My job ended during the pandemic, so I left New York and moved to a farm in Maine — and it's changed how I think about work and food

Michaela SchwartzAug 1, 2020, 20:16 IST

Michaela Schwartz moved to a farm in Maine.Maddie Molot

Michaela Schwartz is a writer/producer living in New York. Originally from Boston, she graduated from Barnard College with a bachelor's degree in Film and Gender Studies.
When her television job ended in April, she saw no return to normalcy in sight for entertainment — so she decided to pursue her fantasy of going to work on a farm.
In July she made this dream a reality: she left New York after getting tested for COVID, got tested again at home in Boston, and then set off for a farm in Maine.
She works 36 hours a week on farm tasks, and has learned the realities of the labor that go into the food supply chain — as well as the inequities within farming.
She's not sure what her next move is, but she will be thinking more intentionally about her labor as she considers working post-farm.

All through this winter, pre-pandemic, I had been fantasizing about going to work on a farm or in a small cafe in New England. I could see it all: I would spend my days bottle feeding baby goats, sitting around campfires, and drinking homemade lemonade in a field of wildflowers. I was itching to do a different kind of work than I was used to and take a break from the desk jobs I had been working since college graduation.

When my TV production/development job ended in April, there was no return to normalcy in sight for the entertainment industry. I sat in my NYC apartment from March through the end of June, reading and cooking and calling my representatives.

Finally, on March 26, I signed up for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), an organization that facilitates homestays and work exchanges on farms across the globe.

The farm in Maine that Schwartz and her roommate decided to temporarily move to. Maddie Molot

Finally, on March 26, I signed up for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), an organization that facilitates homestays and work exchanges on farms across the globe.

After two hours in line at CityMD, we both got free COVID tests before we left NYC, and then departed to spend some time with our families.

Schwartz waiting to get tested for COVID. Michaela Schwartz

The farm is run by a couple in their 70s who have cultivated this property in Maine over the past two decades.

Scenes from the farm. Maddie Molot

Besides the owners, my roommate, and myself, there are six others that live and work here.

Schwartz out on the farm. Maddie Molot

Each of us work 36 hours a week in exchange for housing and food.

Some of the farming work. Maddie Molot

It has been so important to learn and fully understand what goes into feeding people — a chain of labor that is consistently undervalued in this country.

Plants at the farm. Maddie Molot.

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My job ended during the pandemic, so I left New York and moved to a farm in Maine — and it's changed how I think about work and food

Finally, on March 26, I signed up for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), an organization that facilitates homestays and work exchanges on farms across the globe.

After two hours in line at CityMD, we both got free COVID tests before we left NYC, and then departed to spend some time with our families.

The farm is run by a couple in their 70s who have cultivated this property in Maine over the past two decades.

Besides the owners, my roommate, and myself, there are six others that live and work here.

Each of us work 36 hours a week in exchange for housing and food.

It has been so important to learn and fully understand what goes into feeding people — a chain of labor that is consistently undervalued in this country.