University extension agents argue persuasively that a farmer cannot afford the time to mow: he is forced by economics to sit all day atop his tractor attaching one implement after another to produce enough to make the payments on loan for the equipment. I do not offer the scythe and its related tools as an alternative to this scale of agriculture. Yet, even here the scythe has a place, trimming the edges where the machine cannot go.
I do not use a scythe in order to make enough money to support a livelihood, but rather to support a livelihood. Not only is the product of my labor- hay, mulch, grain-- superior to any I could obtain elsewhere in this chemical age. In addition, I deeply enjoy the experiences of contributing to my own sustenance and of relating intimately to the earth.

- David Tresemer