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A Mother’s Plea to Keep Her Farm Running | The New Yorker Documentary

The New YorkerMay 4, 202221 min22,915 views
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Founding the Farm & Legacy

  • 💡 The mother, a former dancer and classical singer, established her farm by convincing a landowner to hold a mortgage, which she repaid in three years through 20-hour workdays.
  • 🎯 She invested immense "sweats and tears" into the land and desires one of her children to inherit it, rather than selling it to a commercial farmer.

Family Roots & Resilience

  • 🧠 Both the mother and daughter, Uni, are originally from North Korea, with their family having fled before the country's division.
  • 🔑 The family has a long history in the food industry, owning large restaurants in Korea, though farming was not their direct tradition.
  • 💪 The mother describes herself and her daughter as "born fighters" with "northern traits", characterized by strong women.

Mother-Daughter Dynamics

  • 💬 Uni initially felt abandoned by her mother after her parents separated, leading her to engage in farming to build a closer relationship.
  • 🚧 There are organizational differences; the mother is emotionally driven and avoids technology, while Uni aims to create a systematic approach to farm management.
  • 🌱 Uni, initially seeing herself as the "black sheep" and finding farming difficult, has grown to appreciate the work and is now managing her own herb section.

The Reality of Farming

  • ⚠️ Farming is depicted as extremely challenging, involving long hours, unpredictable weather, and significant financial gambles with no guarantees.
  • 💧 The mother often feels overwhelmed and on the verge of tears but maintains a strong front as the leader, acknowledging that loss is an inherent part of the business.

Hopes for the Future

  • 👏 Uni expresses admiration for her mother's strength and sacrifices, hoping to achieve similar success in her own endeavors.
  • 🚀 The mother's ultimate hope is for Uni to take over the farm, allowing her to run it in her own way, recognizing that her own capacity for farming is diminishing.
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What’s Discussed

Family FarmingFarm SuccessionMother-Daughter RelationshipsAgricultural ChallengesNorth Korean HeritageFood Industry HistoryEntrepreneurial JourneyFarm ManagementCrop ProductionEmotional LaborResilienceLand OwnershipProduce Sales
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