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From YouTube: Forrest Pritchard Author Talk: Gaining Ground
Description
Forrest Pritchard reads from his book, Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food and Saving the Family Farm at the Arlington Public Library on June 26 2013. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library in Arlington, VA.
A
Forest
pritchard
is
a
seventh
generation
farmer
who
sells
grass-fed
meat,
eggs
and
poultry
at
several
of
our
area
markets,
his
book
gaining
ground,
the
story
of
farmers,
markets,
local
food
and
saving
the
family
farm
documents,
the
resurrection
of
his
farm
smith
meadows
in
the
shenandoah
valley,
from
the
brink
of
collapse
to
a
thriving
family-owned
business
and
our
local
courthouse
farmers
market
had
a
role
in
that
so
I'll.
Let
forest
tell
you
more
about
that.
Please
welcome
forrest,
pritchard.
B
I
am
delighted
to
be
here.
I
want
to
thank
arlington
public
library
for
having
me
here,
first
off
and
especially
or
equally
to
one
more
page
books
which,
if
you
don't
know
where
they
are,
they
are
right
near
the
falls
church,
farmers
market
actually
kind
of
near
the
falls.
Church
east
falls,
church,
metro
or
yeah
just
right
along
66,
they're
kind
of
tucked
in
there,
and
just
look
for
them
sometime
and
come
visit
them
they've
been
nothing
short
of
extraordinary
in
helping
me.
B
B
I
walk
into
a
library
or
walk
into
a
movie
or
or
whatever
I
silence
my
cell
phone,
and
I
just
got.
I
set
my
phone
on
the
table.
I
knew
it
was
on
silent
and
I
went
to
work
on
the
book
and
all
of
a
sudden,
the
ringer
went
off
like
I
dumped,
like
a
you,
know,
a
plate
of
silverware
inside.
Like
a
cathedral,
you
know
it
was
the
noise
and
it
was
also
on
vibrates
that
the
phone
was
like
skittering.
B
You
know
on
the
table
and
I
I
reach
for
it
and
I
kind
of
like
clumsily
knocked
it
and
it
spun
and
just
exacerbated
the
situation.
I
was
utterly
flummoxed
and
when
I
looked
up
the
librarian
was
you
know,
standing
there
like
this,
and
I
and
I
said
to
her-
I
said-
maybe
I
said
this
internally.
I
can't
remember
I
was
probably
just
too
red-faced.
I
said
please,
I'm
I'm
one
of
you
really.
B
B
So
without
further
ado,
I
just
want
to
ask
the
question,
and
you
know
I
think
it's
going
to
be
preaching
to
the
choir
a
little
bit
here
like
how
could
anyway,
anybody
possibly
ask
do
family
farms
still
matter,
but
when
we
think
about
you
know,
you
can't
turn
on
the
radio
right
now
without
hearing
that
mcdonald's
is
celebrating
the
10-year
anniversary
of
the
dollar
meal.
You
know
which
think
about
it.
For
10
years
their
food
has
been
stuck
at
a
dollar.
B
B
Let
me
make
sure
this
goes
the
right
direction
right.
So
this
is
my
farm.
This
is
a
field
of
like
buttercups
and
pasture,
because
I'm
a
grass
farmer.
This
is
looking
east,
that
big
hill
in
the
background,
is
the
blue
ridge
mountain
and
where,
where
we
are
sitting
right
now
is,
if
you,
you
know,
take
a
big
jump
over
that
and
don't
land
for
about
45
miles.
That's
where
we
are
right
now.
B
So
that's
looking
east
and
a
quick
word
about
what
I
mean
about
family
farms
when
I'm
talking
about
family
farms,
I'm
talking
about
the
farm
we
all
learned
about
when
we
learned
a
song
old,
macdonald,
okay,
a
quack
quack
here
and
an
oink
oink
there.
Okay
and
these
aren't
fables
or
you
know
imaginary.
B
B
They
subsist
on
their
income
by
growing
food
and
selling
it
to
people,
and
the
final
thing
is
that
they
remain
completely
independent
of
any
like
burgeoning
investments,
dedication
to
shareholders.
You
know
things
like
that.
So
this
is
you
know
what
I'm
talking
about
the
family
farm,
I'm
a
seventh
generation
family
farmer,
a
young
farmer
tomorrow,
could
go
out
and
buy
her
own
farm.
You
know
a
22
year
old
college
graduate
and
that
could
be
a
family
farm.
Okay.
So
just
so,
we
got
our
definition
straight
quick
show
of
hands.
B
B
Second
question,
then,
hopefully,
we'll
get
more
of
a
show
hands
how
many
people
grew
up
on
a
family
farm
all
right,
it's
smattering!
Maybe
what
like
around
ten
percent,
maybe
a
little
less
than
ten
percent
yeah
right
last
question:
how
many
people's
grandparents
in
here
were
professional
farmers
or
made
their
living
off
of
farming?
