#WeedsArePeopleToo: Springtime reflections on farming & its damages

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)

I woke the other morning to the staccato sound of a Woodpecker pecking. He (I am guessing, based on appearance) was tap-tap-tapping on a dead branch on a nearby Oak. The rhythmic noise was not disturbing, even first thing upon waking, because I had been observing and appreciating this bird and his habits for the last few days on this particular tree. But the vibration also brought me sadness, as I knew the tree was not much longer for the world, and was in fact scheduled to be cut down that very day. Why? Such is agriculture. Read on…

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I recently started work on a farm in northern California and the first task given to me was to clean up the property’s hoophouses. Inside these structures were hundreds of 10-gallon pots overflowing with vegetation of the sorts usually characterized as “weeds.”

Hoophouses full of “weeds”

“Weed” is an entirely subjective label of course. It’s not a scientific or botanical term. A “weed” species might be native or non-native in origin. A “weed” might also be edible, medicinal or have other beneficial qualities. In the broadest sense, a “weed” is simply “a plant out of place.” Obviously, it makes a big…