Ke hoʻomaka nei ʻo Autumn e kāhea i nā kumulāʻau boxelder ma kapa o ka muliwai ʻo Little Wood me nā ʻōlani ʻalani, nā ʻalani a me nā ʻulaʻula. I kekahi mau lā, e ʻoki kēia mau kumulāʻau i kahi lipine lapalapa ma ʻō aku o ka nahele sagebrush. Mai kona lanai o mua, hoʻokahi haneli iwilei mai ka muliwai, hanu nui ʻo Fred Brossy i ka ea maʻemaʻe a hāʻule nā minoʻaka.
"ʻO kā mākou ʻāpana lani kēia," i ʻōlelo ʻo ia.
A manaʻo nō pēlā, ʻoiai no kahi kipa. ʻO ka māla ma Ernie's Organics, e like me ka hana a ka Brossys ponoʻī a kāhea ʻia, manaʻo ʻia he nostalgic akā ʻaʻole i kau ʻia, e hōʻike ana i kahi mehana, nā poʻe āpau e hoʻokipa ʻia me ka mehana ʻole me ka ʻole o kekahi syrupy, sentimentality o kekahi kiʻi ʻino B-grade Hallmark. ʻO kēia wahi he ʻoiaʻiʻo e like me ka loaʻa, a pēlā nō hoʻi nā Brossys a me nā mea ʻē aʻe āpau i pili i ka kūleʻa o ka mahiʻai i nā makahiki i hala.
Ua neʻe aku ʻo Fred lāua ʻo Judy Brossy a me kā lāua keiki kāne he ʻelua mau makahiki ʻo Cooper i Shoshone i ka makahiki 1983 e hoʻokele i ka mahiʻai no Ernie Bryant, nona ka inoa i kapa ʻia ai ka hana. Noho ka mahiʻai ma 300 mau eka i hoʻoheheʻe ʻia e holoholo ana i ka Little Wood i kekahi mau mile komohana o Shoshone, Idaho. Momona ka lepo, one one, kau ʻia ma waena o nā kumu basalt uhi ʻia e ka muliwai a me ka muliwai, me ka nui o nā wahi holoholona maoli e pili ana i nā mahina ʻai liʻiliʻi i mahi ʻia. I ka nānā mua ʻana i ka pipi hānai ʻana, i nā makahiki e hiki mai ana, ua hoʻohui ʻo Brossys i nā mea i ʻoi aku ka nui o nā meaola i ka mahiʻai. Ua hōʻoia ʻia ka hana āpau i ka meaola ma 1996, e ulu ana i kaʻuala, alfalfa, nā pī maloʻo, palaoa, kulina, nā hua pī māla a uhi i nā mea kanu. ʻO kā lākou mea kanu nui loa e pili ana i ka ʻeka he alfalfa, ka mea e hānai i nā meaʻai no nā dairies meaola ma ia wahi a he kuleana nui ia e kōkua ai i ka mālama ʻana i nā mauʻu mauʻu mau i ka hoʻohuli ʻana o nā mea kanu. Aia i ka makahiki, ma waena o 20 a 35 mau ʻeka aia i loko o kaʻuala, a Brossy i ʻōlelo ai hiki ke loaʻa he 25 pākēneka o ka loaʻa kālā o ka mahiʻai, ʻoiai ka hapa liʻiliʻi o nā ʻeka i hoʻolaʻa ʻia iā lākou.
"Ua kūpono ia i koʻu akeakamai o ka mahiʻai," wahi a Brossy o ke kuapo i ke aloha. “A ʻaʻole kūpono ka ʻoihana kūʻai maʻamau i kahi mahiʻai e like me kēia a me nā hana ʻokanika.
"ʻAʻole i like ka maʻalahi o ka hoʻololi ʻana i nā mea kanu ʻokanika me ke kōkua ʻole o kekahi o nā hoa aloha a me nā kumu aʻo maikaʻi nāna i kōkua iaʻu e hoʻomaka," hoʻomau ʻo ia, e kuhikuhi pono ana iā Mike Heath lāua ʻo Nate Jones, nā mea ʻelua i hana i nā mahiʻai kūleʻa maikaʻi i ʻo Idaho hema no nā makahiki he umi. "Kōkua maoli ia ke loaʻa iā ʻoe kekahi e paipai a kākoʻo iā ʻoe ma o ka hoʻololi e like me kēlā. Iwakāluakūmālua mau makahiki i kēia manawa, hoʻomau mākou e kōkua kekahi i kekahi i nā manawa mau. ”
Kūpaʻa ʻo Brossy ʻoi aku ka nui o ka moʻolelo o Ernie's Organics ma mua o ka moʻolelo o Fred lāua ʻo Judy Brossy. Ua hāʻawi nui nā poʻe he nui i ka kūleʻa o ka mahiʻai - mai nā kumu aʻo e like me Heath a me Jones, i nā limahana hana lōʻihi lōʻihi lōʻihi, i ke kōkua kau, i nā hoanoho i hele mai i ka wā e ʻohi ai no ka manawa e hoʻokele ai i kahi kalaka nui kahiko. . Hele pū ka hōʻaiʻē i ka pili mau loa o ka mahiʻai me nā mea kūʻai aku e like me Amy's Kitchen, nāna i kūʻai i kaʻuala ʻo Brossys mai ka makahiki 1998.