Now
we're
up
to
getting
close
to
half.
Okay,
all
right.
So
let's
rearrange
those
questions
real
quick
and
give
some
cultural
context
about
why
we
might
value
family
farms.
B
If,
if
I
answer,
if
I
ask
that
question
50
years
ago
on
the
last
question,
statistically
everybody
but
like
one
or
two
of
you
would
have
raised
your
hand,
that's
a
fact.
That's
a
statistic!
Fact:
okay,
if
I
had
asked
you
those
your
grandparents,
because
they
would
have
been
you
know
in
the
1880s
or
something
like
that
if
50
years
ago,
I
asked
you
if
you
grew
up
on
a
family
farm.
B
Roughly
three
out
of
four
of
you
guys
would
have
raised
your
hand,
that's
a
statistical
fact
and
if
we
just
go
back
a
little
bit
further
about
75
80
years,
if
I'd
asked
you
if
you're
professional
farmers,
one
out
of
every
four
of
you,
would
have
raised
your
hands.
Okay,
these
are
all
census,
census,
facts
and
statistics.
B
So
answering
and
asking
these
questions
kind
of
give
us
a
little
bit
of
a
clue.
You
know
about
why
we
have
this
nostalgia
and
this
cultural
resonance,
but
we
have
to
ask
the
question
like:
what's
in
it
for
us,
you
know
we
live
in
a
world
of
facebook
and
tweeting
and
instant
gratification,
and-
and
you
know
how
many
likes
do
we
get
on
our
post
and
if
we
don't
get
enough,
then
no
no
am
I
the
only
one,
not
the
party
kind
of
thing.
B
So
what's
in
it
for
us,
what
what
does
a
small
farm
have
to
offer
us
because,
after
all,
small
farms
are
deeply
inconvenient?
Okay,
I
guarantee
you
could
not
walk
to
the
local
family
farm
from
here,
not
in
a
pair
of
work,
shoes,
okay,
slow
food
is
just
that
I
mean
slow.
Food
is
slow.
Okay.
It
takes
me
two
years
to
raise
a
grass
a
year
before
that
to
breed
the
cow
in
the
bowl,
and
if
I
was
starting
it
from
scratch,
it
would
take
me
a
year
to
establish
the
pasture.
B
B
Now
we
can
every
one
of
us
in
here
walk
down
to
the
whole
foods
from
here,
and
we
can
get
some
organic
shampoo
and
you
know
eco-friendly
kitty
litter,
along
with
our
grass-fed
steaks,
and
you
know
some
organic
rhubarb
or
whatever
we
want,
and
at
my
farm
you
can
only
get
one
of
four
of
those
things.
Okay,
that's
just
the
facts
so
like
why
you
know
why
are
we
compelled
to
support
family
farms?
B
B
B
Okay,
I
think,
probably
everybody
if
you
haven't
known
that
you've
driven
by
you,
probably
have
because
that's
what
happens.
Everybody
rolls
up
their
windows,
we're
told,
after
all
that
these
these
are
brands.
We
can
trust,
I
mean
it
says
right
there.
These
are
brands.
We
can
trust.
This
is
I
love.
The
restaurant
depot
is
where
we
get
like
our
pasta
boxes
and
stuff
it's
over
in
alexandria,
on,
like
oh,
it's
over
there
off
an
exit,
but
the
beautiful
photo
opportunities
in
there
like
anytime.
B
These,
if
you
see
in
my
blogs,
they're
always
like
pulled
out
here
after
all,
tells
us
it's
authentic.
Okay,
it
is
authentic.
It
says
it
right
there
and
that
this
beef
is
superior
right,
so
we
can
try.
We
can
trust
this
stuff.
I
mean
this
is
taken
out
front.
This
is
a
weird
al,
yankovic
impersonation,
I'm
sure
he's
gonna
be
suing
for
something
here
directly,
but
wow
wow
cartoon
weirdo
yankovich.
These
prices
are
insane
in
rainbow
colors.
B
B
B
Okay,
I'm
going
to
talk
about
them,
really
quickly,
transparency,
trust
and
the
last
one
truth,
which
is
a
you
know,
that's
a
that's
a
biggie
okay
and
I
don't
pretend
it
not
to
be
a
big.
That's
why
I
put
it
in
italics
down
there
and
stay
with
me
for
a
minute,
like
just
trust
me
that
we're
gonna
get
to
the
truth,
all
right,
I'll
be
very
transparent,
but
because
I
was
an
english
major.
B
It
says
right
on
my
degree
that
I
get
to
make
mathematical
equations
out
of
words
all
right.
So
that's
what
I've
done
here.
That's
a
so
transparency
and
we
add
that
to
trust
and
we
add
that
to
truth,
it
equals
value,
and
I
put
that
parentheses
because
value
is
a
word.
