1972 Farm Journal

About the Book

1972 Farm Journal is a transcription of a journal the writer kept that summer living on a communal organic farm in central New York State. Every day's entry is about the ins and outs of the farming venture -- machinery operation and break down, success and failure in planting vegetables and marketing them, relations between the people, particularly relations between the sexes, relations with the local people who came with beer to offer advice, and to see what's up! Added is the other partners memories and present situations. We had a 36th year reunion in 2008, for one of the communal partners still owns the farm. Photographs then and now.

The book is available from the author at $10 mailed.

You can write to him at opoakes@gmail.com to order the book. His mailing address is 67 Coolidge Road, Arlington, MA 02476, USA.

About the Author

The book is entitled Willet Produce Farm Journal — New York State — 1972. . The book is the journal I kept that year on an organic communal farm in N. Y. State along with descriptions of my prior life leading up to going to live on the farm, and what happened to me afterwords.  I've included contributions from other farm partners, both pre and post.<p>

I presently live in Arlington, Mass., and I am retired, but am involved in pro bono work with farms and farmers' markets; see <www.bostonareagleaners.org>.  I am married to Pat Magee, who is a teacher naturalist part time, and have one son Robin, aged 28, who is starting out a career in sports coaching and management.  My hobbies are birding, canoeing, gardening (see also <www.robbinsfarmgarden.org>), and in the winter pond skating and cross country skiing. 

This will be my 5th self-published book.  They are:

Robbins Farm Park, Arlington, Mass., a Local History from the Revolutionary War to the Present, 3rd Edition, 2007

Stories of Early 20th Century Life, an Oral History of Arlington ; Edited, Arlington Arts Council, 1992

Farms and Farmers of the Arlington Farmers Market 1997 - 2005

Orchids at Christmas 2007, edited, a reprint with additions to publication of the Harvard Botanical Museum, 1975, about Prof. Oakes Ames, a botanist, with botanical art by Blanche Ames Ames.

Butler Ames and the Villa Balbianello Lake Como, Italy, An American Oral History, edited and compiled, 2009.