It's great to see all the local interest in local food - especially among the foodlums and students from the Economics Department and others that are working to create a healthier food system on this planet. I recently read an article about the Fresno Farmer's Market at Fresno State (CA) which employs students who work on the campus' 1,000 acre farm. This market does 1 million dollars per year! Students not only learn farming but can also take classes in "culinology" which is the study of new food products. Business and architecture students get involved in the design and management side of the market too. This is what is so wonderful about food - it is a great "organizable" thing that brings people together from different walks of life. Some come for the health benefits others to save the small and medium family farm. Still others join in for religous and/or ethical reasons. And at the end of the day it's also about celebrating our time together and re-establishing our connection to place, to our families, to our communities as we take time to Slow down and appreciate quality, local agricultural traditions - old and new. See you at the September Eat Local kick-off - Andrew
1 comment:
That's a big farm. My wife's grandpa used to run the "Eau Claire County Farm". It was on the westside, and they had their own dairy herd, a variety of animals, and hundreds of acres of crops, including a vineyard and orchard. The workers were a variety of county employees and patients with behavioral and mental health issues. One story he tells is how if one of the patients was getting angry or unruly, they would just have them go out by the cows and their condition would improve. The time for such an idea has come again, especially as EC County prepares to build a new jail - amazingly right on top of where Just Local Food sits today!!!
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