Average people and small companies found a way to help in a time of shared crisis. People looked to the simple things around them to make a difference, choosing to take a long shot at helping someone they didn’t know, even if it cost them an advertising opportunity on their packaging. 

The cow retirement centers in Nepal are an example in which both people and wildlife can mutually benefit, and in which conservation can be an economic boon. Personally, I’m glad to see nature’s dead wagon back in action again, and even making the farmer a little pocket cash.

Christmas is a fine opportunity to reconnect with family, friends and neighbors, and to even reach out to those who are less fortunate. It’s a season that can really bring out the best in all of us. However, to do so, maybe we need a way to let off a little steam. Maybe we need to also give a slight nod to the worst parts of human nature as well.

The ultimate gift of the farm journal is to remind us that we’re all in this thing called farming together. Thanks to the work of Progressive Dairy and the magazines that have come before it, thousands of farmers have a better understanding of what they do, one writer got his start, and some families out there never had a bare kitchen table.

Barn Gothic explores how my dad, my grandfather and I tried to be fathers and sons to each other while our livelihood fell apart, including the times that we failed. It chronicles the specific dramas of our farm, from dealing with accidents to the sinister actions of banks and other institutions trying to take the farm. It recounts the extraordinary lengths my father went through to keep farming, as well as how we tried to figure out who we were and what redemption there might be in what we were doing.

It was clear that the Celts took the presence of the supernatural seriously, as it dictated some of their agricultural practices. All livestock were brought in from the pasture before the night of Oct. 31 in order to protect them from nefarious beings. Sometimes crops or cattle were burned in bonfires as a sacrifice to appease the spirits. If a cow dried off unexpectedly, it was usually attributed to some form of paranormal doings. 

Kim Bean, the founder and president of Wolf and Wildlife Advocates, has experimented with hazing techniques, such as blasting Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” loudly from drone speakers, as well as a recording of her yelling “Bad dog! You’re just a bad dog, go away!”

Agrihood is part of an increasing recognition that the way food is produced is important, and while many residents may still not be getting their hands dirty, they are at least encouraging local, small-scale production. The model allows some farming ventures to make a reasonable income while bridging the urban-rural divide. In total, agrihoods are a growing option for those who want to be closer to civic agriculture.