DC Metro Area Food and Farming Leaders to Converge on Accokeek Farm
Accokeek, MD – The Greenhorns, a national grassroots nonprofit organization of young farmers, will premiere their much-anticipated documentary film, “The Greenhorns,” to DC Metro Area audiences at the Accokeek Foundation on Saturday, October 22. The screening is part of a full day and night of programming for area young and beginning farmers, as well as food leaders, being organized by the Accokeek Foundation, The Greenhorns, Chesapeake Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT), and Alice Ferguson Foundation nonprofit organizations. Beginning with workshops, speaker presentations (including the Rural Coalition), and a potluck, a farm campout will extend this social event into the next morning. This is an official national Food Day event and is FREE and open to everyone. Families are welcome and encouraged to join in the activities.
“The Greenhorns” film documents the decisive reemergence on our national landscape of a key cultural and economic force, the young American farmer. These new men and women in agriculture operate and thrive despite a longstanding trend of farmer attrition and aging, and the continued rapid loss of farmland to development. The average age of a farmer in America is 57, and USDA subsidies to huge agribusinesses dominate Farm Bill spending. But many communities are experiencing a resurgence of activity among young, new and aspiring farmers. In the DC Area alone, we find numerous new farms and farming initiatives, both urban and rural, with young farmers at the helm.
“The Greenhorns” shows how a new generation of young agrarians who farm with their brains as well as their bodies exert a promising and necessary impact against these prevailing crises. These greenhorns are working to reverse negative trends in favor of healthy food, local and regional foodsheds, and the revitalization of rural economies, one farm at a time. Official mandates calling for the increase and successful resettlement of young farmers stir hope while farmland remains abundant, if difficult to access for most new entrants. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s recent call for 100,000 new farmers is an encouraging sign. Now we need policies to back up that goal. With over 400 million acres of farmland poised to change hands over the next twenty years, the time for action is NOW. The 2012 Farm Bill package of legislation is already in the pipeline. The documentary sets this context, shows the issues, and introduces the viewer to a savvy, purposeful posse of young farmers getting into the business of fixing America. One farmer at a time.
Directed by farmer/activist Severine von Tscharner Fleming, produced in dozens of states over three years, “The Greenhorns” runs a fast 50 minutes. Click here for more information and to make reservations to attend the event.
Contact:
Molly Meehan, Accokeek Foundation Patrick Kiley, The Greenhorns