Never before have a I read a non-fiction book that made me
laugh, cry, and squirm so much, while still leaving me feeling like I had been
through an intense learning experience.
Locally laid is an entertaining read. As most of the blurbs
explain, it covers the story of how Lucie and her husband Jason, neither with
much farming experience, decided to tackle building a sustainable egg business
in, of all places, northern Minnesota. Lucie’s description of the decision
making process and the trials and tribulations of setting up the farm are
laugh-out-loud funny at times. There are also moments of horror and sadness – a
tragicomedy if there ever was one. Despite seemingly having legitimate reasons
for frustration, anger, and despair, Lucie never comes across as patronizing or
even self-congratulatory at their eventual (somewhat) success. I never detected
much self-pity in the story and Lucie’s always positive, bubbly personality
comes through well in her writing. It is clear that the family’s love and
passion allowed them to pull off this incredible feat through some difficult
and even terrifying times. Lucie and her husband’s skill sets also appear to be
a match made in heaven – Jason as the wonkinsh, competitive, hardworking
dreamer and Lucie as the talented writer and social-media savvy marketing
chick. But Lucie’s story of dealing with what initially seems like an insane
idea is always believable. As a city slicker, I found myself completely able to
understand, appreciate, and relate with her reactions to the regular challenges
posed in the launching of the business.
And through all the humor and pathos, the book provides some
interesting and eye-opening facts about locally sourced food. I, for one, had
always excused mega-scale, specialized producers of food as necessary to feed a
burgeoning world population. I admittedly dismissed some of the efforts at organic,
small-scale, locally farmed food as the privilege of the wealthy who could
afford to pay for more expensive food and look down their noses at the poor who
were forced to eat unhealthy, processed foods because they were cheap. The book
explains the high cost of cheap food on a societal level. Not only are the
mega-farm systems apparently not particularly efficient, but their processes
are not very sustainable in the longer run. Perhaps, also, the very system that
keeps food prices low is also exactly what is keeping the people poor and
unable to afford the luxury of locally-sourced food from mid-sized farms.
Stronger local economies may actually reduce the need for ultra-cheap food
while also lowering the risk of rising food prices once agricultural resources
are exhausted from over-exploitation.
Besides being an exceptionally entertaining and educational
read for locavores, the book should be required reading for any aspiring
entrepreneur. It vividly communicates a fact that is well known to most
entrepreneurs and academics studying entrepreneurship – that starting up and
running a business is hard. It takes a physical and psychological fortitude
that not everyone can stomach. If the book gives one aspiring entrepreneur a
more realistic view of creating a company from scratch (yes, I had to throw at
least one weak pun in there), it would have achieved an important goal.
Building a business is often viewed by the naïve as a get-rich-quick scheme
where you control your own time and are lord and master of your domain. In
reality, most businesses depend not only on the pluck, determination, (and
sometimes foolishness) of the entrepreneur, but the support of a vast network
of friends and well-wishers – something amply demonstrated in this book.
Ultimately, what touched me most was that the book reads as
a love story. It shows Lucie’s love of community, a better world, family, and
most importantly her husband Jason. The couple deal with uncertainty,
exhaustion, and family emergencies with an unfailing spirit that would have
broken many people and most marriages. But somehow, even at the depths of
despair and hurt, you always know they are there for each other. The book is clearly
a touching love story and parts of it will fill your eyes with happy tears.
As a person who has lived in Duluth for over twenty years
now, I like to think of Lucie as a Duluthian now. Her love of the community is
evident in the book and we have readily embraced her and the business. Having
now read her book, I can confidently say, local chicks are better.
Buy it here.
