The Grass Whisperer
By Troy Bishopp
(Madison NY – Jan. 2013) You’re probably wondering what this has to do with grass farming. Answer: It’s on my grazing planning chart to sometimes leave the paddocks behind and travel to a music venue. It’s a little strategy we’ve adopted after farming too many hours that says, “If you don’t plan for fun, you won’t have any.”
Now, I could talk about singing with my wife in the front row of a Darius Rucker concert on a soggy night at the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown. I could relate how cool it was to take in The Band Perry on a starry night at MKJ Farm in my hometown of Deansboro or tell you how a country boy finds his way to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and rocks out with Shinedown, Staind and a dancing daughter.
Even though these were great experiences, a good drought distraction and a chance to stimulate the local economy, my most memorable moment was meeting a true rock star. His genre of music touches my grazing soul, inspires me to take care of the soil and provides me the melodies to dance with the cows.
This culinary musician and his band of chefs have produced such delicious hits as: Flavortown, The Sausage Shuffle, The Sultans of Squash, Blue Hill on my Mind, The Chicken Tractor Dinner Dance and my personal favorite, Grass-Finished Cheeseburger in Paradise.
If you haven’t guessed yet, I met the rock/food star legend and best chef in America, Dan Barber of Blue Hill Restaurant at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills. I will never forget how proudly he introduced me to his talented staff, “The Grass Whisperer is one of the best grass farmers in New York.”
As the story goes, he had me at ‘hello.’
Now, I’ll fully admit Dan can be a real charmer; what with schmoosing with the First Lady; winning boatloads of culinary awards; writing articles in the New York Times and being named one of the world’s most influential people in Time Magazine; however for me, he’s my passionate storyteller and farm ambassador to the customer.
As my friend Patrick Beck puts it, “He respects the protein.”
It was back in 2008 when I first connected with the infamous Mr. Barber through my former editor/writer, Tracy Sutton Schorn, who had just been treated to a five-star meal as part of her article on him. Being highly jealous, I goaded her into giving me his number. The reason? I wanted a culinary craftsman at our Grasstravagnza Grazing Conference to make the connection with farmers that we need to support our advocates in the kitchens.
He came up from Tarrytown to Binghamton between services to deliver the gospel of food, free of charge, and wound up stealing the show with a half-hour story during lunch about a Spanish farmer and his free-range foie gras that totally transformed an audience into true believers of his passion for quality, flavor and working with natural systems.
It was also a joyful and heartening experience when another food rocker, Shannon Hayes, and Dan were able to connect over lunch before he was whisked back to Blue Hill, sleeping along the way. I’m like an elephant: I haven’t forgotten his kindness to help inspire farmers on how important they are.
When Dan won the James Beard Foundation’s top chef in America award, I felt compelled to write and thank him for telling our story through his cooking and editorials. It was like I won, too. He totally inspired me to write about our stories and challenges on the farm, even more so today as nutrient density and flavor seem secondary to production.
I’m really getting what he is saying about this topic: “It’s about cuisine that’s evolved out of what the land is telling you it wants to grow.”
I was looking for a way to pay homage for Dan’s inspiration when I wrote a proposal to present at the five annual Young Farmer’s Conference at the Stone Barns Center on the contract grazing business. Being chosen and having the opportunity to meet beginning farmers and eat food with a story was like going to a rock concert.
I felt a little “groupie-like” as I peered into the kitchen from the courtyard, seeing all the white coats scurrying around just like on the food channel. I equated it to controlled chaos, which reminded me of my grazing system, in which everything works as a whole.
Our meeting was about as random as they come. I was heading to a presentation about growing great garlic (it complements my beef) via a classroom through the restaurant and there was the rock star at a table discussing menu choices with his staff. His confused look showed he knew me, but without the grass in my mouth or a farm cap on, I would have to take charge of the greeting.
“Hey Dan, I’m Troy…”
“No, you’re the Grass Whisperer,” he fired back.
And there it was, a solid connection between a fifth-generation grass farmer protecting the headwaters of the Hudson River Watershed and a food craftsman expanding the palates and health of customers.
After our exchanges, picture-taking and a brief story of how Dan inspired a bunch of farmers, we did what busy people do: got back to work. As I sat in the workshop learning yet another way to produce tasty food, a warm feeling came over me looking at the picture of this simple grass farmer with a bunch of white-aproned rock stars: I felt appreciated.
At its core, I think all farmers would welcome such a feeling from society because most of us don’t steward the land and animals just for the money.
We’re just like chefs in a way, we like nurturing flavorful relationships.
Troy Bishopp is grazing specialist for the Madison Co. SWCD/Upper Susquehanna Coalition. He can be reached at (315) 824-9849 ext. 110, troy-bishopp@verizon.net or thegrasswhisperer.com.