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  In the Belly of the Beast

  Tom describes the situation I experience right here in east central Illinois as well.  Here we are right smack dab in the center of the University of Illinois campus with a school of agriculture funded by ADM and Cargill.  An hour to our west is ADM's headquarters.  The University of Illinois has the oldest agricultural test plots in the United States.  

  Yet, all around us small organic farms are making a go of it.  I hope we are beginning to see the creation of an infrastructure with some of the more wonderful restaurants buying up the local and organic food.  One of the international leaders of the Slow Food movement continues to inform, cook, and give tours.  And our local Farmer's Market is growing every year.

  Our congregation is trying to do its part.  This spring, on Rogation Sunday, we celebrated 25 to 30 families taking part in local CSAs.  We all looked pretty snazzy in our green bandanas.  We also buy "shares" from the local food co-op (which supports the local, organic farmers) to go the local women's shelters.  

  We really seemed to gather momentum when over 100 members and friends of our congregation showed up at a local farm for a local, sustainable feast with goat cheese cheesecake, fresh strawberries, local wine, and a wonderful assortment of food.  Receiving money from the Valparaiso Project to make this go helped to defray the cost of CSA shares and this grand banquet.

  That grand banquet related once again to me just how much progressive values need to remember fun and celebration as we go forward.  One of our local farms announced last year that they are now financially able to give the farm over to their children.  I would think that definition of sustainability has to rank right up there--the ability to hand over your farm and farm values to the next generation.On For now, local politics is the way to effect ag-policy change posted 2 years, 4 months ago 8 Responses