Garth Glass gets a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that his farm is providing thousands of nutritious meals for people. Garth, his wife Shelley and son Kent grow organic grain and pulses and raise bison on the edge of the Great Sand Hills of southwestern Saskatchewan.
Like most farmers, the Glass family has been through its share of tests, but 2008 has been a good year. “Our grain bins are full. We produced over 200 tonnes of lentils and I estimate that is enough to make half a million meals or more. I don’t know how many thousands of bowls of breakfast cereal will have come from our farm this year, or how many good meals will be made with high quality meat we produce, but it gives me a very good feeling to think my family is able to feed so many people.”
Garth and Shelley have five children. Kent, who has been working for several years in the lucrative oil and gas industry, returned to farming this year.
“There is a connection and love that comes with farming that far outweighs financial considerations,” says Kent. “Farming is a way to serve humanity. It is also more laid back than the fast pace of working in oil and gas, and much more grounded.”
As members of the Baha’i Faith, the Glass family has been inspired by Baha’u’llah’s emphasis on service. Baha’u’llah, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, stated that to be engaged in agriculture, when it is done in a spirit of service, is “identical with worship.”
A perhaps unexpected facet of the Baha’i Faith—given it was established in the mid-to-late 19th Century, at the height of the Industrial Revolution—is the strong emphasis it places on agriculture. Baha’u’llah and His son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who led the Faith after his Father’s death, not only wrote and spoke about the importance of agriculture, but were themselves actively involved in farming.
During His early years in Persia, present day Iran, Baha’u’llah participated in the operation of his family’s farms, and took over their management after the death of his father. Years later, following the First World War, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá received a knighthood from the British crown in recognition of his efforts to produce and stockpile grain to feed the people of Palestine, as well as British soldiers, during the war.
“What impresses me is the fact that Baha’u’llah, God’s chosen Manifestation for our time, was involved in farming with His family,” comments Garth Glass. “This helped my family realize that farming is a noble tradition, and created a pride in carrying on what my grandfather and father started.”
“Farming even helps us to exercise virtues, like patience. Especially patience,” says Garth, with a smile. “This fall for example, after several tough years, everything was going great. We had swathed an excellent crop of lentils in one field when a strong wind came up out of nowhere. It only lasted a half hour but it blew the swaths away and shattered the pods.
“That sort of thing makes farming an emotional roller coaster. But if you think about it, it also strengthens spiritual qualities like humility; you watch stuff like that happen and there is nothing you can do about it. In the hard times we try to take a step back and appreciate what we do have—in our better moments,” says Garth with a laugh.
The Baha’i writings stress the important role of farmers in society, even stating that the importance of their service exceeds that of other professions. This is a significant message in a period of history when farmers and farming has been devalued and ignored relative to other occupations and industries.
In one of His writings, Baha’u’llah stated that “special regard” must be given to agriculture since it is among the most critical elements in creating social order. Today, when the economy is dominated by other industries, we can easily forget that farming and the renewable resource sector are the foundation of any society. We use more of the products of nature than ever before, and because of higher levels of consumption, are actually more dependent on them than ever.
Religion has played an important role in agriculture in the past. Today, the Baha’i Faith is helping to raise the status of agriculture to a central place in society, and farming to a highly respected occupation.