You CAN do something!
A lot of people are angry these days—and rightfully so. They’re angry about politics, pollution, climate change, health care, immigration policies and more. There are a lot of concerned eaters out there, too, who are upset and frustrated about the negative effects of industrial agriculture on our health and the environment. Families around the world are facing the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, toxic emissions, diet-related diseases and other health concerns as the result of our reliance on so-called ‘cheap’ food…
Get Social
An online presence is now a necessity for most farming and food businesses. But it’s not just about having a website: Social media is a vital part of any communications and marketing strategy—particularly for those selling directly to the consumer. Why social media? A basic website will allow customers to easily find you online, but it has its limitations. Customers can visit your website, look at it and leave—and subsequently forget about you. Unless you spend a lot of…
Walk a Mile in a Farmer’s Boots
Like millions of fellow Americans, you work hard every day to do the best job you can and provide for your family. Now imagine how disheartening it must be to know your boss or supervisor or customers are being told from every direction that the work you are doing is ‘bad' or ‘wrong'—or even ‘dangerous’? Well, you have just gotten a small insight into what it's like being a farmer today. While many advocacy groups working in food and farming…
Common Ground
Whatever your political persuasion, the current levels of social conflict and division we’re seeing today aren’t sustainable for any society. In times of social tension, we tend to seek safety among those who think and feel the same. In our social media-dominated world, it’s now even easier to select information sources consistent with our own positions—and exclude those that are not. It takes real courage to reach out to those who hold different views, to listen and challenge without igniting…
Sidelined by Sustainability
By Whitney Witthaus and Zachary Herman As participants in or producers of sustainable food, you have already begun your deconstruction of ‘normal.’ In altering and improving your methods of production, you are not only working to protect and enhance the ecological environment and the inherent values of our landscapes, you are also ensuring we can sustainably feed the mouths of today, as well as tomorrow. Yet if we pivot our gaze, and look back rather than forward, we see a…
