"As a provider of health, indeed one of the most rewarding things about farming is the knowledge that I am helping people to gain control over their own health by eating good food." - Julie Slezak, Slezak Farms, Clarksville, Michigan

Interview with Julie Slezak

Slezak Farms is located within the picturesque landscape of Clarksville, Michigan. The farm is owned by Julie and Scott Slezak. The Slezaks began farming after they personally discovered that food and food preparation were detrimentally linked to the family's health. Julie Slezak had been suffering from health problems, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, throughout her undergraduate and graduate career in physical chemistry. Small but important discoveries about the linkages between food production and the body's responses to it allowed for Julie to overcome some of her previous ailments. For example, Julie had once believed that she was lactose intolerant. After drinking goat's milk however, she discovered that she could also drink raw cow's milk. It was the pasteurization process, which changes the chemical composition of the milk, that made it difficult for her body to digest.

As the Slezaks became more involved in the production of their own food, they not only realized the importance of trusting and taking care of their own bodies, but also the importance of trusting their animals' preferences for food. Remembering some advice given to her by another farmer, she laughed as she said, "If you have a question, ask the cow." This became evident to the Slezaks when they began raising some chickens for fresh poultry and eggs. They soon discovered that the chickens preferred wheat as opposed to corn, and adjusted the chickens' diets accordingly.

Julie sees herself as a provider of health. Indeed one of the things that she finds most rewarding about farming is the knowledge that she is helping people to gain control over their own health by eating good food. Julie asserts that eating healthy can cure almost anything. Within a year of changing her diet and becoming increasingly connected to the food that she and her husband were consuming, her Chronic Fatigue Syndrome went into remission and she was able to conceive. Her son, Carl, a very interested, healthy, and vibrant two-year-old, enjoys eating fruit instead of candy.

Although Julie has never thought of herself exclusively as a woman farmer, she did discuss some of her experiences as a woman in the male-dominated, market-driven business that is agriculture. As a young woman starting out in agriculture, Julie raised goats, sheep, and chickens. However, other farmers did not view this enterprise as particularly productive or demanding. Julie does not see this as a setback. Compared to what she experienced when she was within the university, she is still able to exert control over what she is doing. As Julie states, "It's still my land... in grad school it was his lab."

Julie warns women who are looking into agriculture not to try to break into traditional agriculture. She explains that it is too difficult to try to break into an old boys' network, and it is unnecessary to fight your way through this. Instead, she recommends alternative agricultural niches such as sustainable, urban, and organic agriculture, where women have an advantage. This is because women, as mothers and primary caretakers of children, trust other mothers. Julie also noted that, typically, women are the ones who manage their family's diets. Therefore, she advises women in farming to focus on their relationships with other women and to market their food within these relationships.

Julie views farming as a constant process of learning and experimentation. Slezak Farms and the agricultural community in which they work and live are part of a growing movement toward sustainable agriculture within the United States. To this day, Julie continues to enjoy growing, raising, and preparing healthy food.