Dear MOTHER

“When we work at it, the land and seasons return a good life to us. Our garden produces fresh green things to eat; our chickens lay eggs when they’re so inclined; and when we kept goats, they produced milk by the bucketful.”

Remembering Loyd Bruce Holman and ‘Down on the Farm’

Loyd Bruce Holman was the artist behind the cartoon strip “Down on the Farm,” published in MOTHER EARTH NEWS from 1975 through 1985.

In his own words:

“‘Down on the Farm’ isn’t a story about farming. It’s a story about returning to a country setting to live. I live in the country by preference. I’m not a farmer. I haven’t a farmer’s skills. But my wife and son and I enjoy the life that the country affords, and we try to maintain harmony with the land and the seasons. When we work at it, the land and seasons return a good life to us. Our garden produces fresh green things to eat; our chickens lay eggs when they’re so inclined; and when we kept goats, they produced milk by the bucketful and won blue ribbons at the state fair. But life is not all blue ribbons and bucolic idyll. There are also blisters and sweat, and an occasional tear. I’ve always found that a sense of humor is helpful. You can’t laugh life’s problems away, but humor helps keep things in perspective.”