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Documentary Digs 'The Real Dirt on Farmer John'

Illinois farmer John Peterson grew up on the farm, took it over after his father's death, and lost most of it in the '80s, when the bank foreclosed on his loans. Later, during the 90s, he turned the place into a community-supported agriculture venture producing organic food.

Now he's the subject of the documentary The Real Dirt on Farmer John, by filmmaker Taggart Siegel; it includes family movies and photographs from John's life and the life of the farm, and it's being shown in limited release in theaters across the country. This interview first aired on June 7, 2006.

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Other segments from the episode on June 29, 2007

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, June 29, 2007: Interview with Paul Simon; Interview with John Peterson; Review of the films "Ratatouille" and "Sicko."
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Two momentous films open nationwide on the same day. Sicko radically challenges our perspective on health care. Ratatouille radically challenges our perspective on rats in kitchens. Cynics will say there's a better chance of a rodent becoming a chef than of universal health care for Americans. That underestimates the big fighting rat at the center of Sicko.

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A Legend In His Own Field: Farmer John

As told in a new documentary, The Real Dirt on Farmer John, the story of John Peterson is an allegory for the woes of family farmers — and the triumphant return to traditional artisan farming that is giving new life to small-scale agriculture.

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