When he was young man, my dad worked the fields, following the crops from state to state. It was a very tough life that required people to help one another. Maybe that’s why this story drew my attention. Sure, you can debate whether or not the so-called “sustainable” lifestyle makes sense, but it’s important to appreciate that they’re helping one another. No government program or rule required. Considering that today’s society is all about government as go-to problem solver, these folks are doing something that’s worth noting. I hope it inspires more of us to find something we care about and take the leap when most others will just sit back and wait for government to step in.

They call it crop mobbing. Think of it as a Digital Age barn raising, or Facebook-enabled farming.

About once a month, a growing contingent of farmers, food activists, office workers and the unemployed chooses a small farm somewhere around the Triangle and puts a serious dent in the owner’s to-do list.

More than 50 volunteers showed up Sunday morning at Okfuskee Farm, near the northwest Chatham County community of Silk Hope, then spent the day building planting beds, moving mulch and hauling timber.