National Pesticide Forum: Videos
Growing a
Fair, Local, Organic Food System
Jim Riddle (moderator), Neill Lindley, Sandi Kronick, Sally Lee and Tes
Thraves
Bridge to an Organic Future, the 27th National Pesticide Forum,
April 2009, Carrboro, NC
Part 1: Neill Lindley is the fourth generation in his family to farm on the home farm, now called Lindale Organic Dairy. His father Darryle is still very involved with farming – he likes to drive tractor, which is fine with Neill who likes to concentrate on developing their rich, nutrient-dense soils, maintaining their pastures and caring for their herd of 175 Holstein and Holstein-cross cows. In the 90s, Neill farmed with his father conventionally, but he was bothered by the health of his cows. Neill began converting the operation and was certified organic in 2007. The farm is now part of the Organic Valley cooperative. Beyond Pesticides board member and former National Organic Standards Board chair Jim Riddle serves as moderator for this session.
Part 2: Sandi Kronick got her start in the local food scene working as the local food coordinator for a 700-member dining co-op in Ohio, working mostly with Amish farmers. After consulting with Cleveland restaurants to help them set up local food buying programs, Sandi moved to NC where she worked for the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association since 2001, and helped launch Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO) in 2004 to help customers source fresh, local organic produce from neighboring farms while enabling farmers to preserve their family land through environmentally-friendly agriculture.
Part 3: Tes Thraves is community-based food systems coordinator for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems. The Center for Environmental Farming Systems develops and promotes food and farming systems that protect the environment, strengthen local communities, and provide economic opportunities in NC and beyond. Tes works on the CEFS Farm to Fork project which is producing a "Statewide Action Plan for Building the Local Food Economy." Ms. Thraves also coordinate a local food initiative incubated by CEFS, the Wayne Food Initiative, which is focused on youths and food justice. She is a senior fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program and has been coordianting speakers for the annual Southern Sustainable Agriculture conference sine 2007.
Part 4: Sally Lee is the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA's Just Foods program assistant. Claire Herman is outreach and communications associate at RAFI and coordinates the Come to the Table project. The Rural Advancement Foundation International - USA cultivates markets, policies and communities that support thriving, socially just and environmentally sound family farms. The Just Foods program promotes a systems-based approach to a more sustainable food and fiber system, working nationally and internationally to promote meaningful standards for organic agriculture, comprehensive labels for products grown in environmentally sound and socially just ways, and improved certification programs. Come to the Table is an on-going project that explores the connections between food security, faith and farms.
Part 5: Q&A Discussion