The Farm (Tennessee)
Encyclopedia
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
in Lewis County, Tennessee, near the town of Summertown
Summertown, Tennessee
Summertown is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County, Tennessee, USA. Summertown is surrounded by 4 counties: Lawrence, Lewis, Maury, and Giles...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, based on principles of nonviolence
Nonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
and respect for the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. It was founded in 1971 by Stephen Gaskin
Stephen Gaskin
Stephen Gaskin is a counterculture hippie icon best known for his presence in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in the 1960s and for co-founding "The Farm", a famous spiritual intentional community in Summertown, Tennessee...
and 320 San Francisco hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s; The Farm is well known amongst hippies and other members of similar subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
s as well as by many vegetarians. The Farm now has approximately 175 residents.
Origins
The Farm was established after Gaskin and friends led a caravan of 60 buses, vans, and trucks on a speaking tour across the US. Along the way, they checked out various places that might be suitable for settlement before deciding on Tennessee. After buying 1,064 acres (4.1 km2) for $70 per acre, the Farm began building its community in the woods alongside the network of crude logging roads that followed its ridgelines. Another adjoining 750 acres (3.0 km2) for $100 per acre was purchased shortly thereafter.From its founding through the 1970s, Farm members took vows of poverty
Simple living
Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...
and owned no personal possessions, though this restriction loosened as time passed. During that time, Farm members did not use artificial birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, man-made psychotropics, or animal products.
Lacking any form of government, distribution of wealth and housing allocation often fell to Gaskin and the more 'popular' members of the Farm.
In the original manifestation of The Farm, all members were believers in God and smoking marijuana was a sacrament, though Farm members did not accept alcohol or other drugs. Also there was no private property, no leather products, no harming of animals and no consumption of meat. Stephen Gaskin had been a marine and got his start as a religious leader in San Francisco in the 1960s, coming to teach a blend of Eastern religions and Christianity. Due to his devotion to marijuana, he and three followers spent time in 1974 in the Nashville Penitentiary following convictions for growing marijuana on Farm land.
The Farm installed its own water system but resisted running 60-cycle alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
powerlines beyond the main house that served as its administration office and publishing center, hoping some day to establish home power systems off of the grid. Communications within the Farm were carried out with an old plug wire phone system donated by a local town and later with CB radio for emergencies. Kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
lamps and outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
s were standard for the first 5–10 years. A 12-volt trickle charge system charged used golf cart batteries in homes, which in turn powered automobile tail light bulbs hanging from the ceilings and walls. Oftentimes these home systems would be powered by returning off-Farm work vehicles' batteries. Many of the buildings on the Farm were unconventional, ranging from converted school buses to modified 16 x 32 army tents. Over time, larger homes were constructed, each providing shelter for multiple families and single people, often with up to 40 people under one roof. Visitors were also housed in a two-story tent made by sewing two army tents together.
Projects
The Farm had its own electrical crew, composting crew, farming crew, construction & demolition crew, clinic, firewood crew, alternative energy crew, motor pool, laundromat, tofuTofu
is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
plant, bakery, school and ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
service. It established The Book Publishing Company, which published the works of the Gaskins and other Farm members. The Farm's midwifery school and Ina May Gaskin's seminal book "Spiritual Midwifery" are highly regarded throughout the world for their very high maternal and newborn compassion, safety and success rates.
They also ran a "soy dairy", which developed and later marketed a soymilk ice "cream" called "Ice-Bean", and a vegetable store in the town of Summertown. A crew constantly manned the gate where all traffic passed and was logged.
Tennessee Farm Band
They maintained The Farm Band, a rock group in the early 'jam band' style, which toured the country performing for free at parks, schools, churches, and other accessible venues.Albums from the 1970s include The Farm Band on Mantra Records, and Up in Your Thing, High On the Rim of the Nashville Basin and Communion on Farm Tapes & Records. There were also a number of 45 releases. All Farm Band recordings were self-produced and distributed. During the 2000s, Akarma Records in Italy have distributed bootleg copies of their albums. The debut album, a self-titled 2-LP set from 1972, is considered a classic among independently released acid-rock albums of the 1970s and has been compared to Ya Ho Wha 13
Ya Ho Wha 13
Founded in 1973 in the Los Angeles area, Ya Ho Wha 13, otherwise known Yahowha 13 is a psychedelic rock band fronted by Father Yod, spiritual leader of a religious cult/commune called the Source Family. Ya Ho Wha without the vowels and spaces reduces to YHWH, the tetragrammaton...
