Filmmaker Ken Marsolais’ documentary centers on farmer activist John Ubaldo. After 12 years of sales management on Wall Street and following September 11, 2001, Ubaldo—nicknamed John Boy—resigned his position and left New York City. Having lost friends and his brother-in-law on 9/11, John Boy spent a few months in self-reflection at his family’s home, bought a few animals, and decided to become a farmer. He purchased a tree-lined farm in upper New York state and acquired chickens, ducks, geese, cows, and pigs, and began multi-crop farming. After visiting feed companies, John Boy discovered that additives and poor ingredients—including chicken feathers and cookies—were being added to the feed. Concluding that the food system was toxic, he created his own formula and reached out with his farming concerns, especially regarding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and “big agriculture’s assault on small farms.” Wanting to make a change in people’s lives with healthy food sources, John Boy became successful selling his food products at local farmers’ markets and at his Outpost restaurant/marketplace. The Bullish Farmer is a thought-provoking profile of one farmer who found value and passion in feeding his local community through traditional farming methods: crop rotation, no pesticides, and giving animals lots of room to graze. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Root)
The Bullish Farmer
(2017) 80 min. DVD: $89: public libraries & high schools; $250: colleges & universities. DRA. The Video Project (www.videoproject.com). PPR. Closed captioned.
The Bullish Farmer
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: