and then, I have this dream or fantasy that of going out to Vermont, buying some land, and becoming a yeoman farmer, you know. Read the Transcriptīrett McKay: Brett McKay here, and we welcome to another edition of The Art of Manliness podcast. Subscribe to the podcast in the media player of your choice. Listen to the episode on a separate page. Listen to the Podcast! (And don’t forget to leave us a review!)

Lessons regular guys can take from farming.

The turning point in his farming career.

How sustainable farming made his hog pen smell like maple syrup.

The differences between typical farming and sustainable farming.

Even if you have zero interest in becoming a farmer, this is a great podcast to listen to - one of my favorites. Forrest and I discuss his story of how he saved a farm that’s been in his family for eight generations using sustainable farming practices. An enjoyable read - made me want to cash out and start a farm. He’s recently published a book entitled Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers’ Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm. In today’s podcast we talk to Forrest Pritchard, farmer at Smith Meadows Farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Welcome back to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast!

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