That's
that's
largely
been
meant
to
connote
cheapness,
okay
value
meals
and
cheap,
eats
okay.
But
if
we
stick
an
s
on
that,
okay,
it
becomes
a
philosophy
all
right,
so
it
works
both
ways.
B
B
We
have
no
no
trespassing
sign
at
the
end
of
our
lane.
So
please
come
out.
That's
why
there's
children
out
here
this
isn't
like
a
stage
photo.
This
is
our
farm
day
from
like
two
years
ago,
when
you
come
out
to
my
farm
and
you
can
bring
your
kids
to
safely
interact
with
living
food.
Okay
and
forgive
me-
but
you
know
these
pigs
end
up
in
sausage
and
pork,
chops
and
stuff-
I'm
not
going
to
convert
anybody
to
vegetarianism
tonight.
B
When
you
come
out,
you
have
opportunities
to
to
view
transparency
in
its
purest
form.
You
get
to
see
that
that
free,
ranging
is
not
smoke
and
mirrors.
Okay,
it's
not
something
on
a
pamphlet
or
something
that
the
the
farmer
just
says
behind
his
table.
When
you
go
to
that
farmer's
market,
and
you
look
that
farmer
in
the
eye-
and
he
says
my
pigs-
are
free
range-
they
better
be
free
range,
okay,
and
when
you
come
out
to
our
farm,
they
are
you
get
to
see
where
the
pigs
are
eating.
B
You
get
to
see
that
they
have
no
signs
of
abuse,
that
they've
been
treated
humanely.
Okay,
when
you
go
in
when
you
walk
into
a
wawa
okay,
I've
been
practicing
that
line
after
and
you
walk
into
a
wawa,
and
you
take
just
you
know,
take
a
slim
jim
and
take
it
up
to
the
counter
and
say:
can
you
tell
me,
like
you
know
how
this
how
this
cow
was
raised,
and
why
not?
What
do
you
got
to
lose?
B
Throw
it
up
on
youtube
right,
yeah
it'll
get
some
hits
when
you
come
out
to
my
farm
and
you
you
can
see
what
the
diet
of
the
cows
are
eating.
You
can
ask
me
just
straightforward
slaughter
questions.
You
know
how
are
the?
How
did
you
transport
the
animals
do
they
have
to
stand
for,
like
you
know,
48
hours
on
concrete
before
they're
slaughtered?
B
How
does
your
butcher,
you
know,
dispatch
the
animals,
you
can
answer
those
questions
or
you
can
go
into
costco
and
and
you
this
is
what
you
see
in
costco.
Okay.
What
do
I
know
about
that
beef?
I
know
that's
meat,
I
know
that's
animal
protein.
At
least
I
think
I
do.
I
think.
That's
it.
I
think
that's
beef,
because
the
next
thing
is
trust.
B
So
I'm
trusting
that.
That's
all
me-
and
why
do
I
say
that
is
because
these
are
these
are
just
like
four
headlines
that
have
all
been
the
past
12
months.
Okay
and
like
so
I
spend
a
lot.
I
spend
a
lot
of
time
driving,
which
gives
me
the
opportunity
to
think
a
good
bit
and
driving.
I
drive
to
the
butcher.
B
I
go
to
farmers
markets
and
you
know
ever
my
whole
career
and
even
as
a
even
as
a
kid
I'm
listening
to
the
radio,
and
it's
like
you
know
a
food
recall,
you
know
food
recalls,
they're,
pulling
out
strawberries,
they're
pulling
out
content
con
tainted
beef,
it's
like
that
whose
song
it's
like.
We
won't
be
fooled
again.
B
You
know
I'm
like
we
want
it's
like.
We
got
it
this
time.
This
time
it's
good
like
that
was
so
bad.
You
know,
like
people
got
sick,
a
couple
people
you
know
died.
Okay,
this
this
like
this,
can't
happen
anymore.
Okay
and
you
go
like
two
or
three
months
and
you
listen
to
the
radio
again
and
it's
like
another
food
recall
and
it's
like
you
fire
up
the
hook
and
like
oh
okay,
that
was
like
we
missed
that
one
but
like
we
won't
be
fooled
again
right
and
you
do
that.
B
You
know
like
50
or
60
times,
and
it
comes
on.
You're
like
we
won't
be
fooled
again
right.
You
start
to
you
start
to
like
give
up
a
little
bit,
so
you
know
pink
slime,
horse
meat
and
all
the
all
the
hamburgers
in
europe,
just
the
recent
gmo
patent
law
being
upheld
by
the
supreme
court
and
and
33
food
recalls,
since
this
first
this
month,
okay,
since
june
1st
there's
been
33
food
recalls
in
the
united
states.
Okay,
this
is
public
information.
