While in Santa Cruz I remember talking to folks about the dream of EarthDance and then also what I felt compelled to do in Fiji. I remember a lot of friends saying, "well, it sounds like you're a lot more excited about EarthDance than Fiji."
Did you have a plan in mind for what you wanted EarthDance to become?
I didn't exactly start it with the mind of running a training program on the farm. I just wanted to preserve the farm, initially. But then I realized the way to do it was to get more folks involved on the farm. And I thought, well I just paid a bunch of money to go learn farming. Maybe some people would be willing to pay a little money to learn farming in St. Louis. That was really how the program was born.
How have you seen the food movement grow here in St. Louis?
I think so many more people are becoming aware of why it's important to know where your food comes from and how to choose your food. A lot of people are really interested in urban agriculture. I'd love to see more folks interested in scaling up with their growing. Not just doing it in their back yard or school garden, but how can we really grow enough food for the region.
Is it hard to run an organic farm with Monsanto as a neighbor?
There's a lot of activism, and I hope that continues and that big bad neighbor in our back yard -- Monsanto -- can hopefully get a run for its money by people becoming aware of the politics involved with food. I think the focus right now is on supporting our local farmers, and nutrition, but I think we really need to be illuminating the political side of food.
Has your farm had any run-ins with Monsanto?
Not necessarily with Monsanto. I think to them we'd seem too small to worry about, which is a good thing. I want to keep flying a little below the radar with them. At the same time, I want us to be a model of what to do, instead of being on the attack all the time, presenting a viable solution. That's where I'd love for the food movement in St. Louis to go.