"Hana ʻia kēia mau mea āpau e ka lokomaikaʻi o ke Akua a me ke kōkua o kahi poʻe maikaʻi maoli e kōkua iā mākou i nā makahiki," i ʻōlelo ʻo ia.
Ua hānai ka Brossys i kā lāua keiki kāne hoʻokahi, ʻo Cooper, ma ka mahiʻai. Ma ka hoʻokomo ʻana i ka waiwai i kahi mālama mālama ma o ka NRCS Federal Farm Protection Program a me ka hilinaʻi ʻāina kūloko, ua hiki iā lākou ke kūʻai i ka mahiʻai mai Bryant i ka makahiki 2005. Ua ulu ʻo Cooper, ua haʻalele i ka home e loaʻa kahi kekelē, a ua hana ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he kālaihonua nīnau. no kekahi mau makahiki. Akā i ka hala ʻana o ka manawa, hoʻomau ka hoʻomau ʻana o ka ʻume i ka mahiʻai. I kekahi mau makahiki i hala aku nei, me Judy e maʻi nei mai Alzheimer a ʻaʻole e hele kahi mahiʻai i kahi mahiʻai, ua hoʻoneʻe ʻo Cooper i kona ʻohana ʻōpio i ka Magic Valley a lilo i hoa hana me Fred ma ka mahiʻai.
"ʻO ke kumu nui paha wau e mahiʻai ai ka manawa kūpono e hana pū me ka ʻohana a me nā hoa aloha," wahi a Cooper. "He mea leʻaleʻa loa ka mahiʻai ke nānā ʻoe i nā mea e ulu ana, ma ke ʻano o ka nānā ʻana i kāu kūleʻa a me ka nānā ʻana i kāu kūleʻa ʻole."
"ʻAe, ʻaʻole leʻaleʻa wale nā hāʻule," ʻoki a Fred me ka ʻakaʻaka.
ʻAʻole, ”ʻae ʻo Cooper," akā he hiʻohiʻona loa lākou. ʻO ka moʻo o nā pilikia āu e ulana ai i kou alahele - makemake au i kēlā. Makemake au i ka juggling a me ka hana ʻana i nā pilikia. ”
Hoʻomaopopo ʻo Fred i ka holomua o ka mahiʻai i kā Judy mau hana i nā makahiki i hala aku nei — a i kēia manawa ua hoʻi ʻo ia i ka mahiʻai, ʻo Cooper pū kekahi.
"ʻAʻole hiki ke hoʻokō ʻia kekahi o kēia me ka ʻole o Judy ma koʻu ʻaoʻao," i ʻōlelo ʻo ia. "ʻOiai ʻaʻole hiki iā ia ke komo hou, hana pū me Cooper i kēlā me kēia lā e like me ka moeʻuhane i kū ʻia naʻu."
Ua hoʻolaʻa ka ʻohana Brossy i ka manawa a me ka ikaika i loko o nā makahiki e hāpai i ka hana ʻana i nā meaola ʻaʻole wale i nā mea kūʻai aku, akā i kā lākou mau hoa hana. Manaʻo maoli ʻo Fred e kū pono kēlā me kēia mea ulu mai ka hoʻopili ʻana o kekahi o nā hana hilinaʻi ʻokanika.
"Lawe ia i ka poʻe hāmama a ʻike iā ia ma ke ʻano he ala e hoʻomaka ai no lākou iho i ka mahiʻai," i ʻōlelo ʻo ia. "Hiki iā lākou ke kūleʻa i kēia inā ʻaʻole lākou i kau ʻia i ke ala i aʻo ʻia ai lākou i ka mahiʻai ʻo ke ala hoʻokahi wale nō ia.
"ʻAʻole wau e noʻonoʻo iaʻu iho he mea kanu uala e like me kaʻu e noʻonoʻo ai iaʻu iho he mahiʻai mahiʻai e mahi i kaʻuala," hoʻomau ʻo ia. “ʻO ka mahiʻai meaola kahi ʻōnaehana biology, ʻoi aku ma mua o ka hoʻokomo wale ʻana i ka hoʻokomo. ʻAʻole hiki iā mākou ke kūʻai i nā ʻāina mahiʻai a puni mākou; ʻano hemm ʻia mākou e nā māla pele ma aneʻi. No laila pono mākou e hoʻomaikaʻi i ka ʻāina a mākou e mahiʻai ai. He mea maikaʻi loa ke ʻike he mahalo i ke ʻano o ka mālama ʻana, e hoʻomau mau kēia wahi i wahi mahiʻai. ”
No kahi ʻāpana lani, maikaʻi loa kēlā.