Upon the birth of my son, Thatcher Gray, I became acutely aware of the emerging evidence that our industrialized food machine is taking a tremendous toll on our health and wreaking havoc on the environment. It spurred me to create a series of paintings about industrial agriculture.
When you eat barbecue at a restaurant fueled by Ronnie Vinikoff’s wood, you’re not only tasting flavors from a Texas forest, you’re also helping to sustain it.
Ann Campbell, Janice Lindley and their brother, Sammy, grew up on their parents’ Chatham County dairy farm. Facing a growing global market and the death of their brother, Ann and Janice had to think creatively to keep their farm going for generations to come. In 2012, Ann and Janice were awarded a RAFI grant to turn their cows’ milk into a mozzarella cheesecake enterprise.
Growing Cities is an inspiring film about urban farming in America. It tells the stories of community activists, rooftop farmers, and backyard beekeepers who are revitalizing their cities one vacant lot, chicken coop, and school garden at a time.
An afternoon spent with Elissa and Mel Thau at their farm in Southern Oregon.
Felix Vargas came to North Carolina as a teenage migrant worker. 30 years later, he is a U.S. citizen and runs his own farming operation. Vargas Farms grows a variety of fruits and vegetables on about 700 acres in and around Cleveland County. In 2012, Vargas was awarded a RAFI grant to experiment with traditional Mexican crops through season extention technology.
