Small farms

A 'Family Farm Tour' in Western North Carolina (organized by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) was a rewarding way to spend some time this weekend. ASAP works to keep farmers farming and reconnect people with their food and is a wonderful regional support for small farm operations and promoting eating food grown locally.

I've trying to learn a lot more about where the food we (my gardening companion and I) eat comes from and how it's produced (beyond what I grow) and it's a fascinating pursuit - and extremely humbling and not always pleasant.

Are we as American consumers ready to pay for sustainably and humanely produced food?

Currently, I'm afraid the answer is probably no (based on my question to my gardening companion about chicken $6 for an organically raised, free-range bird vs a $3 mass-produced broiler - but he's not the cook and food buyer in our family).

My answer is yes.