THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM
In this crowd-pleasing documentary about food, farming, dreams, and determination, a young couple leaves city life behind for a grand experiment in holistic agriculture.
When filmmaker John Chester, chef and food blogger Molly, and their rescue dog Todd are evicted from their small Los Angeles apartment, they decide to pursue a longtime dream of Molly’s: growing organic foods of all varieties on a nature-first farm. After purchasing a 130-acre plot of neglected land in central California, the two neophyte farmers, with the aid of biodynamic horticultural pioneer Alan York, begin bringing the dry, arid soil back to life. Implementing an ambitious plan of revitalization that encompasses massive landscaping, irrigation, a worm farm, countless plants and fruit-baring trees, chickens, sheep, ducks and a 700-lb pig named Emma, the Chesters try everything natural under the sun to create a living, breathing agrarian ecosystem. For every incremental success, there is a bounty of challenges— weather, of course, but also wildfires, coyotes, and an apocalypse of snails. As the idealistic farmers struggle to remain true to their original vision, York assures them that working in balance with nature is never easy, but given time, it is richly rewarding, as is this inspirational film that will leave you marveling at what’s possible when man and nature come together in harmony.
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