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American Agrarians: Ideas of Land, Labor, and Food Oral Histories
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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
This undergraduate course was taught by Tessa Lowinske Desmond in collaboration with Princeton Theological Seminary. Students conducted oral histories with New Jersey area agrarians that detailed the opinions and experiences with agrarianism and farming in the 21st century.
This collection contains oral history interviews conducted by the class.
Series 1: 2019 Interviews were originally archived as part of the "MS926 Voices of Princeton Oral History Collection, Series 3: American Agrarians" at the Historical Society of Princeton.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Valencia Johnson in 2023. Finding aid written by Valencia Johnson in 2023.
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Valencia Johnson
- Finding Aid Date
- 2023
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research. Please refer to individual interviewers for restrictions.
- Use Restrictions
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Collection Inventory
11.0 GB
Alison Morgan is an acupuncturist and herbalist whose practice is based on her family's organic grain farm, Morganics Family Farm, in Hillsborough, NJ. Morgan believes that healthy living involves taking care of our bodies but also our interactions with the environment. Morgan discusses her approach to health and what it's like to practice Chinese medicine on the farm.
Physical Description0.1 GB
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Beth Feehan is a New Jersey native who quickly learned that feeding people meant making friends. Beth has continued to make and feed friends in a variety of roles throughout New Jersey including her work as a Chef, her involvement with Food Corps, Greenwood Avenue Farmers Market in Trenton, Gravity Hill Farm, NJ Department of Agriculture, as the Co-founder of Mireille Delman West Windsor FM, and as a driving force behind the New Jersey Farm to School Network. Here is a bit of her story.
Physical Description0.1 GB
Bob and Caroline Phinney talk about their CSA farm, with a focus on agrarian themes.
Physical Description0.1 GB
Charles Huang, founder and owner of Chia-Sin Farm in Pittstown, NJ, talks about his experiences growing up in Taiwan, serving Chinse communities in and around New Jersey through his work, and raising children as an agrarian.
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Multigenerational farmers discuss history and challenges of their family farm.
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Derrick Branch is an artist/farmer who has lived in Trenton for his entire life. In this interview, we had a chance to talk about the relationship between art and farming, about ways to live a "good life," and his own personal outlook on the future.
Physical Description0.1 GB
Jess Niederer is a 13th generation of Niederer farmers, where the Niederers have been in Hopewell Valley since 1910. Jess is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Natural Resources, and after stints in conservation biology, ornithology, disaster relief, and development work, Jess started Chickadee Creek Farm in 2010. Jess was named New Jersey's 2016 Outstanding Young Farmer. In the interview, Jess shares the struggles involved with renovating her family farm into a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and the challenges that come farming full-time today. Jess explores the importance of paying attention to the soil and the spiritual and biological stories that soil tell. Finally, Jess explores various complexities related to farming such as family dynamics, employee management, and climate change.
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This interview with Jon McConaughy, the co-owner of Double Brook Farm, details a brief history of how he got involved with the agriculture industry, as well as the life philosophies that have been central to his work. It covers a variety of topics - from the humane treatment of animals to sustainability to the false promises of the industrial revolution - that are crucial to discussions of agrarianism and agriculture in the modern world.
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Jonathan runs a dairy farm selling homemade bread and cheeses.
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Justin Allen is the coordinator of Urban Agriculture at Isles, Inc in Trenton, NJ. Justin talks about the importance of gardening and how he sees his work impacting the community around him.
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An interview with the founder and owner of Jammin' Crepes, Kim Rizk
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Lauren Nagy is a farm manager at Cherry Valley Cooperative Farm in Princeton, NJ.
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Nate Kleinman is a plant breeder and farmer. He is one of the founders of the Experimental Farm Network (EFN) based in Berlin, NJ. EFN is a network of plant breeders engaged in doing research into sustainable agriculture to fight climate change, preserve the natural environment, and ensure food security into the future. Kleinman comes to farming and plant breeding through political organization and participation in social movements including groups like Occupy Wall Street and relief work during the recovery from Hurricane Sandy.
Physical Description0.1 GB
The interview with Stephanie Harris begins with discussing her personal story and the story of how she ended up in Hopewell Township, NJ, a town near Princeton, NJ. When discussing her background, Stephanie talks about hwo she learned to love the land, the soil, healthy organic foods, and farming. Her work was in Washington, DC before she settled in the Princeton area in the early 1980s. Since then, Stephanie has been a staple in the organic farming community in Princeton and New Jersey as a whole. She currently serves as the President of the New Jersey chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association and owns and operates a commercial farm, Stone Hedge Farms.
