{"id":245,"date":"2010-07-10T18:40:22","date_gmt":"2010-07-10T18:40:22","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2010-07-10T18:40:22","modified_gmt":"2010-07-10T18:40:22","slug":"agrarian-road-trip-part-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/food-faith\/agrarian-road-trip-part-three\/","title":{"rendered":"Agrarian Road Trip &#8211; Part Three."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" id=\"attachment_898\" style=\"width: 414px;\"><strong><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/hotugc.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/coal-industry-west-virginia.jpg\" title=\"\" rel=\"lightbox-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"size-full wp-image-898 \" height=\"720\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/git-r-done.jpg\" title=\"coal industry west virginia\" width=\"404\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coal Country, West Virginia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><strong>Take Me Home, (Coal) Country Roads:<\/strong><\/strong><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>the Agrarian Tour through West Virginia<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>One of the unofficial theme songs for us \u2013 <a href=\"http:\/\/presbyterian.typepad.com\/foodandfaith\/\"><em><strong>Agrarian Road Trippers<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\u2013 has been <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ukUL_I14GPw\" rel=\"lightbox-video-0\">John Denver\u2019s \u201cCountry Roads\u201d<\/a><br \/>\n\u2013 mainly because of the line \u201cWest Virginia. Mountain Mama. Take me<br \/>\nhome. Country Roads.\u201d And West Virginia \u2013 or at least the southwest<br \/>\nregion \u2013 has her fair share of country roads. It is in the midst of<br \/>\nthese country roads that we have visited and shared stories \u2013 as well<br \/>\nas a few bluegrass tunes, picked out on banjo and guitar \u2013 with fellow<br \/>\nagrarian minded folks in Coal Country, West Virginia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Day Six and Day Seven:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" id=\"attachment_902\" style=\"width: 520px;\"><strong><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/hotugc.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/community-garden.jpg\" title=\"\" rel=\"lightbox-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"size-full wp-image-902 \" height=\"382\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/git-r-done.jpg\" title=\"community garden\" width=\"510\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mullens Community Garden at RAIL.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our main contact in Mullens, West Virginia, is the organization <a href=\"http:\/\/www.railwv.org\/\"><em><strong>Rural Appalachian Improvement League (RAIL)<\/strong><\/em><\/a>,<br \/>\nwhere we hook up with fellow young agrarians Jack and Becky. Jack has<br \/>\nbeen working with RAIL since 2008. Originally from West Virginia, Jack<br \/>\nwas hired to start a farmers market in Mullens \u2013 only problem being<br \/>\nthere were no farmers. This is coal country. No one farms here. In<br \/>\norder to tell his story of the work he has done with RAIL, Jack first<br \/>\nhad to share the <a href=\"http:\/\/beehivecollective.blogspot.com\/\">s<em><strong>tory of coal<\/strong><\/em><\/a> in Mullens and her surrounding <a href=\"http:\/\/www.coalcampmemories.com\/\"><em><strong>coal camps<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" id=\"attachment_903\" style=\"width: 520px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hotugc.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/mullens-locals.jpg\" title=\"\" rel=\"lightbox-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"size-full wp-image-903 \" height=\"286\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/git-r-done.jpg\" title=\"mullens locals\" width=\"510\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">the Locals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>First off, there aren\u2019t towns. There are coal camps \u2013 little<br \/>\n\u201cvillages\u201d created by the coal companies to house miners. These houses<br \/>\nwere built precariously upon steep mountain hillsides, with little<br \/>\nspace betwixt neighboring houses \u2013 seldom a yard or septic tank. Today,<br \/>\n65% of all sewage in Wyoming county is directly pumped into the river<br \/>\nrunning through the camps. This is not to mention the additional<br \/>\nrun-off dumped by the coal industry. This is the water \u2013 should<br \/>\nagriculture gain momentum \u2013 that will be used to irrigate gardens and<br \/>\nlivestock. In 2001, Mullens suffered a drastic flood, water climbing to<br \/>\nceilings on the first floor story of buildings and homes throughout the<br \/>\ntown. Although a flood to this magnitude is not common, seasonal<br \/>\nflooding happens on a regular basis. For the beginning agrarian, having<br \/>\nyour garden washed away at least once per season is quite the<br \/>\ndiscouraging start.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" id=\"attachment_899\" style=\"width: 414px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hotugc.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/farmer-jack.jpg\" title=\"\" rel=\"lightbox-3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"size-full wp-image-899 \" height=\"720\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/git-r-done.jpg\" title=\"farmer jack\" width=\"404\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmer Jack at the Mullens Community Gardens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, Jack sees gardening as one step towards self-sufficiency<br \/>\nfor the people living in communities historically tied to the coal<br \/>\nindustry. In former times, the coal companies outlawed gardening in<br \/>\ncoal camps \u2013 thus making coal miners and their families dependent on<br \/>\npurchasing food from the mercantile stores operated by the coal<br \/>\ncompanies. Although growing gardens is no longer illegal, the coal<br \/>\ncompanies still own 85% of the land in Wyoming county where Mullens is<br \/>\nseated. Another 5% of the land is owned by state and federal government<br \/>\n\u2013 leaving a mere 10% of land available to the people for housing,<br \/>\nparks, gardens and businesses.