Just a few nights
back I finished "The Emergent Agriculture" by Gary Kleppel. While there were
times when I felt overwhelmed with information and didn’t quite get some of the
details, there was quite a bit that I did get.
Gary Kleppel is not only author and professor of Biology at the State
University of New York at Albany, but operates a farm where he and his wife
produce grass-fed lamb, free-range poultry, cage free eggs and breads all
available to the public. He is a regular
at farmer’s markets which are part of the fastest growing segment of agriculture. People are looking for food produced with
integrity. When we buy fresh tomatoes,
peaches, and spaghetti squash from the guy at the end of the parkway, we are not
only buying good quality food, but we are also supporting a local farmer as well as the
local economy. We are making a connection with the people that grow our food.
He is making a connection with us as well.
Maybe that’s why today he put an
extra tomato in my basket and offered me the spaghetti squash for $2.00. Maybe not, but I do believe that my tomatoes
have seen the light of day and the peaches will be delicious.