. In addition to the rock music recordings, Stephen Gaskin released a spoken word album titled the Great Western Tour in 1974, which was produced and distributed in the same way as their other LPs.
Plenty
Plenty International
Plenty International is an environmental, humanitarian aid and human rights organization based in Summertown, Tennessee, USA.-Background:In 1974, Stephen Gaskin and The Farm, an intentional community, started an outreach program called Plenty...
), its charitable works arm. It began by gathering and supplying food for local disaster victims and holding weekly "quilting bees" to make blankets for them.
Plenty's most notable early project was its four-year presence in the Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n highlands after the earthquake of 1976
1976 Guatemala earthquake
The 1976 Guatemala earthquake struck on February 4, 1976 at 03:01:43 local time . It was a 7.5 Mw earthquake, centered in the Motagua Fault, about 160 km northeast of Guatemala City, Guatemala...
, helping to rebuild 1,200 houses and lay 27 kilometers of waterpipe. There, it established a micro-commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
of volunteers and their families, living simply among Mayan
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
populations and working under the approval of the military government
History of Guatemala
The history of Guatemala begins with the arrival of the first human settlers as early as 12,000 BC or even 18,000 BC. Civilization developed and flourished during the Pre-Columbian era with little to no contact with cultures from outside of Mesoamerica...
.
Plenty donated an ambulance in the early 1980s to the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
. Two Farmies - one a paramedic and one an EMT - taught a licensed Emergency Medical Technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
course to 22 reservation residents, helping them set up their first Mohawk-run EMT service, the "Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Ambulance Unit". Plenty has set up clinics in Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and created the Jefferson Award-winning South Bronx Ambulance Project in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Plenty maintains an office in Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, which initiated a school lunch program based on organic gardens planted next to each school to help provide more vegetables for the children's diets. A midwifery program helped train over 60 Mayan women from villages throughout the region in prenatal care
Prenatal care
Prenatal care refers to the medical and nursing care recommended for women before and during pregnancy. The aim of good prenatal care is to detect any potential problems early, to prevent them if possible , and to direct the woman to appropriate specialists, hospitals, etc...
and safe delivery techniques.
Plenty was one of the first relief organizations to enter New Orleans, getting past federal roadblocks to bring supplies to survivors just three days after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. Plenty helped establish a base camp for volunteers and channeled funding to Common Ground
Common Ground
Common Ground may refer to:* Common ground * Grounding in communication * The commons, publicly owned areas, especially those for meeting* Common land, ground where the public have traditional rights, such as grazing...
, a local group assisting in clean up, legal defense services, and the operation of free clinics. Plenty volunteers purchased and restored a home in the area to serve as a headquarters for housing relief volunteers and construction crews helping to rebuild homes.
The social issues of marriage
Gaskin believed that marriage was a sacred actSacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
and that the sexuality between two people was created by the flow of cosmic energy, which was known as “the juice”. “For a community to exist in harmony and balance, both kinds of energy had to be nurtured, and most importantly shared.” The ideology of marriage at the Farm could be described as “synergistic”. Seriousness and commitment were required in marriage. Birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
was frowned upon, and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
s were prohibited in the community. Childbearing was natural, and births were attended by midwives. Premarital sex
Premarital sex
Premarital sex is sexual activity, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex, practiced by persons who are unmarried. Although it has always been practiced, in the West it has increased in prevalence since the mid-1950s...
was greatly discouraged, and most couples on the Farm were married.
Some of the original community members believed in the practice of group marriage
Group marriage
Group marriage, also known as multi-lateral marriage, is a form of polyamory in which more than two persons form a family unit, with all the members of the group marriage being considered to be married to all the other members of the group marriage, and all members of the marriage share parental...
