There's a Change taking place across America

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Conference keynote speaker John Ikerd COURTESY PASA/PAT LITTLE(2)

This report byMOTHER contributing editor George De Vault provides highlights from the recent Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture conference. Dozens of similarly inspiring meetings are taking place across the continent as more and more people work to build a sustainable American food system. These meetings are great places to learn hog; to garden or faun, and to meet neighbors who share your interest in living wisely.

—MOTHER

The idea of holding a Farming for the Future Conference started out as a test. With the U.S. government's emphasis on cheap food and industrialized farming, organizers wondered, were there enough people interested in sustainable agriculture to form a statewide group devoted to better food and farming practices?

The answer came when 500 people showed up at the first conference in 1992. The meeting was being held on the campus of Pennsylvania State University, a land grant college. State officials had no choice but to put in at least a token appearance.

"The turnout came as a slight surprise to organizers, but I think it came as a thunderbolt to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and others," recalled Cass Peterson, who helped organize the conference.

"For me, what was most memorable about the first conference alas the excitement of meeting scores—no, hundreds—of other like-minded farmers who had practical knowledge, experience and enthusiasm, and were eager to share it. Most sustainable or organic farmers operated then—and still do—as a distinct minority in their counties.

"We had been derided by our state agriculture department, ignored by our extension agents and insulted by our state's primary agriculture magazine. Finding all that acceptance and support was exhilarating. I think it's still one of the primary reasons people attend the annual conference."

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), as it is now known, regularly draws more than 1,000 people to its annual conference. No longer are state officials simply being polite by offering welcoming remarks.

The state agriculture department, department of environmental protection, Penn State College of Agriculture and other Universities helped sponsor the 11th annual conference in February. Each contributed thousands of dollars toward the event. The front row of the opening general session was packed with dignitaries from throughout state government and the university.