gonna catch me farmin' dirty

hello! it's been too long. i haven't really kept up with the blog as life has been happening very quickly here on the farm. a few quick updates on my own life, before i get into happenings on the farm and what i've been learning. i am going to be starting at UC davis in september for my masters degree in international agricultural development, and i'm insanely excited to join the davis community and get back into academia. although, the farming lifestyle really is something that i could get used to. it's hard as hell, but it's incredibly rewarding in so many ways. i know that my life will involve growing my own food in some capacity.

i will be flying back to the east coast on june 10th, but i am driving myself back out to CA to stay at the farm for the summer as a 'graduate' of the green string institute internship program. i will be one of six current interns that are staying for the summer, and we will have the opportunity to focus on a project that we want to complete as a grad, provide additional support to the farm and learn more about farming techniques, and have time to study and research topics of interest. i'm excited for the chance to continue learning, welcome a new group of 12 interns, and also be close to davis in order to find a place to live, make connections, and hopefully find a campus job or assistantship. i am looking for a travel companion on my road trip out to CA - let me know if you want to come or know anyone that wants to get out west!

before i head home for a couple weeks, i'll be on the farm helping out the transition from our intern class to the next, and also i will be responsible (along with a few others) for 375 new baby chicks. it's going to be crazy!!! i've never taken care of little newborn chicks, so it's sure to be a learning experience. i'll hopefully be posting pictures of them next week - they come in on june 2nd.

there was a morning when i woke up super early and took a walk outside, and it looked like the hills were on fire from the sun coming up. stunning.

this is the group of interns i've been living with and working with the past three months- we're a fun bunch! this is us at our after part of our community mixer and farm party event on may 14th. we drove big blue - the farm truck - into the big barn and had a live band playing in front of it during our event. it was a ton of fun, and i am going to miss some these people so much in my life here that aren't staying for summer!

i intended to write more - but it's been a long day and sleep is calling my name. more soon, promise!!

xo

spring is upon us

I've been a bit behind on my blog posting activity here on the farm, mainly because we have limited internet access it seems whenever I have the time to sit down and post. I am going to start to write some blog posts while off-line, and back log them as I have the time and better wireless connection! I've been busy here as well, and am trying to get back in the swing of things after being in Jersey last week for my grandmother's funeral. It was a surreal few days to be home with family after living here in Sonoma County and not being connected to life on the east coast. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with family and friends that I got to see, although I wish the circumstances for my homecoming had been different. My grandma is no longer suffering with Alzheimer's disease, and I am comforted by the fact that she is now at peace. I made banana bread in her honor to leave for the other interns the night before my 6am flight to Newark, which everyone seemed to enjoyed!

Today marks the end of week 7 in my internship, and I cannot believe that much time has flown by. It's absolutely insane. We all announced our intern projects this morning in our 8am meeting, and I will be working on the Green String blog as well as heading up farm tours that allow for visitors to get a deeper understanding of the natural process farming techniques and get a taste of farm life. I'm really excited about working on both of these things, and making sure more people know about what Green String is up to and how the internship program helps develop sustainable agriculture and the young farmer movement.

Spring is in the air - and we've been planting and transplanting so many delicious vegetables. Tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, sweet peas, broccoli, kale, lettuces...and so much more! It's almost the end of root vegetables in storage, and I can't wait for more greens and wonderful food. There are a ton of flowers in bloom on the farm as well - and we've been selling flower bouquets in the store which are so beautiful. We have a huge sweet williams patch of flowers that are flowering and ready to be picked.

I have to run - but missing everyone and sending out lots of love :)

through the gut of a microbe

All true soil has been through the gut of a microbe. This statement was made by Bob Schaffer, the soil scientist that works with Green String, during our first soil science lesson with him. We meet every Thursday afternoon to discuss what soil is, how healthy soil is created, and what lifeforms, dead things, and organic matter make up the humus and dirt below our feet. It's incredibly fascinating to learn about the soil in its entirety, and almost completely separate from the plant context. We don't really talk about the plant, only that healthy soil creates healthy plants. Instead of thinking about feeding plants, you can think about feeding the soil.

