Movie Review: The Biggest Little Farm

A while back, I noticed a new documentary listed on Netflix.  I was both intrigued by and suspicious of the description: "Inspired by their pet dog, a Los Angeles couple raises the money to start an eight-year adventure of triumph and heartbreak in biodiverse farming."

Inspired by their pet dog?  Interesting.

Biodiverse farming?  Is that just a buzzword, something used to attack conventional agriculture?  Or do these people have a genuine understanding of this type of farming?

Los Angeles?  Please tell me this isn't another story of some city slickers managing, with minimum effort, cost, or personal sacrifice, to save the world from folks who have been farming for generations.

Eventually, the intrigue overrode the suspicion and I watched the movie.

It was...not what I expected.  At all.

"The Biggest Little Farm" takes the audience sequentially through the first seven years of John and Molly Chester's journey of turning 200 acres of dead, drought-stricken land into the thriving, healthy farm that is Apricot Lane Farms in California.  And when I say that land was dead, I mean it.  I would not want to start with soil like they had!  They achieved success through biodiverse farming, which is described by their mentor, Alan York: "Our goal is the highest level of biodiversity possible."

The level of biodiversity on this farm is one seen more often in storybooks than in real life.  Apricot Lane Farms has cows, chickens, guinea fowl, sheep, pigs, guardian dogs, ducks, several varieties of citrus and stone fruit, raspberries, blueberries, and a vegetable garden.  I've probably forgotten a few things.  The most important part is how the animals and plants all interact.  They aren't kept separate from each other.  Rather, the farm functions as an ecosystem and the Chesters talk about its "interconnected beauty."

Photo Credit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8969332/

As a conventional farmer, some of the things the Chesters did in their journey were a bit strange to me, but others made a lot of sense.  For example, I found it strange how much they celebrated the birth of various livestock animals.  To me, that just seems like an unnecessary level of bonding.  Then again, maybe it's important to take a step back to appreciate the abundance of life.  I really liked seeing the way they used their livestock to help keep the crops healthy.  That's something that is beginning to come into conventional farming as a realistic option, though the uptake is definitely higher among those embracing alternative farming methods.

This documentary didn't sugarcoat the realities of farm life.  There was death, frustration, and even a threatening wildfire (a threat for which many farmers are now learning to prepare).  The forces of nature didn't cooperate all the time either, even in sunny California.  At one point, John talks about how farmers, in trying to save their animals, bond with the livestock that will one day be food.  He also talks about the problems they created on the farm, and the difficulties in solving those problems.

It wasn't all bad though.  The movie showed little babies, plenty of successes on the farm, and several revelations as John and Molly worked out how to "balance the needs of the farm with the needs of the wildlife."  I was particularly enthralled with their solution for a devastating snail infestation in the citrus orchard.  In the end, the Chesters reached "a manageable level of coexistence" between the crops, livestock, wildlife, and humans.

As I watched this documentary for a second time to take notes for this review, I wound up with more quotes on my paper than anything else.  My favourite is one from the very beginning: "I never dreamed we could even get to this point - to have so much to lose."  What farmer doesn't understand that?

To my surprise and delight, this really is an exceptional documentary.  The camera work is of a high quality, the perspective is balanced and honest (maybe a little too honest for some of us?), and the story frequently had me leaning in to ask, "how will they solve this problem?"  All considered, I highly recommended watching "The Biggest Little Farm."

Note: I am not receiving any incentive, financial or otherwise, for promoting this movie.