by Beth Hoffman
First published 2021
Beth Hoffman had built a successful life as a journalist and professor in San Francisco. She had spent decades reporting on food and agriculture. In her late 40s, she and her husband made a dramatic choice. They left the city for his family ranch in Iowa to become farmers themselves. Beth quickly learns that farming demands more than passion and knowledge. Her father-in-law resists giving up control of the land. Growing environmentally friendly oats drains their wallet. Finding a place to process their grass-finished beef during COVID becomes a logistical nightmare. The couple struggles to balance their books as expenses mount and income stays low. Beth knows that half of America's two million farms earned less than $300 in 2019. Rising land costs, expensive equipment, climate uncertainty, and limited healthcare options make farming incredibly risky. Even with their savings and land access, making ends meet seems impossible at times. Beth realizes she occupies a privileged position compared to farmers facing racism or lacking land. Her experience raises a troubling question: if she cannot succeed with her advantages, how can others survive?
Genres: family-life, american-fiction, business, contemporary, agriculture, non-fiction, biography-memoir, personal-development
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, privilege
Setting: Iowa, San Francisco
Period: 21st-century
272 pages · Hardcover · Island Press