Rural Video Resources

Starving the Family Farm
Revisiting the Hillsdale, Wisconsin, site of "The Long Winter of

View"Starving the Family Farm" online and read the study guide

Rural America" we again meet Larry and Rachel Ecklor, whose painful farm auction MOSAIC recorded 10 years ago (MOSAIC, March 1989). A strong faith helps the Ecklors continue on — seemingly against all odds — even as it drives the hope that dairy farmers Roy and Gina Grewe have that they can beat those same odd. Meanwhile, we meet those who forecast, lament, and struggle against an agribusiness takeover of a once-foundational American institution.
View this video online and read the study guide

And On This Farm
Looks at the effect factory hog farms have on family farms in Missouri.

Caring for the Body, Mind, and Spirit During the Rural Economic Crisis
Workshop from the Center for Theology and Land’s March, 2000 Rural Ministry Conference.

Death of the Dream: Farmhouses in the Heartland
Prairie homes which once belonged to western Minnesota’s early settlers are disappearing. Good overview of what is happening to family farms. (There is also a book by the same name.)

The Effective Disestablishment of Churches
From the Center for Theology and Land’s March, 2000 Rural Ministry Conference.

The Farmer's Wife
A six-and-half hour, three-video series telling the true story of Darrel and Juanita Buschkoetter and their children: They are a young Nebraska family facing challenges and showing heroic perseverance. (A Discussion Leader’s Guide, Ecumenical Discussion Guide and a Viewer’s Guide are available.)

From Crush to Cruelty
Centers on teens and dating violence in rural and remote areas. Actors portray victims and perpetrators.

Homecoming: Sometimes I am Haunted by Memories of Red Dirt and Clay
Epic story of African American land loss and a chronicle of Black farmers from the Civil War to the present.

In Her Own Words: Domestic Violence in Rural and Remote Areas
Features several survivors of domestic violence in the Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming areas. Actors portray victims and perpetrators.

NBC News Segment on "Farm Suicide"
From an NBC news broadcast of 8/18/1999.

Precious Memories: Our Vanishing Rural Churches
Profiles country churches which have closed or are struggling to survive.

Starving the Family Farm
Produced by the ELCA’s Department for Communication, this edition of MOSAIC, the quarterly video magazine of the ELCA, features "Starving the Family Farm," a look at two rural Wisconsin dairy farmers. Winter 1999

Stewards of Creation, Stewards of Hope
Stories of six people attempting to be stewards of the environment in response to their faith.

Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern Town
The true story of the Jordan family and the challenging decision they face when a new regional bank wants to collect an accumulated $70,000 in debt. (A Timeline of the History of Farming, a Teacher’s Guide, a Reference Bibliography and other information about the film is available.)

A Way of Life, A Way of Living: Understanding Rural America
Looks at our earth and environment as God’s creation.