B
To
any
of
you
guys
in
here,
it's
a
unique
experience,
so
I'm
going
to
quickly
suggest
that
we're
going
to
equate
truth
with
balance
and
why
do
I
say
truth
equals
balance,
because
the
way
I
the
way
I
process
truth.
It's
this
internal
mechanism
where
you
know
like
when
you
stand
up
and
like
you
don't
fall
over,
you
know,
that's
the
way.
Truth
mostly
feels
like
you.
B
B
You
know
I
start
to
feel
dizzy.
You
know
I
feel,
like
I'm
being
spun
with
a
blindfold,
or
I
mean
I've
been
told
to
hit
a
pinata.
I
don't
know
where
it
is
okay
and
that's
the
way
I
feel
about
the
way
our
our
major
food
system
construct
is
set
up.
Another
quick
example:
this
one's
really
easy.
The
average
age
of
farmers
in
the
country
is
60.
B
B
You
know
not
too
bad,
except
in
2013,
it's
less
than
15
cents
of
every
dollar
that
you
spend
on
food
and
in
the
meantime,
you
know,
look
at
the
graph,
the
chart
of
cost
of
living
and
inflation
that's
gone
up
from
there.
So
that's
what
I
mean
by
balance
things.
Things
are
just
out
of
balance,
so
why
do
we
love
family
farms.
B
There's
a
funny
thing
about
people
that
I
think,
okay,
when
you
give
someone
a
job
that
they
love
to
do
and
that
job
happens
to
have
meaning
like
it's
a
useful
job
and
they
get
like
fairly
compensated
for
it.
It
makes
people
happy
like
they
say,
like
the
the
happiness
is
like
the
intersection
of
of
occupation
and
avocation.
B
B
Okay
and
at
the
end
of
the
day
they
have
to
pay
their
bills,
so
they
have
to
make
a
little
bit
of
a
profit
or
whatever.
But
when
you
give
someone
a
job
that
they
love
and
it's
a
meaningful
job
and
they
get
paid
for
it,
they
smile
right.
They
look
really
happy
okay
and
to
illustrate
that
point
here,
just
a
few
faces
at
arlington
and
falls
church
farmers
markets,
my
peers,
okay,
this
is
on
our
farm.
C
B
You
know
I'm
just
like.
I'm
gonna
take
your
picture
so
so
what
do
we
value?
Okay,
transparency
plus
trust
plus
truth
equals
values
all
right,
and
we
hear
so
much
about,
like
you
know
our
american
values
and
our
core
values.
Okay,
I'm
gonna
suggest
we
should
start
shooting
for
some
balance
values,
and
these
are
just
like
five
that
I
came
up
with
the
top
of
my
head
when
you
support
a
family
farm,
you
can
know
where
your
food
comes
from.
B
B
C
B
You
know:
well,
you
know
it's
kind
of
okay.
I
don't
really
expect
you
well,
maybe
you
can't
and
finally
again
getting
back
to
that
point,
because
you
know
I
don't
live
on
rainbows
and
butterflies.
You
know
I
have
to
make
money
so
fair
farming
wages,
and
why
do
we
want
fair
farming
wages
to
incentivize
all
those
20
year
olds
to
fill
in
the
generational
gap
that
the
60
year
olds
are
currently
filling?
Who
can't
fill
it
forever?
B
C
B
Keep
on
speaking
into
here,
so
I'm
going
to
read
from
chapter
21,
which
is
my
very
first
day
at
arlington
farmer's
market
and
when
I
say
arlington
farmers
market,
I
mean
the
courthouse
farmers
market
right
down
here.
Saturday
mornings,
eight
to
noon.
I
recognize
some
faces
in
here,
but
I
expect
to
see
everyone
next
saturday.
B
No
pressure
so
what's
happened
here
is
I've
tried
my
local
farmers
markets
in
in
berryville
and
in
loudoun,
county
and
they've
just
they've
been
unmitigated
financial
disasters.
You
know
I've
literally
there's
been
several
times.
I've
literally
made
fifteen
twenty
dollars
of
net
gross.
Okay,
that's
gross,
not
net,
okay.
That
would
be
like
negative,
eight
hundred
and
ellen
paul
shuck,
which
is
one
of
the
few
names.
I
don't
change
in
here
who
manages
an
aspect
of
potomac
vegetable
farms.
B
B
B
B
Two
or
three
employees
helped
with
sales,
restocking,
bagging
and
answering
questions,
as
I
watched
them
make
their
final
preparations.
I
joke.
I
jokingly,
wondered
aloud
if
we
should
do
some
calisthenics
in
advance
of
the
apparent
customer
onslaught
good
eye
date,
good
idea,
dad,
replied,
hungrily,
eyeing,
a
cheese
and
cherry
danish
a
few
feet
away.
B
B
He
had
hardly
stepped
out
of
our
stand
when
I
felt
a
touch
on
my
arm.
