The real dirt on farmer John [videorecording] / ITVS presents ; Collective Eye ; produced by Collective Eye, Inc. ; in association with Independent Television Service (ITVS) ; written by John Peterson ; produced by Teri Lang ; directed and produced by Taggart Siegel.
Narrated by John Peterson. Originally produced as an American motion picture in 2005. Special features: "Bitter Harvest" [black and white documentary featurette] (1983) (8 min.); "The Bug Song" [music video] (2 min.); "The Farmer John Song" [music video] (3 min.); Deleted scenes (6 min.); Photo gallery [slide show] (6 min.); Downloadable materials [requires a DVD-ROM drive].
Contents:
Family farm -- Influence -- Debt -- Never farm again -- Deep in crisis -- Distrust & suspicion -- Haunted by memories -- Way of life -- Shareholders -- Something worthwhile -- Learning -- Clear my name.
Summary:
The Peterson family farm is located in Caledonia, 75 miles outside Chicago. Like many farms, it thrived for decades and expanded in the 1960s to survive. As John Peterson approached his college years, his father unexpectedly died, leaving him in charge. Thus, John became a farmer, albeit a strange farmer, with one foot in the counterculture and the other in rich organic soil. The film, combining his mother Anna's home movies and footage by his close friend Taggart Siegel, explores the Rockwellian experience of growing up on a Midwestern farm, the calamitous failure of family farms in the age of corporate farming, and the rise of organic gardening and Community Supported Agriculture.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.