Last Monday I went to Groveport, OH to meet with Kendyl and Andy who we also know as Three Creeks Organic Produce. They live on 7 acres right in the middle of a bunch of warehouses and have carved out a serene food growing space. We had a discussion that we will release next Monday as a podcast episode.
When faced with the dilemma of stopping the Industrial Agriculture Monster (the corn, wheat, and soy fields), the argument is always, “You can’t feed the world by growing food any other way.” Our response to that HAS TO BE, “What you are growing IS NOT FOOD!” It’s a commodity that is used to make a product in a box that we have been tricked to think is actually food. (I love a goldfish cracker as much as the next person, but where are these farms growing all these goldfish??)
2 things about that…
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Kendyl and Andy are a small example of just how much food can be grown in a relatively small space, when done with INTENTION and CARE.
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I know LOTS of GREAT people that have been, and continue to be, farmers that are growing those industrial crops...We have to make it clear to them that we (eaters), WANT them to change their operations to grow REAL FOOD! If the $$$ was there, trust me, they would figure out how to regenerate soil instead of poisoning it.
Lastly, on this topic, this might come across as extreme and I need you to know that we are in extreme circumstances. The Rodale Institute, one of the originators of the Organic movement and education has published articles that state at the current speed at which we are depleting our topsoils, we have 59 growing seasons left.
That doesn't mean, “Oh well, I guess we will just have to figure it out then.”
That means, “Extinction Time!”
The good news in all this is that you have already made your choice! You have cast your VOTE WITH YOUR $$! Your diet has changed, is changing, and will continue to change with the seasons because you are plant-forward (obviously I am assuming if you are getting a giant box of produce that you must be eating a lot of fruits and veggies).
*side note, I also think animals (whether you eat them or not) play a crucial role in restoring our soils...another topic for another day
I just want to keep reminding you each week that there IS HOPE!! As your lives have changed because of your diet choices, so can others, and so can a big enough portion of society and culture that the farms WILL CHANGE to accommodate.
To come full circle, Kendyl and Andy are growing food that is feeding thousands of people. What if we had enough eaters to support 1000 different, 7-acre farms, that were growing TBDFITL?
*The Best Damn Food In The Land
**I definitely didn’t ask TBDBITL (The Best Damn Band In The Land) if I could use that Trademark)
