Summer days were spent working in the fields of John’s family’s farm in Pennsylvania. The location shouldn’t surprise you. Most people think of Pittsburgh or Philadelphia when they think of Pennsylvania. John’s family lived in a complete opposite area of the state. You could be driving through their town and the surrounding towns and think you’re in the farm towns of the south.

One specific day in July, it had reached a brutal temperature of 101 degrees. John spent his entire day mowing the grass of his family’s giant property. He also tended his family’s barn animals, which consisted of chickens, sheep, and cows. He’s always enjoyed interacting with these animals, and doesn’t see his chores as a job, because he ultimately enjoys doing the work. Not only is John passionate about animals, but the environment too.

At the end of each work day, around 4:30 PM, he would go back to his house, and take a shower to clean off from the day. After the shower, he would get dressed and look around his house to see if his family was home. On this particular day in July, he walked downstairs, passed through the dining room, to enter the kitchen. Surprised, he saw his father sitting in a chair with his elbows on his knees, and his hands on his forehead. Across the room, his mother was leaning up against the kitchen counter with a saddened look on her face. John was very confused; this situation caught him off guard.

John’s father turned to him, and said, “we’re poor son, the farm is not making enough money for us.” Up to this point, John’s father had kept their financial struggles a secret from him. “What do you mean? I thought our business was doing well”, John responded. In a choppy voice his mother said, “we-ll, it was but the economy is under and we’re not making enough to support ourselves.” John’s mother started crying. John’s father got up from his seat at the kitchen table to console his mother.

Watching his parents in awe, he noticed a piece of paper on the kitchen table. He started to read the text on the paper, with a horrified look on his face. After he finished reading the paper, he turned to his father, in a furious manner, saying “you’re not going to sign this right!?”. The paper on the table was a contract from a big time drilling company that wanted to use John’s family’s land to frack from minerals. In the contract, the company promised the family a large sum of money if they let them use their land. John’s father interjected, “We need the money John.” “No Dad, fracking will ruin the farm. What about the animals?”, John said in a frantic voice. As his father said, “I’m sorry John.”, John was already storming upstairs to his room, slamming his door behind him.

John started destroying his room in anger. Everything he cared about: the farm and the animals, was going to be destroyed because of his family’s lack of income. John opened his laptop and started researching the drilling company that offered his family the money they desperately needed. The first few links that appeared on his search were YouTube videos showing the aftermath of their drilling. He watched the first video. The title of the video had the word farm in it, but what he saw was a wasteland created by greed. He knew if he continued to watch the other videos he would only get more upset. He closed his laptop and just laid in his bed staring at the ceiling for about an hour.

Around 6 PM, his mother knocked on his door, and in a quiet voice said, “dinner’s ready”. John walked downstairs, not looking forward to sit at the table with his family for dinner. He sat down and the tension in the room was very awkward. Nobody spoke to each other for most of the meal. There were only subtle comments about passing the butter or the jar of water. After John finished eating, he cleared his plate into the garbage and went back upstairs in his despair.

John knew he wasn’t going to give up on his situation. He needed to prove to his parents that they didn’t need to sign the contract, that he could help bring in enough money, so that his family didn’t need to give up their farm. He began to devise a plan that he would pitch to his parents. The best idea he could come up with was to travel to farmer’s markets all over the state, and surrounding states, selling the crops and meat product he was creating at the farm. Previously, the farm sold to retailers, but this wasn’t bringing in enough money.