This newsletter is worth a read as it is a snap shot on a prospering
communal society engaged in agriculture. Not everything is worked
out yet but a lot of bogus ideas are also missing.
This not the only such enterprise and such endeavors do work out many
of the issues so making a transition to an enhanced version of all
this can become natural and even obvious. What most have failed to
do has been to integrate better into the economic life of the local
community. Once that can be done with an internal economy that
balances inputs and spreads the lifeway organically, we will have an
excellent lifeway module.
Enjoy the read. I will try to post this letter as it comes in for
your enjoyment and all that.
by Valerie
With autumn comes harvest season, and there is a lot of Farm and
Food news to report. Our intrepid Garden Crew harvested over 4,200
pounds of potatoes this fall, a higher-than-average yield. In
October, we had 7 cows pregnant at once - a rare occurrence - and so
we can expect a bounty of milk in the coming months. In addition to
drinking the milk, we use it make a variety of dairy products
including Romano, Stilton, cream cheese, yogurt, butter and for
special occasions, ice cream! (more about our Dairy Program in this
newsletter) There are several fruit orchards throughout the community
and this year we were lucky enough to be eating hardy kiwis (the most
northerly-growing variety) into November. We also picked a single
pomegranate off of the tree outside Morningstar, and look forward to
more as the tree matures in coming years.
The community is still, 15 months later, experiencing the effects
of last summer's earthquake. When the water flow of our well began
losing volume, apparently from underground shifts due to the quake,
we researched the problem and found a surprising solution. Many
people are familiar with the practice of fracking, notably in the
news these days related to natural gas extraction. But it's also used
to restore and improve water flow in potable (drinkable) water wells,
using less pressure and no chemicals. Now, three months
post-fracking, the well is performing normally and we're able to meet
all of our own domestic and industrial water needs once again.
Twin Oakers were active in a number of events these last few
months. We held our annual Communities Conference, a weekend event
for people interested in ecovillages, cohousing, communes, and all
forms of cooperative living - we had a record 185 people in
attendance! Sadly, we had to cancel our herstoric Women's Gathering
this year. A number of members took part in the Heritage Harvest
Festival at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, a huge sustainable food
event co-organized by Ira, a long-time Twin Oaks member. And lastly,
a number of members were active in local and presidential election
campaigning - the community has a policy that members cannot engage
in political activism in the name of Twin Oaks, but members can be
active as an individual.
On the internal political front, we've had a few happenings in
both the money and labour scene. We raised the amount of our personal
spending money to $90 per month - an all-time high in our 45-year
history! The amount is tied to our quarterly income, and when our
collectively-owned businesses earn more, the bulk of that money goes
to our communal expenses, but individuals also receive an increase.
We've also agreed to experiment with altering our communal labour
system. In 2013 and 2014, we will be trying out using "Flex
Hours". In Twin Oaks jargon, instead of people claiming
"over-quota" labour credits for any work done over and
above our 42-hour-per-week work quota, all work will be done
"in-quota" and each member will have 60 "Flex Hours"
that can used to do extra work in the area of their choosing.
On-the-farm activities of the last few months have included an all
women's ultimate frisbee game, which was well-attended including some
new recruits. Thanksgiving brought the Twin Oaks "Turkey Bowl",
a touch-football game with a half-time show featuring our ad hoc
Marching Band playing the theme from "Rocky". We also had a
musical extravaganza "Oakstock", a one-day concert
show-casing many members' musical talents. We hosted an evening of
"The Music of Winter", all songs with a winter theme. And
lastly, this winter Tuesdays mean dueling D&D, with two different
Dungeons and Dragons games happening the same night.
Due to our size and demographics, Twin Oaks has a certain amount
of turnover, with people arriving and leaving with some regularity.
This is a significant part of life here--new people bring fresh
energy into the group, but it can be difficult to say goodbye. Here
Ali and Janel share their experiences from both ends of the spectrum.
Arriving at Twin
Oaks: Ali's One Month Perspective
by Ali (member Nov.
2012-?)
