A blending of hope, heartbreak

The 2023 film, “Greener Pastures” captures a genuine, raw look at Midwestern farm struggles, from selling the cows to alcoholism to weather challenges.

“Greener Pastures” is a documentary made by filmmakers Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian and Ian Robertson Kibbe. The documentary chronicles the lives of four farm families, including two dairy farmers, in four states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Ohio.

“(Farmer’s) passion is something that’s always really incredible to see,” Robertson Kibbe said. “They love the work and they love the animals and they love what they’re doing. … It’s inspiring.”

The film focuses on rural mental health as well as the changing and challenging landscape of rural economics and climate that affect rural communities, and therefore, farmers’ mental health. Mirpoorian decided to make the documentary in 2018 after the Centers for Disease Control reported that farmers and agricultural workers have high rates of suicide.

Two of the farmers in the film had had suicide attempts, one had started a suicide non-profit, one had a parent commit suicide, and one had suicidal ideations.

“The primary objective was to find farmers at the epicenter of mental health, farmers that would be open and willing to talk about suicide, but also had some kind of direct correlation,” Mirpoorian said.

Robertson Kibbe agreed.

“(We) felt like we had found sort of this perfect grouping of folks that really resembled different facets of the issues,” he said. “Finding people who you trust and who trust you and you can have those relationships with is so important.”

The two dairy farmers in the film are Juliette, originally from Minnesota, and Jay from Ohio.

The documentary follows the four agricultural families throughout the 4–5-year project. Juliette and Jay both go through significant challenges.

Near the beginning of the film, Juliette is getting further behind on bills, selling cows to try to stay afloat and over-drinking. Viewers watch her process with her sobriety sponsor and go to treatment. Though the film has somber undertones, Juliette’s story, like each of the stories in the film, does end with a note of hope. After selling her farm in Minnesota because she got too far behind financially, she and her husband relocate to Missouri for a new start.

Jay also starts in the dairy barn. Viewers see him milking cows in the parlor with the sound of the pulsator in the background. Eventually, finances force him to sell. The documentary crew was on set when the cows left the farm.

As the documentary progresses, viewers watch Jay without work and taking out his frustration on video games. Eventually, his finances are restored through a fracking deal on his property, but cows are still not part of his story.

Mirpoorian said one of his biggest goals was not to force these scenes.

“In those very stark moments of emotion and poignancy, you just have to let them be,” Mirpoorian said.

Mirpoorian was in his mid-20s while documenting these scenes. He said the experiences were helpful not only as a filmmaker but also as a human being.

“I vividly remember being in those moments,” he said. “I remember telling myself to remember to be present in these moments. Because, as cold as it is, as broke as you are, as alone as you are, it’s going to be worth it.”

Mirpoorian and Robertson Kibbe grew up in rural, influenced areas of Indiana and North Carolina, respectively, but did not grow up on a farm.

“I just went into it completely blind, completely fresh,” Mirpoorian said. “That helped me actually tell the story and focus on things that … were the most intimate and profound … rather than focusing on things that maybe I innately would have already thought because I had a background.”

Though the film does emphasize small farms and locally rooted agriculture, the filmmakers said they learned more of the nuances of agriculture through the experience. Robertson-Kibbe said it increased his appreciation for knowing where his food comes from and has changed the way he shops.

“We sort of need both systems,” Robertson-Kibbe said. “It’s easy to try to live in a black and white world where you say all big ag is bad and all small farm is good; or all small farms are delusional, and we can only do one. … It’s just much more complicated than that.”

Mirpoorian walked away from the experience with respect for farmers.

“They’re the hardest working people that you’ll ever meet,” he said. “They’re really among the smartest group of people you’ll ever meet. They’re also the most stubborn group of people you’ll ever meet.”