By recounting the story of his own family and home town, playwright, musician, and engineer Joe Hynek brings to life Iowa's lost family farms and the tumultuous economic events during the 1980's that destroyed them. Known as the farm crises, this "modern history" as Hynek calls it, ended an era and emptied out small farm communities in much of the Midwest.

Hynek, himself a product of the 80's, wrote a musical with his mother, Angie Hynek, about these events in order to personally say good-bye to farming. On this Sprouts show, Joe's own family story is accompanied by the music he wrote and performs from "Farmer Song." Joe memorializes American small farm culture and the historic events of the 80's, points out some people and forces responsible for the destruction, and speaks about successfully adapting to change.

As described by one theater review (Culture Flash), "Hyneks show that even through the bitter realities of the 1980s farm crisis, Iowa farm families showed a steely resilience that carried them beyond mere survival."

"Farmer Song" was accepted into the New York Fringe (theater) festival last August. While performing in New York City with his 15-person cast of Iowans, Joe sat down in a Greenwich Village cafe to provide this personal narrative.

For information about the musical, the accompanying CD, or about the Hyneks, click here.
Map of Ellston, IA US

This week's Sprouts edition was produced at Pacifica National in Brooklyn, New York by Ursula Ruedenberg and Nathan Moore, in collaboration with Joe Hynek of Grand River Arts, Inc. in Ellston, Iowa.