. The “four marriage system” was viewed as an important social structure in the early days of the commune. Gaskin himself was in a “six marriage” in which there were three women and two other men. They shared three beds and would switch partners continuously. This, however, was not required; Gaskin understood that not everyone was ready to be in a group marriage. It was taught only people with great ability and “the juice” were in plural marriages. None of these marriages survived more than ten years, most lasted no longer than five.
Changes
At its peak, the Farm claimed somewhere between 1200 and 1600 members living on the main property, along with many small "satellite" communities located in the U.S. and internationally. However, the Tennessee community lacked the infrastructure and income to properly support its growing numbers and grew increasingly in debt. Furthering the Farms growing pains was a 'baby boom' shortly after the commune's establishment. As the Farm's population peaked, the proportion of the population that could not significantly contribute to the work required to maintain the commune increased.In 1983, due to financial difficulties and also a challenge to Gaskin's leadership and direction, the Farm changed its agreement and began requiring members to support themselves with their own income rather than donate all income to the central bank.
The 'Changeover,' also known as 'the exodus', was a difficult time. The local area provided few possibilities for employment. The nearest large city, Nashville, was a 1.5-hour drive and 75 miles (120.7 km) away.. Disillusioned, many people left to start over, and eventually the population settled down to its current (2009) level of about 175 adults and children. Those that stayed made the choice to continue living in community for its freedom and peaceful atmosphere, and the safety and security it provided for the children. It is also argued, however, that the members who stayed were close to Gaskin and had been benefiting from a disproportionate distribution of wealth for years. Many of the members were upset with an inequitable distribution of wealth, favoritism and a lack of plumbing despite large giardia
Giardia
Giardia is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasites of the phylum Metamonada in the supergroup "Excavata" that colonise and reproduce in the small intestines of several vertebrates, causing giardiasis, commonly known as Beaver fever...
outbreaks.
The $400,000 plus debt was paid off after several years and the community has remained debt-free to this day. An entrepreneurial spirit took hold, and numerous small businesses were established to provide support for the residents. Many members went back to school to get degrees in the medical field, and many now work at clinics and hospitals throughout central Tennessee.
In the nineties, with the community back on solid ground, The Farm returned to its original purpose of initiating social change
Social change
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...
through outreach and example. The Ecovillage
Ecovillage
Ecovillages are intentional communities with the goal of becoming more socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Some aim for a population of 50–150 individuals. Larger ecovillages of up to 2,000 individuals exist as networks of smaller subcommunities to create an ecovillage model that...
Training Center was established as an educational facility in new technologies such as solar energy, bio fuels, and construction techniques based on locally available, eco-friendly materials.
The Farm maintains contact with its over 4000 former members through list serves, an annual reunion, and through the work of its nonprofit organizations. Former members have gone on to become leaders in many different fields and endeavors, maintaining a sense of right livelihood
Right Livelihood
Right Livelihood can refer to:*A Buddhist virtue articulated as part of the Noble Eightfold Path*The Right Livelihood Award, presented annually by the Swedish Parliament...
and a commitment to the betterment of the world.
Work of former members
Four ex-members of the Farm (Matthew McClure, Cliff Figallo, John Coate, and Nancy Rhine) were instrumental in establishing and managing the Whole Earth Lectronic Link (The WELL), one of the most influential early online communities. One of them (Nancy Rhine) went on to found Women's Wire, which became Women.com, the first commercial women-focused online community. Another (John Coate) founded SFgate, one of the first newspaper-based online sites (of the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
).
The man who had been in charge of growing food for the Farm (Michael O'Gorman) is an established leader in the organic farming movement, managing production on over 4000 acres (16.2 km²). Recently O'Gorman has extended his farming reach to establish the Farmer Veteran Coalition, bringing returning war veteran
War Veteran
War Veteran is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick. It was first published in If magazine in March 1955.-Plot summary:The plot concerns an old man who claims to have travelled back in time from a future in which Earth has lost a devastating war to its own Martian and Venusian colonies...
s into the fold of small-scale family farm
Family farm
A family farm is a farm owned and operated by a family, and often passed down from generation to generation. It is the basic unit of the mostly agricultural economy of much of human history and continues to be so in developing nations...
ing. Former members of Farm Foods are now the marketing force behind many healthy food products found on store shelves nationwide. A former member who was an MD, Gary Hlady spent years helping to eradicate polio in India. Many other former members help manage other nonprofits.