You
knew
here
a
woman's
voice
asked
I
turned
and
looked
down
a
small
disheveled
woman
with
long
gray,
hair
and
thick
glasses
peered
up
at
me.
I
hadn't
seen
her
enter
the
tent
and
her
arrival
startled
me
yeah.
I
said
trying
to
hide
my
surprise.
This
is
our
first
day.
I
extended
my
hand,
I'm
forrest
glenda,
she
said
taking
my
hand.
B
B
She
sighed
her
shoulders,
lifting
and
sagging
beneath
her
oversized
shirt
almost
since
this
market
started
next
year
will
be
our
20th
year
here
wow.
So
it
must
be
a
good
market
for
you,
then
our
best
she
stated
has
to
be
too
hard
to
work.
Otherwise
without
warning.
She
grasped
me
firmly
by
the
elbow
and
pulled
me
close
now.
Look
she
said
lowering
her
voice
to
a
confidential
tone.
B
B
B
B
B
The
only
exception,
the
only
exception
she
repeated
and
squeezed.
My
elbow
to
the
point
of
pain
is
if
you've
retailed
everything
every
last
thing
and
you
can
still
produce
more.
She
paused
inhaling
for
a
final
sortie,
but
before
you
do
that,
try
to
retail
it.
It's
the
only
way
to
make
it
in
this
business.
B
With
that
she
released
her
grip
circulation.
Slowly
returned
to
my
arm
thanks,
I
managed
thoroughly
perplexed
I'll,
be
sure
to
remember.
Remember
she
agreed
do
it
for
yourself,
if
you're
ever
going
to
make
it
someday.
You'll,
look
back
and
remember
this
conversation
behind
me.
I
heard
the
heavy
clump
of
my
father's
boots
and
turned
I
got
you
a
bear
claw.
He
boomed
proffering
a
sticky
baked
good
wrapped
in
a
piece
of
tissue
paper.
B
B
B
It
was
only
after
several
moments
that
I
managed
to
spot
her
somehow
already
back
at
her
own
stand
methodically,
organizing
cupcakes,
that's
her
over
there.
How
did
she
move
so
fast
anyway?
She
just
came
over
a
minute
ago
and
I
wanted
to
introduce
you
my
dad
at
first
disinterested,
suddenly
noticed
the
brightly
colored
cupcakes,
oh
by
all,
means
he
agreed
his
face
lighting
up
at
the
prospect
of
a
second
helping
of
snacks,
but
it's
probably
better.
B
I
noticed
that
the
market
was
already
filling
with
customers,
even
though
the
opening
bell
hadn't
yet
rung
shoppers
were
lining
up
in
advance
and
a
man
ducked
into
our
tent.
Your
sign
says
you
sell
free
range
eggs.
Yes,
sir
free
range
eggs
from
our
farm
sounds
good.
How
much
we
had
decided
earlier
that
season
to
raise
our
prices,
to
account
for
the
greater
distance
in
travel
and
fuel
that
and
the
small
fact
that
we
had
done
nothing
but
lost
money
on
chickens.
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
What
he
asked
catching
my
disapproving
look,
I
got
them
to
celebrate,
plus
they're
your
favorite
oatmeal
raisin
dad.
I
was
happy
too,
but
my
father's
eating
habits
were
simply
out
of
control
you're
on
medication.
Now
you
can't
be
going
around
eating
boxes
of
cookies
crestfallen.
He
opened
the
lid
and
spited
my
chastisement.
B
B
You
know
I'm
just
trying
to
take
care
of
you.
He
took
no
comfort
in
the
brand
of
care
that
I
was
offering
by
the
time
I
pulled
onto
interstate
66,
a
mile
away.
I
noticed
his
hands
sneaking
into
the
box.
Oh
for
pete's
sake,
just
eat
a
dog
on
cookie.
Will
you
I
thought
you'd
never
offer
he
said
with
transparent
glee,
another
minute
or
two,
and
I
would
have
starved
to
death.
B
B
F
B
Great
question
yeah,
so
like
every
farm,
this
is
like
something
you
guys,
probably
don't
know
every
farmer's
market
that
I
attend
and
we
attend
eight
seven
in
around
this
area
and
one
at
home,
they're
all
different.
Okay,
there's
very
few
like
umbrella
groups
or
you
know,
they're,
not
businesses,
they're,
all
they're,
all
unique.
The
one
here
is,
is
sponsored
still
where's
kimberly
hahn.
Is
she
still
in
here
there
where
okay?
Well?
She
was
here.
B
Oh
there,
she
is,
you
know,
that's
it's
so
the
arlington
county
government
has
a
hand
in
this.
One
tacoma
park
is
one
of
the
few.
That's
like
strictly
run
by
independent
farmers
in
d.c.
Fresh
farm
manages
upon
circle,
for
example.
So
that's
my
long-winded
way
of
saying,
like
I
have
to
deal
with
different
jurisdictions.
