Hidden among the various announcements of corporate splits, company mergers, and earnings calls last week was the quiet statement that in the split to three entities, Kellogg is planning to move the headquarters of its new snack company to Chicago, IL, to “attract top talent” and I wonder about the lives and futures of Battle Creek residents.
Marktown in Indiana, after Mark Manufacturing abandoned the idea of a company town and halted construction.
Ten years ago, I would have let this statement wash over me with no reaction other than, “sure, makes sense.” Today, I am thinking about the independent businesses, the ranchers, the farmers, those with a vision to invest in their towns and communities, increasing the vitality of the neighborhood along with their sales and profits. It takes an effort to remain independent these days. There’s so much investment money out there that venture capitalists, mid-tier investors, equity managers, and even nuns in Utah are getting in on the food system action. I don’t have an opinion on which type of investment is the best or if remaining independent is the right choice but if your company “owners” live in a city, hundreds of miles from your factory, ranch, farm, or headquarters, how can they know what the community needs?
Barn in town at White Oak Pastures
About a month ago I was visiting White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, GA. It’s a place I’ve visited many times over the last decade, a place that remains the same in its commitment to a vision but the execution changes as rapidly as anywhere. There was more energy buzzing around this time and it seems to get more intense with every visit. I believe this is a result of the passionate group of followers that are attracted to this place.
It is important to understand the nature of Bluffton. It’s in Clay County, one of the poorest, if not the poorest county in the country. The 2020 census listed 113 permanent residents. There’s one post office, a seasonal peanut collection point, and White Oak Pastures. The nearest chain grocery store is about 45 minutes away, the closest major airport is about 2 hours away, and Google Maps doesn’t even really know how to respond if you search for the nearest movie theater.
White Oak Pastures cattle herd
And yet, every time I visit, I meet the most amazing “top talent.” People who have left investment banker jobs, have multiple PhDs, come from big farms, major corporations, moved from New York City, or Chicago, who now live in an RV, or share a cabin with several other people, all for the chance to participate in something revolutionary.
Gabe Brown presenting the fundamentals of regenerative agriculture at the October 2021 CFAR meeting
I read an opinion piece a few months ago about the difference between charity and mutual aid. I had assumed that the pandemic would reshape how and who we view as our community and that the concept of mutual aid would become more pervasive. Rich people like to raise other people’s money to give away while study after study shows that lower-income people are more generous than higher-income people. For communities like the one in Bluffton, Georgia, building something greater than wealth is why the directors of White Oak Pastures do what they do. They know that giving and investment establishes a culture of reciprocity and builds connections that makes them more resilient.
In a time when we are still putting ourselves back together after being broken by a pandemic of illness and loneliness, we’re stressed out and angry with one another, afraid of real and perceived monsters, and looking for a community to comfort and sustain us. I always think of Bluffton, GA and White Oak Pastures as the place I would run to during the next pandemic, lockdown, or horrible event so perhaps it is not about the place but about those that create and nurture the communities in that place. If we all thought a little longer and felt a little more before abandoning our place, perhaps we all could reimagine and revitalize what it means to be part of a community.
Until next time, be well and give ‘em hell,
Beth