As a new member at Twin Oaks, a question I get a lot is, "What
work are you going to be doing?" and by this they mean "Where
are you going to focus?" It seems that most people here do
several things, but have a few areas where they focus and get most of
their labor credits from. It's fairly typical for new members to have
lots of different jobs and then find a few things they like as they
age in membership. This may happen to me, but at least for right now
I'm loving the variety. I found myself entirely bored in my last job
in "the mainstream," doing the same thing all day every day
and the work variety is one of the main things that drew me to Twin
Oaks. Since arriving, I have done at least 15 different jobs
including cooking, cleaning, childcare, making pillows, tofu &
hammocks, splitting wood, hanging drywall, gardening, caring for the
chickens and milking the cows. Some are jobs I actively enjoy and
some I feel are a contribution I make to the community, but doing so
many things keeps me interested and excited.
The other question I get a lot is "How are you adjusting?"
and this I take to mean "Do you have any friends yet?" and
"Are you okay with your room/the bathroom/the kitchen/living in
community?" I have been in group living situations before, so
sharing space and being around other people all the time feel normal
to me. As for my room in Ta Chai, it's far nicer than many places
I've lived (which include an old horse stall and a broken down bus).
In terms of the social scene, I've been blown away by the amount of
fun things to do here and cool people to do them with. When I moved
to Pittsburgh last year it took me weeks to meet my neighbors and a
month before I was invited over for dinner. At Twin Oaks I just check
the Today Board, wander around looking for people or express an
interest in a plan and I end up with more things to do than I have
time for. As I was warned about, the challenge here seems to be
saying "no" (both to work and play) and getting enough
sleep! From dance parties to bonfires to board games I don't have
nearly as much time for reading as I expected.
The question I get from friends and family "on the outside"
(and one I regularly ask myself) is "Are you happy at Twin
Oaks?" When I have days where my face hurts from smiling so
much, I think I can safely answer that with a yes.
by Janel (member Sept. 2010-Oct. 2012)
Moving to Twin Oaks was a pure leap of faith. After working at sea
as a cruise ship singer, all I wanted to do was live on a farm,
taking in the pleasure of land and the homegrown food that came with
it. I didn't really understand this yearning (and my parents
certainly didn't). But the heart understands things long before the
head does.
When I became a member at 23, I was sure of only two things: that I wanted A) to have an adventurous life and B) to challenge the status quo. Up to that point, I had the adventurous part down. Living in an alternative society certainly seemed to satisfy the second life requirement. Little did I know that Twin Oaks would challenge me. No one expects that they're going to move to a commune and learn more in two years than in eighteen years of school. Twin Oaks is where I learned to discipline myself and be my own boss. It's where I learned that I have the entrepreneurial energy to take a floundering project and turn it into something new. (Few are the places you can be a manager at 24.)
Twin Oaks is where I figured out why I moved there in the first
place - that I have a deep passion for sustainably produced food. I
guess it took one ultra-processed cruise ship meal too many to set me
on a journey to figure that out. After working with the community
poultry program and gaining networking skills through the Communities
Conference and Acorn's Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, I realized
that my goal is to propagate the local food movement currently
sweeping the nation. After two years at Twin Oaks, I decided this
goal would be best fulfilled in California, the agricultural
heartland of the U.S. and location of my childhood home.
I know it can be hard on Twin Oaks when members come and go. But
as much as it is a home for 100, Twin Oaks is an incubator - of
new ideas, of skills, of people who think outside the box. Twin Oaks
is where my understanding of my ideals, talents and dreams
crystallized. Twin Oaks is where I truly grew up. If there's one way
that the community challenges the status quo, it's through people
who's worldviews have been rocked; people who take what they've
learned at Twin Oaks into the wider world and do their part to
transform it. My hope is to do exactly that.
A few years before he died, Steve Jobs said it was only in
looking back on his life that he could "connect the dots"
and understand the implications and effects of every action he took.
I already feel this way about my time at Twin Oaks - it illuminated
the direction I want my life to take. And for now, that direction is
west. But a piece of my heart will always lie in Virginia.
by Valerie
Ah yes, the community meal table. Communal dining can be a
glorious bonding experience, as members recreate the feeling of an
earlier era when the tribe gathered at the end of the day to share
the fruits of their bounty. On the other hand, it can also bring out
certain aspects of the cook's personality, as sure as Myers-Briggs.
Here is a sampling of the "Cook du Jour".
"Le Chef" - Before joining community, this member
ran their own French restaurant. They know that presentation makes
the meal, and people ooh and aah over their concoctions. Their
cooking is generally well-appreciated, with the exception of people
who like their green beans other than dripping with butter.