Different
health
departments
and
alexandria
has
been
notoriously
tough
on
me.
They
one
of
the
most
frustrating
things
with
alexandria
is
they've
just
been.
Please
forgive
me
if
there's
any
alexandria
health
inspectors.
B
That's
true!
Actually,
he
gives
me
some
good
good
advice
on
stuff,
but
friend
of
mine
from
4-h
alexandria
went
out
their
way
to
like
write
me
up
everything
every
time.
Something
was
supposed
to
be
41
degrees
and
it
was
42
degrees
that
they
made
me
bring
this
refrigerator.
That
was
literally
the
size
of
this
podium
right
here
that
I
would
lift
off
the
back
of
my
truck
and
set
if
anybody
shopped
at
del
rey.
B
Just
that's
like
not
a
common
sense
kind
of
thing,
so
you
get
on
the
phone
with
them
and
they
say
well,
sir,
it's
not
at
41.
it's
you
know
so,
but
for
the
most
part
like
we've
got
a
whole
spectrum
of
inspections,
we're
federally
inspected,
we're
state
inspected
and
we're
county
inspected.
Okay,
everyone's
tax
dollars
at
work-
and
that's
fine,
that's
good!
I
mean
I
think
we
should
have
you
know
up
in
sinclair.
I
think
was
wrote.
B
The
jungle
is
up
in
sinclair
up
in
sinclair,
I
was
doing
sinclair
lewis
swisher,
but
he
were
at
the
jungle
for
a
reason.
You
know
because
stuff
had
been
nasty
and
as
you
see
in
the
slideshow,
things
continue
to
remain
nasty
and
we
need
accountability
and
stuff.
But
you
know
when
you
shop
with
your
family
farmer
and
you
get
to
personally
speak
with
them,
then
you
get
to
answer
you
get
to
answer
any
questions
that
you
might
have
about
their
food
production.
C
Hi,
I
missed
the
very
beginning
of
the
talk,
so
if
you've
already
answered
this
question,
I
apologize
for
taking
up
time,
but
you
talked
about
getting
the
younger
generation
involved
in
farming
by
targeting
the
farming,
the
fair
wages,
but
what
about
the
education
education
system
to
make
them
aware
of
it?
I
grew
up
on
a
large
cattle
farm
and
there
wasn't
much.
C
B
Right
thanks
for
asking
the
the
most
succinct
answer
I
can
give
is
like
a
you
know,
we
we
offer
an
apprenticeship
on
our
farm,
okay,
so
every
year
we
hire
two
apprentices
and
they
are
there
for
a
full
year
and
when
they
leave,
you
know
it's
like
it's.
You
know
they
I've
been
told
by
them.
It's
like
a
master's
program,
because
some
of
my
apprentices
have
gone
through
the
master's
programs.
They're
really
really
thoughtful
and
educated.
B
Folks-
and
you
know,
as
someone
who
goes
out
here
and
says,
like
hey,
we
need
more
family
farmer.
We
need
more
family
farmers,
then
you
know
I
better
be
doing
something
like
talk
is
cheap,
so
I
better
be
putting
your
guys
money
where
my
mouth
is.
You
know
what
I
mean
when
you're
buying
stuff
from
me,
so
so
for
our
in
our
way,
doing
the
apprenticeship
is
a
great
hands-on
way
to
do
that.
B
You
know
farmers
that
want
to
be
small
farmers,
and
I
mean
I
think
2013
there's
been
no
better
time.
There's
just
huge
amounts
of
resources
out
there
there's
no
shortage
of
how-to
books,
internet
resources,
there's
this
great
new
site
called
on
pasture,
which
just
came
out
like
two
or
three
months
ago.
That's
been
tremendously.
B
You
know
nuts
and
bolts
about
how
to
do
some
of
these
farming
practices.
You
know
when
I
was
coming
through.
The
internet
really
didn't
exist,
I'm
only
39
okay,
but
when
I
was
21
the
internet
might
as
well.
It
was
like
there's
like
three
sites.
It's
like
three
sites
on
internet.
I
go
to
espn.
It
would
take
like
a
half
an
hour
to
find
like
the
baseball
score
like
who's
got
time.
For
that.
B
Yeah,
that's
exactly
well
well
played
yes,
I
mean,
I
think,
2013
better
than
ever,
but
still
keep
in
mind,
like
only
three
percent
of
our
of
all.
Our
food
is
like
the
kind
of
food
that
I'm
talking
about.
That's
coming
like
directly
marketed
local
from
you
know,
a
farmer
representing
it.
Ninety-Seven
percent
of
our
food
is
still
again
at
the
beginning
of
talk.
B
B
B
G
D
H
B
You
know
I
mean,
like
I
mean
seriously,
I
mean
I
when
farming
and
writing
are
both
very
isolating
activities
right,
so
I
get
to
participate
in
some
things
like
craft.
