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Greetings from Inside the Beltway
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I feel like a fish out of water, better yet like an uprooted tree. Saturday morning I was still feeding the chickens, now (Sunday) I am sitting in a Holiday Inn on the other side of the country, in Washington DC.  Here "inside the Beltway", the powerhouse of political action, far removed from all things farming, I don't quite know what to expect as I will spend the next four days with a delegation of fellow California farmers representing the Farm Bureau.

The intention of the trip is to meet with elected officials and people whose career it is to shape policies, implement legislation and appropriate money that affects our country's food and farming system. As the only organic farmer in the group (and being outside of my usual and more familiar "organic " surroundings in Santa Cruz), I am keenly aware that 95% of farming in this country is still conventional, and the Farm Bureau is the largest and probably one of the oldest grassroots farm organizations for promoting the agricultural interests of farmers and ranchers engaged in production agriculture. So it is no surprise that they advocate a conservative and conventional agenda. I am curious to learn how receptive legislators are to acknowledging that the current state of America's food system is seriously flawed and in need of reform. The statistics are sobering: 40 million Americans suffer from chronic hunger and improper nutrition. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese due to poor diet and lack of exercise. Obesity is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year and adds over 100 billion dollars annually to the escalating cost of national health care. The list of challenges  includes the plight of millions of undocumented farm workers, the rapidly aging farm population, and our currently devastated rural farm economies, not to mention pollution issues, the loss of habitat and biodiversity, declining honeybee and pollinator populations, global warming and escalating energy costs. The good news is that there are all of us, plus a rapidly growing number of organizations out there representing more sustainable food and farming alternatives. Many of the models that could turn the tables already exist. To bring these solution-oriented models to life, however, what's needed is a gargantuan shift in how Federal resources are allocated through one very particular piece of law -- namely the Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill establishes the rules of the game for how almost 100 billion dollars of our tax money is spent. For decades, agribusinesses, lobbying organizations such as the Farm Bureau, and legislators have essentially written those rules; now they need to take responsibility for the lion's share of the mess we're in. Which means that now is the time for all of us, people from all walks of life -- parents, doctors, farmers, food consumers, everyone -- to speak up and choose with our dollars how we want to shape the future of our food supply. It is time to change present and future legislation. We need healthy food to be brought back into our schools, workplaces and homes. To this end we as a community need to be become more knowledgeable about the issues affecting farmers and food producers so we can raise our voices together.  It is time resources are shifted away from a few highly subsidized corporate agribusinesses focused primarily on the production of a handful of commodity crops, i.e. corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton and rice, and instead rewarded to those who want to engage in a more sustainable food system. Such a shift could help create the necessary change to shape policies that promote a more just, more balanced, and healthier food system for all.

So now that I am all inspired and energized, I will report back next week what the experience was like here inside the Beltway, the land of politicking and opportunism... I already get a sense that after four days of this I will sorely miss being on the Farm!

Sustainability won't come instantaneously, but we're on our way!

- Tom

Young Farmer Program Update
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Speaking of good examples of the future of farming... look no further than right here on the farm: Live Earth Farm's "Young Farmer Program". If we're going to change legislation to support more sustainable organic farmers, then we also need to train more organic farmers. This is exactly what this program is designed to do. Live Earth Farm's Young Farmer Program is intended to give serious journeyman-farmers the opportunity to get real honest-to-goodness hands-on learning - we provide the land and the tools, and they design and implement their own small organic farm.

This year's "young farmers" are Jeff Boesch and Anna Vinitsky, and they have been busy bees since last winter and are now up and running, complete with a mini-CSA and their own stand at the Willow Glen Farmers Market (as an aside: this was the first farmers market Tom got into when he began Live Earth Farm back in 1995). Check out what Jeff and Anna are up to by visiting their blog; they would love the encouragement and support!

Background: the Young Farmers' fields; inset: Farmer Jeff out setting gopher traps.

Pictures from a field walk
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Last week it just poured on the farm - especially Tuesday! It rained nonstop all day long. Had to check a calendar to remind myself it was May and not February! Below are pictures from the following day, when the sun finally returned. - Debbie

That's about 4 lbs. of clay-heavy mud on the bottom of my boot!

The tomatoes all got planted before the last wave of rain though, and seem to be   holding up just fine. Mmmm, I can almost taste them already, can't you?

Community Farm Day and Strawberry U-pick Reminder
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Not this weekend but the next -- Saturday June 4th -- will be our first Community Farm Day of the season... and it's ALL about strawberries! Sweet, juicy, and especially delicious this year (as you all know!), we hope you will join us and pick your fill! Mark your calendar for now, then keep your eye out for details of times and activities to come in next week's newsletter.

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(click here for cost and scheduling info)
We'll be engaging campers in creative expression among our 100 organic acres of fruits, vegetables, farm animals, and wild spaces. During the week campers will plant, harvest, and create in the kitchen and beyond; make cheese, make masks, print, paint, and sculpt with natural materials.