Guy Evans and
Jamie Howell go back a long way – they grew up together in the
Wenatchee, Wash., area and both attended the University of Washington.
And though their lives have taken them down different paths, the friends
both recently ended up back in Wenatchee and collaborating on a project
they hope makes a difference.
That project is “Broken Limbs” – a documentary telling
the story of Wenatchee-area apple growers who are coming under increased
pressures to sell and get out of farming.
“This thing was staring us in the face,” Howell said.
“A couple years ago you couldn’t go anywhere in Wenatchee
and not see an orchard being torn out. We both had an innate interest
in the topic. We stumbled across this idea of sustainable agriculture…we
started off to discover something we could to see if there was anything
that applied to this in the Washington apple industry.”
This film showcases the experiences of different growers and what
they are doing to stay in business or, in some cases, how they are
dealing with the idea of getting out of farming all together.
“Grief and alarm were the emotions that caused me to want to
make the film,” Evans said. “There’s a story here
that needs to be told. It seemed like we were the people best suited
to tell it.”
Sustainable agriculture is one way that growers can begin to regain
their footing and keep their farms that “Broken Limbs”
showcased. The film stressed buying local, selling local and the interaction
between growers and consumers as a way to make farming a viable way
of life.
And that way of life is one that Evans and Howell have some investment
in. Not only were they raised in an area known around the world for
its apples, but also Evans’ father is a third-generation apple
grower. Denny Evans was facing some difficult decisions about what
to do with his farm. Banks were knocking on the door, and the pressure
to develop was ever-present.
“I think the whole thing started when my dad pulled out 50 acres
of Red Delicious,” Evans said. “I was coming into the
valley that day and saw the excavator at work and saw the raging fires.
That day really hit me with a lot of impact.
“From that, I wrote a poem that was printed in our local newspaper
here that related to the communal grief that was being felt at that
time by the farmers and also the region as a whole as we saw farmers
fail and orchards burning up.”
The project began in 2001 when the idea began to take shape. In March
of 2002, Evans and Howell shared their idea at an environmental film
festival where the other filmmakers offered some encouragement. From
there, Howell said, the process took off and the two began one year
of intensive, full-time work on the film.
Finding the growers to share their story started with Evans’
father, but from there, Howell said they relied on word of mouth and
other growers to suggest people to share their story.
“The key was to find someone who has a compelling story and
relate that story in a compelling way,” Howell said.
And find them, they did. The variety of growers in the film that opened
up and were willing to share their stories makes this film one that
growers everywhere can relate to.
“There’s a lot of universal themes in it,” Evans
said.
“We didn’t expect it (film) would be received this well,”
Howell said. “We thought we’d get more of this skepticism
than we’ve been hearing – even from the big guys. We tried
to be very sensitive about the agribusiness end of things. It was
important to us to say these are not bad people – these are
family farmers too. They’ve done everything they can to succeed,
and they’ve done it very well.”
The reactions they’ve heard so far have been mainly positive,
though some critics remain. In fact, Denny Evans remains unconvinced
– he said in the film that the sustainable type of agriculture
Howell and Evans explored in the film is not viable. The other responses
are those looking for changes and those who don’t know what
to think.
“Some are very touched, moved and inspired to go back to their
place and try to make a specific change on their farm,” Howell
said. “The other reaction is pure skepticism. Some of the farmers
are overwhelmed or disheartened. They see something in the film that
makes a lot of sense, but they’ve invested their whole lives
in this farm and the ways of life.”
Evans said that this film helps showcase a model for the new American
farmer – a model that some will accept, and some will not.
“It’s the vision of growers who are willing to let go
of all of the old thought of how things are to be done,” Evans
said. “What is the alternative? If you look at the road of consolidation
and where that leads in other industries, there doesn’t seem
to be much hope.
“When you go to a farm conference, why is the average age 55?
You’re a dying breed – there has to be something new here.
There’s a reason why there aren’t more younger faces in
the crowd. It seems like time has come to recognize the need for change.
It’s a lot more comforting going to sleep at night feeling like
you’re a part of change rather than in a sea of uncertainty.”
Evans’ hope for the future continued to grow as he and Howell
worked on this film. In fact, seeing the film develop and the themes
of sustainability and local agriculture come out, Evans has decided
to return to his family farm and work on taking it over from his father.
“As the project went on, I felt a renewed sense of hope. It’s
been a very transformative project in every sense personally for me,”
he said. “The next thing for me is kind of an exciting shift
I hadn’t anticipated a year ago. I’m moving back to the
farm and am going to be managing the fruit stand again and am talking
now about buying the farm from my dad.”
Evans said he working on a variety of different ideas as alternatives
to his father selling the farm. Ideas, he said, that are still being
formed.
“Every one of us, whether in agriculture or not, are endowed
with amazing creative potential, and I think it’s up to all
of us, if we want to find any sense of meaning and stability in our
lives, to follow that creative path, whatever it may be,” Evans
said. “I feel very hopeful not only about agriculture in the
coming years, but also about our culture as a whole. Food, because
it’s universal, is an exciting way for everybody to get involved
in that creative renewal.”
And, as far as the next steps for the film, Howell said they are working
on getting it aired on local Washington PBS stations in their goal
to show the film to people who are not farmers.
“Ideally we’d like people to consider the idea of the
new American consumer and think of farming and food more carefully,”
Howell said.
They are also going to be showing the film at a variety of different
film festivals in the coming months. “Broken Limbs” has
been picked up by a national distributor who will work on getting
the film out to different educational institutions across the country.
“We’re raising money again to fund this outreach work
we’re doing, and Guy hopes to work on a DVD component,”
Howell said. “I’m working on getting a Web site up through
the course of the film and getting educational materials to support
the film. It certainly wasn’t over when we finished the film.”
“Broken Limbs has already been shown at different industry events,
including the Washington State Horticultural Association’s annual
meeting. The Web site is under construction, but contact information
is available there now at www.brokenlimbs.org.
