Would you be strong?  Go follow up the plough;

Would you be thoughtful?  Study fields and flowers;

Would you be wise?  Take on yourself a vow

To go to school in Natures’ sunny bowers.

Fly from the city; nothing there can charm –

Seek wisdom, strength and virtue on a farm.

~ The Farmer’s Every-Day Book, 1853

Concord’s famed artist, Daniel Chester French, created the iconic Minuteman Statue at The Old North Bridge to honor the place where the American Revolution began in earnest on April 19, 1775. It depicts a farmer leaving his plow to join the patriot forces at the Battle of Concord. “Here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot heard round the world” are the words created by the great sage of Concord, Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose grandfather, the patriot minister William Emerson, stood witness to the bloody skirmish.  

Farm tractors 1900s

| Courtesy of Concord Free Public Library

Concord Ag Day has its roots in Massachusetts history. In 1794, the country’s first agricultural society was formed. Its activities were centered in Concord beginning in 1820 with the first annual cattle show. Premiums were awarded for the best in various categories of produce, livestock, farm products, handiwork, etc.   

In the 1980s, Concord, like many communities in Massachusetts, adopted local “Right to Farm” bylaws in an effort to create public awareness and to highlight the importance of farming as a valued and accepted activity. In 2006, Concord’s Select Board established the Agricultural Committee to serve as a forum for matters of interest to farmers and to advise the Board on how the Town can best support farming. The objective of these bylaws and Board was to protect active farmers from nuisance lawsuits from neighbors who seemed too busy to slow down for tractors. The Board helped to organize the first Ag Day nearly two decades ago.

Some of my fondest memories are of weekly trips to local farm stands to buy fresh-off-the-stalk corn, mouth-watering tomatoes, and pumpkins perfect for carving. I recall sitting on my dad’s shoulders as a young child, happily batting away flies, and peering into the cow pasture while waiting in line for home-made ice cream. Today, I never miss a chance to stop and wave to the farmers driving their tractors through Concord. This is part of the quiet elegance of a town that honors the noble farmer.   

The Annual Concord Ag Day is a fun way to enjoy the land of the transcendentalists. The philosophy of the divinity of nature is a helpful reminder to residents and visitors alike that stopping to smell the roses, and buying local produce, is one of life’s great joys.  

Concord Ag Day is September 7, 2024. For more information, visit: ConcordAgDay.com and follow Concord Farms on Instagram @FarmsofConcord.

With gratitude to the following:

Steve, Joan, and Jen Verrill (VerrillFarm.com)

Anke Voss, Curator of Special Collections, Concord Free Public Library