Buying the Farm: Reinvesting in the Roots of Good Food

In this process of self-discovery, I've joined our local farmers' market board, helped our local food co-op develop a new website, begun telling the story of regional foods and fitness initiatives as a grant and press-release writer, and begun developing curriculum to help other would-be farmers get off the ground—or, rather, back to it.

Am I glad we "bought the farm"? You bet. And maybe when my kids are parents the idea of investing one's soul in a piece of land won't seem such a bad idea. In fact, I think I'll draft my own epitaph now so there's no confusion about my choice of the phrase. How about: "I really started living when we bought a farm...."?

For more on the topic of local foods, family-scale sustainable agriculture, and the current state of our food systems, check out:

Local Harvest—a directory of food producers in your area.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture 

Crossroads Research Center—the economics of food and community vitality