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" id=\"attachment_904\" style=\"width: 520px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hotugc.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/pretty-horse.jpg\" title=\"\" rel=\"lightbox-4\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"size-full wp-image-904 \" height=\"286\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/git-r-done.jpg\" title=\"pretty horse\" width=\"510\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visting a neighboring gardener and his horse Hank.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c<strong>Coal is in the blood of the people,\u201d<\/strong> one local woman from the organization, <a href=\"http:\/\/milamcreek.org\/default.aspx\"><em><strong>Friends of Milam Creek<\/strong><\/em><\/a>,<br \/>\ntold us. Out of the 20,000 people in Wyoming County, only 800 are<br \/>\nemployed in the coal industry. Employment in coal has drastically<br \/>\ndecrease with the rise in mechanization of the industry. Although most<br \/>\npeople living in coal country know at least one person who has died of<br \/>\nblack lung, jobs in the coal industry are the most sought-after. A coal<br \/>\nminer with a high school education can make more money in a year than a<br \/>\ncollege professor with a PhD. The balance of health-versus-wealth is a<br \/>\nthin line to walk in the coal industry. Jobs for the remaining<br \/>\nindividuals span mechanical labor, food service and retail. Many area<br \/>\nyouth drift away from their communities when \u2013 and if \u2013 the opportunity<br \/>\narises.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" id=\"attachment_900\" style=\"width: 520px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hotugc.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/i-heart-coal.jpg\" title=\"\" rel=\"lightbox-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"size-full wp-image-900 \" height=\"286\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/git-r-done.jpg\" title=\"i heart coal\" width=\"510\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Note: bumper sticker.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>With all these thoughts muddling up my mind, we head out to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.railwv.org\/farming-for-health-and-wealth.htm\"><em><strong>RAIL Community Garden<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n\u2013 to mull over thoughts and pull some weeds. In addition to locating<br \/>\nspaces for community residents to \u201cfarm\u201d \u2013 there is a stigma attached<br \/>\nto the lesser work of gardening \u2013 RAIL provides workshops on growing<br \/>\nfood, canning and preserving, and hosts a farmers market on RAIL\u2019s<br \/>\nproperty. Fresh food is grown for sale at market, for donation to food<br \/>\npantries, and for family consumption of those who grow it. We visited a<br \/>\nfew more gardens before harvesting some vegetables for our own dinner.<br \/>\nAt our last stop I noticed two bumper stickers both at the same house:<br \/>\n\u201cNader\/Gonzalez\u201d and \u201cI \u2018heart\u2019 Coal\u201d \u2013 an interesting combination<br \/>\nrarely replicated in any other community.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" id=\"attachment_901\" style=\"width: 520px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hotugc.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/nader.jpg\" title=\"\" rel=\"lightbox-6\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"size-full wp-image-901 \" height=\"286\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/git-r-done.jpg\" title=\"nader\" width=\"510\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Note: political sign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t take an agrarian-minded person to connect the story of<br \/>\ncoal country economics in Appalachia to mechanized, mono-cropped<br \/>\nagriculture in the Midwest. (The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.farmfutures.com\/story.aspx\/usda\/encourages\/transitioning\/land\/to\/new\/farmers\/17\/38232\"><em><strong>average age of a farmer<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\nin America today is 57.) Disillusioned youth are encouraged to seek<br \/>\neducational opportunities elsewhere due to the lack of vocational<br \/>\nattachment to the industry of the area. To leave is to succeed. Rarely<br \/>\napplauded or honored are those who choose to stay. To mine. To farm.<br \/>\nOutside do-gooders with liberal arts educations grounded in service to<br \/>\ncommunity are heralded by their own communities as heroes. But those<br \/>\nwho choose to stay are seen as having missed their golden opportunity.<\/p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/hotugc.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/git-r-done.jpg\" title=\"\" rel=\"lightbox-7\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-905 \" height=\"720\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/git-r-done.jpg\" title=\"git-r-done\" width=\"404\" \/><\/a>\n<p>West Virginia, Mountain Mama. Country roads, take me home.<\/p>\n<p>End Day Seven. End Part Three.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; bethel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coal Country, West Virginia. Take Me Home, (Coal) Country Roads: the Agrarian Tour through West Virginia One of the unofficial theme songs for us \u2013 Agrarian Road Trippers \u2013 has been John Denver\u2019s \u201cCountry Roads\u201d \u2013 mainly because of the&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.5 (Yoast SEO v23.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Agrarian Road Trip - Part Three. - Food and Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/food-faith\/agrarian-road-trip-part-three\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Agrarian Road Trip - Part Three.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Coal Country, West Virginia. 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