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There are 40 interviews and occasionally, a photo of the interviewee. These interviews were conducted by Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary students for classes in 2019 and 2022 taught by Professor Tessa Desmond. The interviews are arrnaged by the interviewers name.
Physical Description21.0 GB
Keywords: Climate Change, Community, Concentrated Agricultural Feeding Operations (CAFOs), Farming, Permaculture, Seeds
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Community, Land, Princeton, Spirituality, Sustainability, Education, Generational, Roots, Stewardship, Tree care
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Climate Change, Community, Cooperation, Farming, Plant Breeding, Seeds, Trenton, Vegetable Production
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Community, Farming, Farmland Preservation, Permaculture, Unemployment, Barns, Property, Grant, Bidding war, Asparagus, Chicken, Franklin Township, Farm bureau, Commitee, Gooseberry, Apples, Elderflower, Soil, Rutgers
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, Community, Cooperative, Counter-Culture, Farmer's Market, Farming, Farmland Preservation, Independence, Land, Permaculture, Princeton, Property Rights, Sustainability, Vegetable Production
Physical Description1.3 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, Community, Cooperation, Farmer's Market, Farming, Land, Sustainability, Vegetable Production
Physical Description2.8 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Community, Compost, Counter-Culture, Farmer's Market, Farming, Farmland Preservation, Freedom, Grains, Land
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Climate Change, Community, Cooperative, Farming, Land, Princeton, Property Rights, Spirituality, Sustainability, Vegetable Production
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Cooperation, Farming, Grains, Princeton, Sustainability
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, Community, Cooperative, Farming, Food Sovereignty, Grains, Land, Princeton, Religion, Seeds, Spirituality, Sustainability, Vegetable Production, WWOOF, Sheep, Shepherding, Livestock
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Climate Change, D&R Greenway (Delaware & Raritan), Food Access, Food Sovereignty, Freedom, Princeton, Spirituality, Sustainability, Trenton, Vegetable Production, Art, Planetary health, Slavery
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Food Access, Independence, Sustainability, Fish, Seafood, Ocean
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Community, Compost, Farmer's Market, Farming, Food Access, Herbs, Hopewell, Independence, Land, Permaculture, Property Rights, Seeds, Sustainability, Trenton
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Farmer's Market, Farming, Religion, Vegetable Production
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Community, Farmer's Market, Land
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Organic, Nutrition, Homestead, Poultry, Body image, Animal rights, Animal processing, COVID, Gardening, Farmer, Teacher, GMOs, Free range
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, Farming, Food Access, Land, Montgomery, Princeton, Sustainability, Vegetable Production
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Climate Change, Community, Farmer's Market, Farming, Food Access, Food Sovereignty, Land, Princeton, Sustainability, Vegetable Production, New hope, Pennsylvania, Farm to table, Woman, Land ownership, Aperitivo, Relationships
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Climate Change, Community, Farming, Permaculture, Property Rights, Religion, Spirituality, Sustainability
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, Community, Compost, Cooperation, Cooperative, Counter-Culture, Farmer's Market, Farming, Food Access, Food Sovereignty, Hopewell, Land, Princeton, Sourland Mountains, Spirituality, Sustainability, Vegetable Production
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Community, Counter-Culture, Farming, Food Access, Hopewell, Land, Permaculture, Sustainability
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Community, Farming, Food Access, Land, Trenton
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Farming, Seeds, Spirituality
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Community, D&R Canal (Delaware & Raritan), Farmer's Market, Farming, Food Access, Trenton, Vegetable Production
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Community, Farming, Farmland Preservation, Permaculture, Unemployment, Barns, Property, Grant, Bidding war, Asparagus, Chicken, Franklin Township, Farm bureau, Commitee, Gooseberry, Apples, Elderflower, Soil, Rutgers
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, Farming, Food Access, Hillsborough, Land, Sourland Mountains, Sustainability
Physical Description0.1 GB
0.1 GB
0.1 GB
Keywords: Community, Cooperation, Farmer's Market, Farming, Grains, Princeton
Physical Description0.1 GB
Keywords: Climate Change, Compost, Cooperative, Farmer's Market, Farming, Farmland Preservation, Land, Pennington, Seeds, Spirituality, Sustainability, Vegetable Production, Soil, Sail, Biology, Health, Family, Capital
Physical Description0.1 GB