"The Ethnic Specialist" - Thai, Indian, Chinese,
Ethiopian - it's a geographical whirlwind as each week we're whisked
off to another exotic food locale. The underlying theme: more spice
is twice as nice. Bland is banned, so it's peanut-butter-and-jelly
sandwich night for those with sensitive palates.
"Food as Art" - This member doesn't see any reason
why their creative, whimsical side needs to be left at the kitchen
door. Tofu sculpted to resemble a recent guest or a Thanksgiving
turkey, a rainbow salad including beets, carrots, peppers, kale,
blueberries and grapes, or a cake in the shape of a body part - their
creativity knows no bounds on the serving table. (Results may vary,
depending on actual cooking skill)
"Agit-Prop Cuisine" - When politics and food
collide (think Chairman Mao with a measuring cup).
All-vegan-all-the-time, no refined anything, no profit-mongering
corporate ingredients to be found in any dish. The heart and mind can
enjoy this meal, but the stomach may stage it's own protest....
"Locavoracious" - A lighter-hearted version of the
above, this cook sources their food from within 100 miles, or better
yet, 100 yards of the communal kitchen. No flora or fauna are exempt,
and dinner may include what you previously thought were weeds growing
beside the porch or the groundhog that was last seen invading the
garden.
"The Mess Hall" - Prior military, cafeteria or
summer camp experience informs this cook's style. Mass-produced and
designed to appeal to the masses, these meals are heavy on the
mac-and-cheese, gravy-laden entrees, and all things carbohydrate.
Regardless of style, as we sit down to a meal together in
accordance with our own community traditions - be that thanking the
cook, saying a prayer, or simply digging in - we can appreciate that
the simple act of sharing food is an important part of the "community
glue" that holds us all together. Bon Appetit!
(Copyright 2010 Communities Magazine and Valerie Renwick. This
article first appeared in the Fall 2010 "Power and Empowerment"
issue of Communities: Life in Cooperative Culture [#148];
see communities.ic.org)
by Keegan
Being able to work in the dairy was one of the primary motivations
for my move to Twin Oaks. As a city kid woefully unskilled in
practical work, the possibility of shifting from an uneasy off-and-on
consumer of meat products to raising, milking, slaughtering, and
butchering my own cows was intoxicating. My enthusiasm was
well-timed, and within months of joining, I was made the dairy
manager.
For me, the greatest part of working in the dairy, besides the
pleasure of working with such characterful creatures, has been the
experience of eating animals that I have personally cared for; of
facing the ethical problem of eating an animal without hypocrisy.
This is not to say that I believe eating local meat with the
appropriate labels cleanly resolves the problem of killing, but that
knowing the animals I am to eat is the bare minimum required for me
to do so with dignity.
Our dairy program is unique even compared with other small organic
operations. We do not sell our products, and so our considerations
are primarily quality-of-life. For instance, it's illegal in Virginia
to sell raw, unpasteurized milk, and yet we consume it here in large
quantities every day. The food we make with it would be ludicrously
expensive in the mainstream: imagine seeing icing in a store made
with raw milk from grass-fed cows raised in a local, worker-owned
dairy. Such luxurious and ethical goods are standard fare here.
Many of our cows are also of a rare breed known as Dutch Belted.
Though unpopular with commercial dairies (probably because milk
production is lower than with commercial breeds), they are extremely
well-suited to our purposes: they survive very well on grass (other
breeds require lots of supplementary grain), are long-lived, get big
enough to be useful for beef, and have a higher conception rate and
fewer birth complications than other breeds. For us, this means less
money on grain (our biggest dairy expense), less money on vets, and
less stress.
Our milking shifts are pretty big tasks: a single individual is
responsible for herding, milking, caring for calves, checking for
cows in heat, and cleaning the barn. There's a lot that can go wrong.
But this level of responsibility means that the burden of running a
dairy is shared. We all get vacations. We all get to sleep in if we
choose. And despite being the manager, there are days every week when
I'm not in the barn at all. It's a good and balanced life. [
without question, animal husbandry needs to be a communal enterprise.
The classic single family farm that accidentally became our norm
mostly because of settlement practices and tradition just made the
family a complete slave to the enterprise. - arclein]
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