The Real Dirt on Farmer John
The Eco Film on Friday, February 26th: The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Won 4 Best Documentary awards in international film festivals
Genre: Documentary. Director: Taggart Siegel. USA, 2006. 82 minutes.
An award-winning true story of a third-generation American farmer John Peterson’s heroic journey of success, failure and rebirth, through his childhood in the ‘50s, the unstable ‘60s, the hippie-influenced ‘70s, and the farm-crisis ‘80s, culminating in his transformation-based creation of a biodynamic, organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm serving 1500 families in the Chicago area with weekly fresh produce. With the death of his father during the late 60s, a teenaged John takes over the traditional family farm, slowly turning it into an experiment of art and agriculture, making it a haven for a diverse collection of people.