Ecological farmer, author, and nationally known local food advocate Joel Salatin is on campus presenting two talks entitled "Local Foods to the Rescue."
Salatin’s first presentation was over the noon hour focusing on the biology of sustainable farming. There was a big turnout for the talk. Bon Appetit provided an all-local lunch with assistance from Moody Meats.
The second presentation is for a more general audience and will begin at 7 p.m. in Salter Hall in the Fine Arts Center.
A passionate defender of small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm, Salatin and his third generation Polyface Farm recently achieved iconic status when both were featured in Michael Pollan's non-fiction bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. Salatin’s work has been the subject of articles in National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and Gourmet, Mother Jones, among many others.
Often described as "beyond organic," Polyface Farm arguably represents America’s premier non-industrial food production oasis and serves more than 1,500 families, 10 retail outlets, and 30 restaurants. All of the meat and eggs that Polyface produces is eaten within a few dozen miles or, at the most, half a day’s drive of the farm—within the farm’s "foodshed." Believing in the economic and spiritual values of the family farm, Salatin’s mission is "to develop emotionally, economically, environmentally enhancing agricultural enterprises and facilitate their duplication throughout the world."
A self-described "Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-lunatic-farmer," Salatin earned his B.A. in English before returning to the family farm and is the author of six books, including Family Friendly Farming, Holy Cows and Hog Heaven, and Everything I Do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front.
Both presentations are sponsored by the College’s Students for Sustainability and are free to the public.
Learn more about Salatin and Polyface Farm at www.polyfacefarms.com