Here are student summaries of fall 2024 MCJD dialogical surveys with Willamette Valley farmers and ranchers. Click on any title for details, then return to see all titles.
Interview Summary from Willamette Valley Agriculture Visit
Event: Willamette Valley AgricultureInterviewer: Claire
Whom did you interview?
I interacted with a woman who owns a family farm operation with her husband. Some of the things that they farm are Christmas trees and timber. They have a variety of Douglas firs that they harvest and sell to timber companies. I also interacted with a hazelnut farmer. He has a 40-acre farm where he harvests hazelnuts. After they are collected, they are sold to a company to produce them for consumers. The final person I interacted with was the girlfriend of the hazelnut farmer. She was interesting to hear from because she offered an outside perspective of someone coming into this industry. She shared that she had little knowledge at the beginning when she came into the business. She shared information about the challenges of this industry, such as financial instability, employment, cost of production, and environmental factors.
How did your EcoTypes and SDG priorities compare?I talked to three different people about SDGs and the EcoTypes. I think, for the most part, we agreed on the majority of the topics surrounding the EcoTypes survey. This surprised me because, going into this, I assumed that our priorities would be very different from each other. I personally found it very interesting to interact with people from different backgrounds and to see how their views are similar or different from mine and my classmates. The big difference I saw was the difference in our SDG priorities. This makes a lot of sense because we all come from different backgrounds, and we all have those things that are important to us. A few of the people I talked to prioritized zero hunger and no poverty. Whereas I prioritized life on land and sustainable cities and communities. I think that all the global priorities have value and are all just as important. It is very valuable to have a variety of people, focusing on each one to make the most difference in the world.
What larger MCJD lessons did you learn?After completing the EcoTypes survey, we calculated their EcoType result. I found that the majority of the farmers landed in the Land Stewardship category. I feel like this makes sense to me because their focus is on farming and human place. Whereas my classmates and I tended to land in the Earth Action or Small Green Steps category because our priorities are in nonhuman place. This does a good job of illustrating the slogan “Many Care Just Differently” because it demonstrates the different aspects that individuals may care about. Everyone has their own beliefs, values, morals, and knowledge. This allows for a diverse amount of care.