The Biggest Surprises from The Biggest Little Farm
This is the documentary you need to see if you’re thinking of leaving the city for farm life.
Take a broken-down 200-acre property that has been transformed into an incredibly lush and diverse biodynamic farm over eight years and capture it all on film and you get The Biggest Little Farm. This documentary tells the story of two newbie farmers and their rescue dog as they leave Los Angeles behind to build a farm that will work in harmony with nature in Moorpark, California. John Chester, the Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker who directed the film, and Molly Chester, a private chef and blogger, discovered that nature isn’t easily harnessed when there are coyotes, gophers, snails, windstorms and wildfires to contend with. Here are some of the biggest reasons to go and see this film, which is at times heartbreaking, funny, achingly beautiful, charming and full of surprises.
Todd
Both the farm and the film owe their existence to a dog named Todd. The Chesters rescued him from an animal hoarder and promised him that their home would be his last. But Todd was a prodigious barker when left alone, so when the inevitable notice to vacate arrived due to noise complaints, the Chesters decided to take a chance on their dream. “It changed the course of our future because we had blindly committed to an animal and weren’t willing to break that promise,” says Chester. “Our love for that dog gave us this incredibly epic and magical existence.”
“We Went Crazy”
In less than a decade, Apricot Lane Farms went from a dilapidated monocrop operation to a thriving farm with 10,000 orchard trees encompassing 75 different kinds of stone fruit, lemons, and avocados; a cornucopia of vegetables; and a boatload of animals, from pigs and sheep to horses and highland cattle. “We piled too much on from the beginning and were growing way too many things,” says Chester. “We wanted a biologically diverse ecosystem, but we went crazy.”
An Untimely Parting
The reason for such diversity rests with the agricultural ethos of Alan York, a pioneer in biodynamic growing, an integrated system that builds soil fertility through composting, animals, cover crops and crop rotation. Chester enlisted the help of York early on, and he convinced the couple to bring in an incredibly diverse mix of crops and animals to help rebuild the soil. But an untimely parting with York, just when the system he had set up needed the most attention, left the Chesters feeling angry and frustrated. In the end, it forced them to become more creative and self-reliant to overcome their challenges. “I had to respect that there was something special about this farm, and I needed to look at in a different way,” says Chester. “The problems were just things to be solved — they weren’t going to kill us or our dream.”
Working in Harmony
By year five, the system created by York had begun to show results. Nature and agriculture were working hand in hand, with a balance between predators and pests that kept both in check. Yet, even with this dynamic ecosystem chugging along, every season would see a new pest or problem crop up, says Chester. The only difference now is that the system responds faster, preventing infestations and epidemics. Beyond this, their farm remains resilient in the face of climate change, with less soil erosion, an ability to store more groundwater and higher levels of carbon in the soil than a typical farm. “I didn’t want to make a film about climate change,” says Chester. “I wanted to make a film about its consequences and living through them. It’s about the potential to unlock these ways to integrate ourselves within a system that regenerates it rather than depletes it.”
The film is released on May 10 in the United States. Here’s the trailer.
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by Andrew Amelinckx, Modern Farmer
May 30, 2019
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So I just saw this movie and yes the cinematography was beautiful but as near as I can figure they had millions of dollars. 200 acres within an hour of LA was probably more than a million dollars, just for the land. All the equipment is new and just the investment in fruit trees was probably close one million dollars plus fruit trees take years to produce fruit. Not to rain on anyone parade but very few people can just spend money like there is no tomorrow. Most of us have to start small and do one thing at a… Read more »
I think that this movie isn’t about showing the folks who farm “small” how to do it — we know it’s incredibly hard work and takes big investments of time, energy, and yes, money —this movie’s real power is showing the big corporate agriculture guys that this type of organic, soil building, water conserving, carbon sequestering farming can be done on a large scale. Let’s all hope that some imaginative and open minded folks from the big CAFOs will see this film and think about investing some of their big money into this type of diverse farming instead of into… Read more »
Loved the impetus for the move, and loved the movie! What an amazing dream come true for this couple. Hard work and perseverance do pay off!! The cinematography was beautiful along with the whimsical graphics. Kudos to these new farmers!
The way you described the parting of the Chesters and York makes it sound like he abandoned them…. so not the case.
I loved loved loved this film and I cry every time he talks about his dog Todd.It’s funny how those animals creep into your heart and never leave. Ever. The little bits of land that I take care of come I feel the same way about. Thank you for the inspiration. It gives people hope.
Saw the movie a few days ago. Enjoy the cinematography, the concepts of sustainable farming and the realities of multiple challenges
That arise in the homesteading lifestyle. It’s a broad stroke documentary which was an enjoyable topic to watch. And for all of us transitioning into Country life…big scale and small, out West or down South, many things to relate with.
The average age of farmers in the US is over 60. The Government will pay anyone to go to school and get a Ag degree. A full ride! The problem is that this is a sponsored by big pharma/chem company and most of the new farmers are city kids who won’t question their practices. This is something that might interest folks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD_3_gsgsnk&feature=share
Does anyone here know who funded the farm especially in the early years?
such a beautiful story and iam sure this was a mountain of work.But I am sure it was gratifying at times