Today is National Ag Day and we celebrate our abundance of food, thanks to American agriculture. Think about it, where else can we enjoy such epicureous quantity, quality and diversity?
I was recently discussing my design project for this autumn’s Fermentation Fest, a convergence of agriculture, art and fermented foods. October seems so far away but as event co-founder Donna Neuwirth shared new ideas, I was inspired with anticipation. As Donna said, oh, the possibilities.
Oh, the possibilities
Such a simple phrase, yet so fitting for National Ag Day. This year’s theme is “Agriculture: Stewards of a Healthy Planet,” and the possibilities ahead are bountiful. Farmers are increasingly listening to consumer demands and striving to produce their products in healthier, more earth-sustainable ways. CSAs, farmers markets and farm-to-table organizations have become a societal commonplace, meaning our access to local food is so much greater. And the ever-growing specialty food market offers us cleaner ingredients and values we care about.
Speaking of specialty foods; several weeks ago I took a beekeeping class from Mad Urban Bees. This bee farmer, as owner Nathan Clarke describes himself, keeps an office in the vintage-li-cool Madison Enterprise Center. He describes the neighborhood as burgeoning with specialty food businesses. How cool is that?
So yes, today, in celebration of National Ag Day, I bought my first bee hive. It’s my effort, small as it is, to produce better food and be a healthy steward of the planet God has entrusted to us. I’ll certainly not make it to the eminence of farmers, but I’ll be a good writer and designer for them. Oh, the possibilities!
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