Greg Gunthorp

The legendary editor Walter Murch correctly pointed out there is an infinite number of ways to cut a scene. Which means there’s infinitely more ways than that to cut a feature.

One of the struggles as an editor is how to introduce a character, and how to weave in all of the fascinating things someone says during the course of an interview, and to show all of the actions a farmer takes in a given workaday.

It’s especially frustrating because there’s so many potential people who will watch a short film, or a long one. Have often thought through this particular process that it would make sense to cut a totally different version of a portrait of Greg for someone well-versed in the inner workings of the USDA. His knowledge there is so vital to be heard by professionals in the space, but will probably be too esoteric for the general layperson.

And given the toxic polarity within our culture, or perhaps the perception of that toxicity, have often joked with colleagues that we should probably cut one version of our feature films for people who tend to vote for Democrats, and another version for those who vote Republican.

With that said, here’s a second introduction to our day together on Gunthorp Farms, one where we meet the man through his love of the land he stewards food from each day, and where we learn of the toughness he displayed while working all day long outside on one of the hottest days of the year.

As summer mercifully approaches fall, and after spending weeks in places where highs are regularly well over one hundred degrees, I continue to be in awe of the people who grow our food. The toughness, the perseverance, the ingenuity. Here’s to Greg and the farmers and farm workers across America who are thanklessly filling up the grocery store aisles despite remarkably challenging environmental and economic circumstance.

Thanks.