Like
two
days
ago,
I
was
at
red,
wiggler
farm
over
near
lake.
Is
it
gaithersburg
or
damascus,
I
think,
is
where
it
is
and
there's
like
I
showed
up
late
and
there
were
still
like
50
or
60
people
there,
and
they
were
all
like
younger
than
me.
I'm
not
that
old.
You
know.
B
B
B
So
yeah
I
mean
the
answer.
The
short
answer
is
yes:
what's
my
experience
with
them,
like
pasa,
for
example,
is
one
right
nearby
pennsylvania
alliance
and
there's
mafka,
which
is
main
organic
farmers
and
growers
association,
and
all
these
things
are
just
incredibly
useful
tools
because
they're
allies
they
make
us
feel
like
we're,
not
alone.
B
You
know
it's
so
easy
to
feel
isolated
or
feel
like
we
don't
have
allies
or
collaboration
in
this,
and
it's
just
crucial
that
every
once
in
a
while
we
get
together-
and
I
mentioned
in
the
book-
there's
two
conferences:
it's
like
chapter
five,
like
the
second
time
I
meet
salat
and
I
sit
next
to
bob
evans
of
all
people.
Bob
evans,
bob
evans,
at
the
restaurants.
Okay,
was
sitting
right
next
to
me,
and
he
and
I
went
back
to
like
fact
check
this.
I
was
like.
I
must
have
that
wrong
in
1997.,
but
yeah.
B
B
Well,
that's
a
that's.
An
interesting
question.
Currently
right
now
is
500
acres,
okay,
all
pasture
partially
wooded,
as
you
can
see
from
a
lot
of
pictures
like
these
little
sycamore
trees.
When
I
was
growing
up
on
my
grandfather's
farm,
it
was
over
2,
000
acres.
It
spread
from
virginia
mostly
into
west
virginia
jefferson
county
near
charlestown,
and
when
he
passed
away
like
many
farms,
do
they
get
handed
down,
but
most
of
the
farm
is
still
in
our
family.
B
B
If
you,
you
know
people,
people
got
to
live
somewhere.
Okay,
and
I
understand
that,
but
we
also
got
to
grow
some
food.
Okay,
it's
it's
much
harder
to
grow
food
when
somebody's
like
mowing
their
eight
acre
lawn.
Like
seriously
you
come
out
to
where
I
live.
People
have
like
five
six
acre
lawns,
so
my
point
of
that
is,
you
know
our
farm
is
we
we
invest
in
in
the
money
that
people
entrust
to
us.
You
will
not
see
facebook.
I
B
Great
question,
so
when
I'm
writing
about
a
lot
of
these
markets,
it's
1997
1998
and
they
were
not
doing
well,
and
I
postulated
a
couple
reasons
why
they
might
have
not
been
doing
well
in
the
book,
and
I
think
a
lot
of
that
is
emerging
again.
Like
the
positive
peer
pressure.
You
know,
keeping
up
with
the
joneses
to
a
certain
degree.
B
But
I
think
the
reason
that
the
city
markets
are
so
successful
is
because
there's
just
even
though
you
might
not
know
your
might
not
know
your
neighbor
here
per
se
like
there's
just
like
a
cultural
relationship
between
cities
and
farms,
and
this
goes
back
thousands
and
thousands
of
years.
Okay,
food
was
brought
in
to
the
city
dwellers
and
they
appreciate
it.
B
B
And
I
have
this
feeling
when
I
used
to
sell
like
I
sold
in
cascades,
which
is
like
out
near
like
the
other
side
of
tyson's
corner
and
a
couple
other
places
in
there.
It
just
felt
like
there
was
like
basically
three
places
where
people
moved.
Okay,
they
lived
in
there,
there's
a
house
and
there
was
a
car
and
then
there
was
like
a
store
okay
and
it
felt
like
that's
where
they
moved
like.
Those
are
three:
that's
like
their
work
triangle,
okay,
and
I
mean
I'm
not
trying
to
be
a
jerk
or
anything.
B
But
that's
just
like
how
I
observed
it.
I
didn't
feel
like,
and
we
were
selling
like
on
the
edge
of
like
some
big
parking
lot
on
the
edge
like
a
home
depot
or
something
there
was
just.
There
was
nothing
there
to
have
like
any
sense
of
connection
or
any
like
spirit
of
like
you
know.
So
it's
like
a
social
gathering
so
yeah
I
love
markets
like
downtown
or
courthouse.
I
H
B
B
You
got
that
on
your
side
and
that's
you
know:
you're
right
out
of
college
you're,
going
to
be
able
to
have
time
to
make
mistakes
you're
going
to
have
time
to
like
twist
your
ankle
a
couple
times
and
drop
like
potatoes
on
your
feet
and
stuff
and
get
injured,
is
my
point
and
be
able
to
recuperate
and
do
like.
