Often, when determining what the right thing to do is, we have to eliminate from the discussion what the personal impact will be. Yes, we are all humans, and we are prone to playing favorites, but if something is right, then it is right for all – not “all except me.” That’s why Lady Justice wears a blindfold. And what applies to the law of the land applies to broader and greater laws as well. Therefore, doing what is right can be extremely painful, but that doesn’t make it any less right.
Several weeks ago, two buzzards were found dead at our dear community farm. Certainly odd, but not something to worry about too much (after all, we all know what they eat!) Not too long after that, some of the chickens at the community farm were found dead. Again, this isn’t exactly uncommon, as there are predators who understand that the various birds on the farm make for rather easy prey. But when a few more died, without any obvious signs of external trauma, the farm management made the decision to send the birds off to Clemson University for testing. This was not an easy decision, because there could be very extreme and drastic repercussions depending upon the test results, and this was understood when the birds were sent off. But the right thing to do is the right thing to do, regardless of the repercussions.
Unfortunately, the test results on the birds indicated the presence of Avian Influenza – the dreaded and much-hyped “bird flu.” At that point, the next steps were completely out of the hands of the farm as various state agencies took over. Farm management was asked to stay silent about the issue, allowing the news to be controlled by those agencies. In came a team of trained responders who donned hazmat outfits and controlled a very difficult situation according to their response protocols, all the while handling themselves in a professional and courteous manner. This response included the “depopulation” of every bird that was a resident of the farm.
For those unfamiliar, the farm’s population of birds included chickens for laying eggs, chickens raised for meat, guinea fowl, ducks and geese. Many of these birds have been on the farm for a while, and were favorites of farm volunteers and visitors alike. Some were essentially pets. They were cared for as best as possible, allowed to range about the premises, and now they are gone. All gone. Due to the transmissibility of avian influenza, the farm management understood that they could not allow the farm to be a point of further transmission of the bird flu, even with a result as devastating as the loss of the entire bird population.
During the next 120 days, only farm workers and volunteers will be allowed on the property, to tend to the goats, the garden and the orchard, and those people will have to go through a minor decontamination process when they are on their way out of the farm, to ensure that any remnants of the virus stay at the farm. If you think that sounds challenging, then you can imagine how hard it will be to hold onto volunteers. There will be no revenue from tours. And, there’s a big payment due on a bridge loan that was made last year to help the farm acquire the property from the previous owner.
Just to reiterate, the possibility of these issues was understood when the decision was made to send the birds for testing. The right thing to do can be extremely painful, and the farm management made the decision to do what was right. The end result may well be the end of the community farm as we know it.
If this is to be the end, it was a wonderful dozen years. Thanks to Ms. Pat’s vision, the farm served as a welcome host to thousands of visitors and, more importantly, served as a uniting force for our Island as volunteers came from all neighborhoods to be a part of something unique. To countless people, Daufuskie is the community farm, and the community farm is Daufuskie. It will be incredibly sad if this is the end, but what a wonderful life it has been, and it can go out knowing that it operated with integrity. But if this isn’t the end, (and the farm board of directors is working furiously to keep it going) how wonderful will the next chapter be!
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron