It was here before us and will be afterward. It's my responsibility to ensure it will remain productive. As those words demonstrate, Beals believed in stewardship. Too few people do anymore. For many, land is merely something to be bought and then sold at a profit.
Speculation is the name of the game.
Making money that way is a whole lot easier than bumping across a field on a tractor or tending to cattle. Society is fortunate that some people choose to farm, however, because they are the ones who feed us. Beyond the fact that farmers put food on our tables, they are an integral part of a country quickly slipping into cultural confusion. The book was published in 1977, two years before Beals, at the age of 26, chose to become a farmer. The quest for self-improvement usually leads modern Americans in the other direction, Berry writes.