You
know
a
16-hour
day
and
sleep
it
off
the
next
day,
okay,
which
I'm
increasingly
unable
to
do.
B
I'm
strong,
like
a
gorilla
so
like
yeah
identify
your
market
is
the
first
thing
there's
like
so
many
opportunities
out
there.
There
is
more
demand
for
this
food
right
now
than
there
are
producers.
I'm
convinced
of
that.
I'm
convinced
that
so
the
world
is
your
oyster,
particularly
if
you
want
to
get
into
aquaculture
and
raise
oysters,
because
that's
it,
but.
B
No,
I
mean
yeah,
the
opportunities
are
tremendous,
so
you
know
just
just
stack.
Try
and
stack.
Do
your
best
to
stack
the
deck
in
your
favor
so
like
right
out
of
the
gate,
you'll
be
cash
flow.
Positive,
like
nothing
is
as
discouraging
as
like.
All
the
all
these
people
who
told
you
so,
like
I
told
you
you
weren't,
going
to
make
it
go
up
farming
when
they're
when
they're
right
that
sucks
like
we
want
to
prove
them
wrong.
B
You
know
so,
like
being
your
first
year,
like
hey
man,
I
didn't
even
like
I
normally
broke
even
like
I
made
like
5
000
bucks
this
year.
I'm
gonna
put
that
back
into
the
farm
because,
like
I'm
growing
my
own
food,
I'm
meeting
great
people
that
I'm
bartering
with
food-
I
don't
have
to
you-
know,
drive
everywhere
to
be
entertained.
Farming
is
entertaining
so,
like
you
know,
my
over
my
overhead
is
very
low
on
entertainment
and
expenses.
D
B
Right,
that's
a
great
question.
I
did
not
know
about
that.
Like
you
have
to
be
18.,
let
me
call
my
mom
real,
quick
yeah
so
like
in
in
my
in
my
situation,
I
was
never
forced.
It
was
never
mandatory
that
I
do
chores
a
childhood
was
very
you
know
those
the
house,
the
halcyon
days
of
of
of
youth
were
were
like
respected,
okay,
and
I
really
appreciate
that.
Looking
back
on
for
me
that
made
my
decision
to
become
a
farmer
like
just.
B
I
was
in
the
routine
of
like
learning
everything
there's
plenty.
This
is
like.
I
was
telling
her
there's
like
plenty
of
time
to
learn
all
this
stuff
and
whoever
was
back
there
about.
You
know
all
these
resources
that
are
out
there
like
we've
got
plenty
of
time
and
for
my
own
son
he's
eight
years
old
now-
and
I
think
I
mentioned
the
book
like
nothing
breaks
your
heart,
so
cleanly
is
when
he
says
you
know.
B
J
So
I
I
I
heard
what
you're
saying
about
you
know
the
inspectors
coming
through
in
your
farm,
and
you
know
how
well
why
do
we
really
need
that
as
someone
who
buys
it
a
farmer's
market,
you
can
talk
to
the
farmer
and
you
can
understand
what
their
practices
are
and
that's
great,
but
something
I've
actually
always
wondered,
and
I
do
shop
at
farmers
markets
almost
every
week.
Is
I
love
the
fact.
I
love
the
idea
of
supporting
locally
grown
food.
J
Well,
you
know,
do
you
use
pesticides
on
your
strawberries
and
then
oh,
if
they
say
yes
well
then
do
I
have
to
decide
I'm
not
going
to
buy
those
strawberries,
and
you
know
sometimes
it's
just
easier
to
go
to
the
safeway.
You
go
to
the
organic
produce
and
you
know
so.
I
guess
my
question,
for
you
is:
what
do
you
find?
I
know
you
can't
speak
for
every
farmer,
but
what
do
you
find
of
the
farmers
that
you
know
from
the
farmers
markets?
B
Like
most
of
the
most
farmers
at
the
farmer's
market,
like
have
sustainable
practices,
I
would
say
definitely
yes
and
like
the
proof's
in
the
pudding
there,
because
if
they
show
up
every
year,
then
that's
like
that's
not
only
like
economically
sustainable,
but
it's
putting
out
a
product
that
people
are
are
finding
desirable
that
they're
that
they
want.
Okay,
so
you
know
I,
I
think
it's
safe
to
presume
that
enough
people
have
pulled
that
farmer
aside
and
asked
them
the
questions
or
have
done
like
research
that
they
find
this
product.
B
Yes,
yes,
yes,
I
did
that
and
then
we
send
it
in
and
have
to
fill
out
all
these
records
and
things
like
that.
We
just
you
know
we
don't
I've,
never
had
time
for
that
and
that's
why
I've
got
this
communication
right
across
the
table
from
people,
but
I
mean
to
answer
your
question
like
I
wrote
this
blog
called
like
four
questions.
You
should
never
ask
at
farmer's
market
and
I
wrote
it
like
for.