Farmer Post 1

When I first heard one of our assigned readings concerned how a man transitioned from pastry chef to farmer I was not excited. I thought it would be a boring story but I was dead wrong. In the beginning of his book, Kurt Timmermeister truly lets us inside his head and takes us through every decision he made when deciding to become a farmer. The first chapters of the book surprised me as I would not expect a successful pastry café owner turned restauranteur would ever decide to move to a remote island miles from his previous downtown apartment. Timmermeister makes it clear that although he was doing well for himself, he did not like the means in which he achieved financial security. In one of the most striking passages I read, Timmermeister describes that he cannot even eat in his own restaurant because of the nauseating means by which the chicken and pork were packaged and subsequently prepared. Kurt already knew people were willing to pay two extra dollars for meat and determined people would pay even more if they knew that meat was organic and high quality.

While reading, I was convinced Timmermeister's initial visit to Vashon Island would be a trainwreck. Although he was woefully uninformed, Kurt did not let that lack of information deter him from pursuing his goal. I admire passion because throughout society people create great ideas but are afraid to share them because they believe a piece is missing. Kurt knew what he wanted and luckily for him guessing four acres as the proper lot size when asked by the real estate agent paid off. It also amazed me that he was willing to sell his restaurant, his most stable source of income, to continue his adventure as a farmer.

Timmermeister is the perfect example of learning while doing. When he was first starting out he read as much as possible about farming; he did his research to the best of his abilities. Any new topic Timmermesiter would bring up would almost always be accompanied by a story from a book he read concerning that topic. He would try things and if they did not work out he would find another way to accomplish his goals. One example occurs when he couldn't get all the trash from his lot to the dump so he burned it. When looking for a tractor he started at the largest John Deere dealership and realized that the smaller dealership would fine. Solving any problem when in a tumultuous situation such as Timmermeister's helps ease the pressure of succeeding and makes each subsequent decision more simple.

From what I have read so far, the people that Kurt met along his journey brought new perspectives to his work and helped him solve problems. Matt, for example, was a farm intern and came to work for Kurt. Matt knew more than Kurt did about produce and the farmer's market making him a valuable ally when trying to start-up a farm. One item that confused me was how Matt left Timmermeister so quickly, I felt as though they would be partners for much longer. I also believe the man whose farm Timmermeister did not purchase had a profound effect. I believe seeing this ex-accountant who retired and lived off the land fully convinced Timmermeister that he made the right decision. The means by which Kurt describe the man and his farm makes it sound like that is the life he wants to live in the future and will now stop at nothing to make happen.