Current status
Today the Farm's population has leveled off at about 175 residents. As new crops of young families seeking a lifestyle that combines environmental, political and spiritual awareness discover the potential and opportunity the community has to offer, they also struggle with the existing processes and agreements of the community. This has resulted in a disparity in age that leans toward a larger number of baby boomers (about 80%), many of whom have lived on The Farm for most of its existence. Those interested in becoming residents are encouraged to visit during the bi-annual Farm Experience Weekend, an inside look at how the community operates and functions and the agreements that have enabled it to survive for over 35 years.In the media
The Farm was featured in Peter JenkinsPeter Jenkins (travel author)
Peter Jenkins describes his experiences over nearly six years that he spent walking from New York to Oregon.Peter was born on July 8 of 1951He is a graduate of Alfred University, with a BFA in Sculpture/Ceramics , as well as an honorary doctorate ....
' travel book A Walk Across America. Jenkins lived and worked at the farm for some time before continuing his trip.
Organizations
The Farm is home to many organizations. These organizations include the following:- The Midwifery Center, led by Ina May GaskinIna May GaskinIna May Gaskin, CPM, has been described as "the mother of authentic midwifery."-Family:Gaskin was born to an Iowa Protestant family . Her father, Talford Middleton, was raised on a large Iowa farm, which was lost to a bank not long after his father’s accidental death in 1926...
, referred to as "the mother of authentic midwifery." - The Ecovillage Training CenterEcovillage Training CenterThe Ecovillage Training Center is a "total immersion school" for sustainability. It is located at The Farm, an intentional community/ecovillage in Summertown, Tennessee, USA. The curricula of the center are "holistic and comprehensivist" and foster hands-on learning.Albert Bates, a long-time...
, which offers conferences and seminars on organic gardening, permaculture, strawbale construction, and sustainable technologies. - Plenty InternationalPlenty InternationalPlenty International is an environmental, humanitarian aid and human rights organization based in Summertown, Tennessee, USA.-Background:In 1974, Stephen Gaskin and The Farm, an intentional community, started an outreach program called Plenty...
, an international aid and development NGO that helps indigenous populations, at-risk children, and the environment. - Kids To The Country, a Plenty project that brings at-risk kids to The Farm to enjoy nature, to relax and be kids, and to study peace education.
- More Than WarmthMore Than WarmthMore Than Warmth was founded by Judith Meeker as a not-for-profit organization that encourages children to learn about and support the homeless in foreign countries by making quilts for them. Based at The Farm, More Than Warmth has been profiled in Time magazine, and discussed on the CBS program...
, an educational project for students of all ages to learn about world cultures. It fosters understanding, knowledge, and compassion between cultures through nonviolent, nonpolitical, and nonreligious means. - The PeaceRoots Alliance links individuals and groups dedicated to peace efforts around the country and beyond with real projects and actions.
- The Swan Conservation Trust is an organization dedicated to restoring and preserving natural resources and wildlife habitat.
- The Rocinante Health Center, an ecotopian retirement and health care center on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land adjacent to The Farm.
- SE International, Inc., designer, manufacturer, and distributor of Radiation Alert detectors, Geiger counters, dosimeters, and ionizing radiationIonizing radiationIonizing radiation is radiation composed of particles that individually have sufficient energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. This ionization produces free radicals, which are atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons...
spectrum analyzers. - The Farm SchoolThe Farm SchoolThe Farm School, based on The Farm, an intentional community in southern Tennessee founded by hippies in 1971, is a K-12 school that provides alternative education to approximately 30 students on its main campus and over 300 homeschooling students in its Satellite Campus Program.The school's aim is...
provides alternative education for students taught by qualified members. Peter Kindfield, Ph.D., principal. - The Book Publishing Company publishes books about sustainable and healthful living. Imprints include Books Alive, Healthy Living Publications, Healthy World Cuisine, Botanica Press, and Native Voices. Most of the books are authored by non-members of The Farm.