THE LUNATIC FARMER

THE LUNATIC FARMER is a documentary streaming on Angel Studios about an unconventional Christian farmer, Joel Salatin, and his family’s four generations who gain knowledge to run the successful Polyface Farm in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. His farm has faced forced closure by government officials trying to enforce industrial (inefficient) norms and procedures. Joel fights back for sustainable farming that honors God’s plan for us to be good stewards by healing the land and taking good care of animals. The documentary is an eye-opening education for anyone interested in a healthier, more ethical, and sustainable food supply. It contains some dialogue about the cruel treatment of animals bred for slaughter. MOVIEGUIDE advises some minor caution for younger children.

Joel Salatin takes viewers back to his deep roots in farming. Salatin’s grandfather operated a successful farm in Venezuela. Like Joel, he believed that God blessed us with abundance and called us to be redemptive healers of His creation. Granddad quickly dominated the fresh chicken market because his chickens were far healthier than all the others. The senior Salatin used nature’s methods to create happier chickens free of disease and sickness.

Sadly, a new government forced the farmer and his family out of Venezuela. The Salatin family moved to the Shenandoah Valley, where they purchased a dilapidated farm. The next generation, husband and wife, Joel’s parents, took jobs in the city to make ends meet. However, they didn’t give up on farming entirely, having created a self-sustaining homestead. Joel’s parents continued the pursuit of healthy farming, but Joel is the first generation to make a living solely from farm life.

With the knowledge of the generations before him, Joel quickly met the need for better food-growing practices. Starting small, he began selling chickens at local farmer’s markets. The chickens were so delicious and tender that he built a steady client base. Soon, many people came to Joel to learn how to make a healthy farm.

Tired of directing each individual in healthy farm practices, Joel wrote a “How To” manual. He subsequently wrote two more books on good growing practices. Joel inadvertently started a movement. Organic trends began to materialize all over the country.

Joel’s success brought unwanted attention from government officials. They tried to shut down Polyface Farms for not following industrial norms. Joel didn’t surrender or collapse, however. Rather, he doubled down on his deep convictions that God gives us an abundance and that it’s biblical for people to steward the earth with care to provide God with a good return on His investments. Joel proved that his meat had much less bacteria than the industry meat soaked in chemicals during production.

Working both sides of the political aisle, Joel became the voice for a better food supply. Many people turned to Joel for incredible discoveries, such as the idea that the earth has enough and provides abundance per God’s design. He believes farming should exist at the community level. Anything else is an insufficient design constructed for a “money grab.” For example, Joel scoops a handful of his soil, pointing out that each handful has nine billion living organisms, more than all the people on the planet. Those nutrients sustain life, Joel says.

Large farming corporations only include four nutrients required for growth. Joel uses science, history and common sense to build his arguments. He has proven that animals provide better, healthier meat when allowed to do what they’re naturally created to do, that is move, mob and mow. Joel’s animals have plenty of room to roam. In this way, they naturally till the earth for better abundance. Happy animals don’t produce the stress hormone adrenaline, which causes the animals to tense up, which makes the meat tougher.

Joel sounds the alarm that all farmer’s markets and small businesses were closed during the pandemic, but the government allowed large corporations such as Walmart to remain open. The takeaway is that large corporations want all the profits. Joel helps people become wise to the individual community power because of God’s creation of abundance. Mankind will reap the benefits of allowing the land to grow and heal.

THE LUNATIC FARMER is an explosive expose presented in a delightful, life-affirming manner. Godly living is always tied to common sense. The documentary reveals the beauty and abundance of God’s creation. The healthy, frolicking animals and vibrantly growing land shown on Polyface Farm help the viewers see a world created for all of God’s creatures.