Young farmers are hard to come by, but young farmers seem to be a growing demographic among the organic community. For the next three weeks Organic Valley is going to celebrating those young farmers and telling their stories across the Eastern part of the United States.
Generation-Organic (Gen-O) is a group of young farmers within the Organic Valley/CROPP cooperative. Tim and I are participants in this group and enjoy meeting, learning from and networking with other young farm families. It is a great community to be apart of and we are thankful that Organic Valley recognizes the contribution of its youngest members, because we are the future.
The two and a half week road trip, on a bus fueled by sustainably produced biofuels, will be driven by Generation Organic, a group of young farmers who have recently joined the 22-year-old organic farming cooperative. These Organic Valley farmer-owners, aged 18 to 35, represent a new generation of sustainable agriculture leaders who believe in the power of organic to change the world.
The Generation Organic 2010 “Who’s Your Farmer?” Tour will stop at select college campuses to spread the good news about the viability of a career in organic farming, and educate and inspire people about the many benefits of organic through presentations, school garden visits and grilled cheese socials. This determined group of young Organic Valley farmers will urge consumers to own their food—arming them with knowledge about how personal food choices affect the health of our bodies and our planet—and drive their future.
Today the group makes their first stop at Oberlin College in Ohio. Other stops along the way include Bennington College, Williams College, Harvard University, Brown University, Yale University, Columbia University, and Barnard College. In Washington, D.C., they hope to make a visit to the First Lady’s Organic Garden at the White House, and will be meeting with key decision makers on sustainable agriculture and other related issues.
What is really cool about this tour is that it is interactive. You can follow the group’s travel on Facebook and Twitter. They are posting videos, pictures and more. Make sure to follow along and meet some really cool young farmers. I will be following and giving some updates on this blog.
Emily
Zweber Farms is a 4th generation family operated organic dairy. We are proud Organic Valley farmer members and sell our milk under that label. We also specialize in sustainably raised beef, pork and chicken and sell it directly to customers in Minnesota.Visit our website to learn more, www.zweberfarms.com
