Birth, Death, and a Tractor: Connecting An Old Farm To a New Family

by Kelly Payson-Roopchand

What happens when the last son leaves the farm, and the farmer grows old? Do the stories of six generations whisper into silence, as dust darkens the windows of the empty barn? Or can a young boy, running in yellow boots through abandoned fields, bring new life back to the farm? There is much to explore, and time to wonder. There is also, for a short while, a gentle old man, atop a faded John Deere tractor, and the possibility of connection... An unforgettable true story of history and hope on a small family farm in Somerville, Maine, from its settling in the early 1800s to its perilous transfer to a new farm family in 2008. Chronicling the history of seven generations, it is a reminder of the role small farms have played in our national and family histories, and a challenge to find innovative ways to re-connect our communities to this rich but threatened resource."

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting one not so much for its content itself but rather for what it means in the larger sense of talking about farming in the United States. This is a book whose setup deals with several related subjects at once. For one, there is the effort of the author and her husband to raise a family and start work on a farm after both of them had gotten an education in agronomy. For another, there is the dynamic of the two of them being new farmers long in academic expertise but short on practical experience in making a farm work, both of them buying an old farm from an elderly farmer who was unable to keep farming due to the usual "last farmer" problems of not having children interested in farming and finding farming to be not very profitable business. It appears that if small-time family farming is to survive in the United States without drastic changes in culture and economics that one will likely need to have a ready supply of optimists to replace those driven out of family farming by the economics of it all. This book would seem to indicate that this is at least a possible model for maintaining a farming population on such grounds.

This book is about 200 pages long and divided into four parts and numerous small and unnumbered chapters. The book begins with acknowledgements an author's note. After that the author decides to begin at the end, by talking about the story, the road, as well as periods in 1976 and 1930 where there was some sort of enchantment and wonder about the beginning of affairs at this particular farm, including the efforts of the author to raise her family and start farming as well. This part of the book is title fall. The second part of the book, titled winter, switches back and forth between the winter of 2009-2010 in looking at the various farming boys and girls over the course of generations in 1874 and 1895. After that comes the third part of the book a look at spring and the weaving of cloth, and a switch between the spring of 2010 and events in 1916 and 1935. The fourth and final part of the book then looks at summer and the potential of ripeness where the author talks about the contemporary farm and also discusses events in 1939 and 1952 and the farming efforts at that time. The book then ends with an epilogue as well as two appendices including suggestions for further reading (i) and the poem "The Rhodora" by Ralph Waldo Emerson (ii).

Aside from the larger conceptual theme of this book, the interest of a book like this depends on how one feels about the writer herself. I must admit that my own feelings about the author are somewhat mixed. The author talks about her children and her farming and her relationship with her husband, and it is perhaps telling that the husband himself disappears from long stretches of this narrative, to the point where the reader wonders why he is so camera shy in the inset photos and whether or not the author separated with him at some point of this narrative. Whether or not that was the case, this is a book that offers the chance to see the life of a farm over the course of a period of time in 2009 to 2010 of about a year. This book is at its most interesting when it is talking about the past and about the legacy of earlier generations of farmers, and at its least compelling when it is talking about the author and her own life and family. This is to be lamented, but such it is.

[Nancy Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of this book, but found it at the Maine Historical Society museum store. I thought my nephew may like it (he's a farmer in the Pacific Northwest). Of course I had to read it first, before I sent it off to him for his birthday. I was utterly enchanted by this book - I may be buying more copies as gifts. The author does a wonderful job of giving the historical context (putting us into the early farmers' stories) but also telling the story of this young family, farming on land that was held by the other family for generations - a bittersweet tale of the farm going out of the family that handed it down from son to son, but with no heirs it had to go out of the family. But what a wonderful family to pass the farm along to - someone who would love it and write about it. Kelly Payson-Roopchand is an elegant and eloquent writer. I wish the Roopchand family all the best as they continue to farm in Maine.

[Sylvia Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this lyrical autobiography of a Maine farm. Well researched and well written, it certainly illuminates the love for a farm, and the struggles of a small farm to succeed economically. The author also points out how foreign farms are today, to eaters, and the eaters' children. I sincerely hope the current family living on this farm realize their hopes for the farm and themselves.

[Kay Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this memoir and micro-history of families connected to the Pumpkin Vine Family Farm in Somerville, Maine. I can't wait for the next book, which I hope will carry the narrative forward as the author's children grow up, and as the vision for the farm blossoms into reality. This is a great book club read; my book club is looking forward to discussing it.

[Michael Polizzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eloquentlt written memoir about life on a small farm in Maine.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Maine history and the behind-the-scenes of how hard yet rewarding farming really is.

[Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this well written love story of the author’s family’s life on a Maine farm woven into the two hundred year history of the farm’s existence across six generations of one family, the last of which lived next door to the author and her family. Poignant, nostalgic and very sweet. Gave me new appreciation for the challenges of life on a farm in Maine in the early 1800s.

[Susan Iverson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being written about a place in which i grew up, and with references to people i knew, brought back many memories of growing up on a farm. I was also very impressed with the incredible research that was invested in the author's storytelling, to historically contextualize the personal stories. Wonderful