Conventional versus locavore

Food, Inc. has kicked up a lot of heated discussion about conventional ag versus the eat-local, eat-only-organic movement.

We don't understand the "heated" part of it. Why does it have to be an us-versus-them mentality?

Take a close look at this picture:

Do you see what that is? It's agriculture. It's a high tunnel, a way for a young producer with small acreage to build a profitable operation. It's also a family farming operation, working the field on the hill, maintaining a profitable operation that supports multiple generations. Which one should we cull? I should hope neither. Both have their place, both have their niche, in our food system. They can co-exist.

Now check out this picture, because it brought tears to my eyes:

That's not just a bunch of weeds. That's a 40-foot barrier between the crop field surrounding our property, and our garden. That is the decision of the amazing family who farms that land, making the decision to not spray there, to protect our garden, to protect our income. That is us understanding that they need to spray their fields, to protect their income. And that is conventional ag coexisting with locavores.

It's not an us-versus-them, it's a "we". What can WE do, together, to feed the world, the way the world wants to be fed?

And the answer is, we can do so very, very much, if we just listen with an open mind and a considerate heart.

Conventional versus locavore