Youth in Focus

By Richard A. Ross

Ornery Farmer’s daughter

	TRR Photo by Richard A. Ross Megan Gorzynski perched on the back of the family farm truck at the Liberty farmer’s market. (Click for larger image)

COCHECTON CENTER, NY — Sometimes getting away from home can alter one’s perspective dramatically. Going to school in Washington D.C. has given Megan Gorzynski an appreciation for the lifestyle and values that her parents John and Sue have always stood for.

It’s not that Megan Gorzynski has changed dramatically after a year at Catholic University. More aptly, she has come to an understanding about the importance of her roots. A year ago, those roots felt like they needed transplanting. After eighteen years in a small town, she yearned for a life in a city. “I wanted a change. I knew one way of life only. How can you decide where you want to live if you don’t experience other places?” she asked.

The Gorzynski farm is her family’s livelihood, and the children, including Megan, John and Tim learned early on that farming was hard work. They were expected to work two or three days per week when they turned fourteen, though they often pitched in well before that age. Megan wasn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect of farm work, which she said was “dirty and hard.”

	TRR Photo by Richard A. Ross The new Gorzynksi farm logo shows defiance of watered down standards of the term “organic.” (Click for larger image)

Her father, John Gorzynski, has made his name as an organic farmer, a label he no longer can accept thanks to the new standards for the term set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A man of strong principles, Gorzynski’s farming techniques center on a close relationship with the earth, the elements and insects. Rather than trying to eradicate pests by spraying them with poisons or using chemical fertilizers to artificially foster growth, Gorzynski relies on natural means to protect and enhance his wide variety of crops, including insects that destroy those that harm his crops.

Now, the government has changed the rules of the game. Foods labeled “organic” can contain 30 percent non-organic ingredients or synthetics such as diglycerides. This has rankled Gorzynski who has fought the good fight in Washington D.C.  “I’m not playing that game,” Gorzynski said. “I’m beyond organic, I’m ornery.”

Speaking about her father, Megan’s tone turns deeply respectful. “My father may not have the college degrees, but he is a relentless learner,” Megan said. “He is always reading.”

“My father always taught me to say exactly what you mean and to make sure that you’re heard. He showed me by illustration and example. Now, I’m never ashamed of a having a different belief. He’s taught me that that’s a basic human right. He has also taught me about dealing with adversity,” she said.

In 2001, torrential rains flooded the farm, wiping out virtually everything. Megan remembers that Saturday. Her father was in the city as usual, vending to the people who have come to regard him as their main source of food.

	Contributed photo Hard work and farm dirt have not marred Megan’s beauty. (Click for larger image)

When Megan told him about what was happening, there was a pause in his reply as he struggled with the magnitude of the events. “Give me a minute,” he said. Megan said it was the one time in her life that her father seemed overwhelmed. When he called back, he told her to move the tractors and the batteries.

Neighbors and farmers came in droves to help. It was a lesson in how a small community can band together. For Megan, it was another real life lesson.

After a year at college, Megan appreciates real food. This summer she is working on the farm full time. It’s a labor of love. “She’s never been this happy,” her mom, Sue, said.

“I regard my parents very highly. To please them and to make them proud of me is my number one goal in life,” Megan said.

This week’s youth in focus is an organic offspring of an ornery farmer and his wonderful wife.