It begins to hold a lot more weight when you realize how much junk we inadvertently (or purposefully) 'feed' to the soil degrades, harms, and contaminates the very space we grow our food that nourishes our bodies. Things like pesticides, herbicides, the waste stream...countless chemicals we dump down our drains or litter on the ground. There's just no way poison can be good for the soil, which is full of life, or that poisoned soil can support healthy and strong plants (and animals) that feed us.

The microorganisms that live in and on top of the dirt are constantly in action - and they work in concert with each other. It's now impossible for me to think of dirt or earth as just dead material - it's teeming with crawling things as well as organisms that can only be seen with a microscope. They help create rich soil through eating and breaking down organic materials and decomposing matter. The environment in the soil is what matters, and what you feed it in turn will feed microbes that feed the roots of plants that you eat. The only way to really understand this connection is to just touch it - go look at the soil and really get up-close and personal. It's been an incredibly visceral experience learning about the soil while working here and actually help turn a compost pile and fill flats to plant seeds or seedlings. I'm able to see, smell, touch, and feel how healthy and rich soil really feels - and hopefully see healthy plants grow from it in the coming weeks.

Something about soil science that mystifies me is humus - and what it really is. Humus as I have understood throughout my life was just another layer in the dirt - it was a richer and more clay-like substance in soil. I didn't really know much about it, or how to actually describe it to someone. We had a discussion about it and I learned that it doesn't actually exist on its own - it is merged with clay and minerals like calcium and carbon that is stable. It has enzymes and hormones and amino acids; it has an incredibly high surface area. It's through decomposition that humus is formed, and aggregation in the soil is a characteristic of humus. When you take good soil in your hands and shake it lightly, what should stay in your hands and not fall out right away are small, tightly compacted balls that are aggregates of the soil and humus is a part of that. It's still hard for me to wrap my head around because once you break those little aggregates apart, it's no longer humus. It's an enigma. What it boils down to is that you know that good humus in your soil will make you healthy, and this hopefully will inspire you to do the right things to soil. Good soil is derived from life in the soil, and humus can be thought of as alive.

I think what has been the most interesting to me is how through this knowledge farmers can actually improve their soil quality an in turn their crop quality and success rates, and therefore increase profits for their farms. Bob Schaffer helps commercial growers understand what their crop management (ex. spraying pesticides and chemicals, and growing only mono-crops) does to the land, and explain reasons for compacted soil, plant deaths, and infertile earth. It's really a powerful thing and helps educate farmers on the benefits of natural process farming and organic agriculture. The best way to feed people is to feed the soil and allow that to feed the plant.

I'm still learning the basics of supporting healthy soil, but I've become a bit obsessed with maintaining the compost tea brewer that we have outside the intern house. I might have mentioned it previously, it's this aerobic digester of sorts for food scraps (or what would go to compost) that are easily dissolved in water and it "brews" a liquid called compost tea. The tea can be applied to plants and seed beds in order to give them the most nutrient-dense form of compost possible. It allows for food waste to become aerated and extracts the microbes as well as nutrients from the food so they are able to be readily absorbed by soil. It's pretty neat - and I've been trying to give the compost tea brewer a full-spectrum diet - random leftover soup, the last dregs of milk, forgotten beer, and old jelly and beet juice have been the main ingredients. People use the tea every day on the plants and seedlings in the greenhouses on the farm as well as plant starts that we sell in the farm store.

It's been incredible to be learning so much about soil, since my education thus far has taught me to value it - but not necessarily understand it.

I've been struggling with my ability to link this knowledge into my skills in actually seeding, planting and growing plants to eventually harvest food from. I feel like I am far from confident in my gardening abilities, as many of my peers in the program have some extensive experience gardening or working in agriculture. It takes a lot of patience and organization, and careful and well thought-out planning to successfully plant and grow vegetables or herbs. Today I was transplanting baby basil plants to a new flat and their roots were so little and delicate. I felt inept and clumsy when I first started, but I was told to take time to really focus on what I was doing and be mindful in my work. I appreciate and respect all of the careful and diligent gardeners that are out there, it's not easy and it takes work to care for plants and help them grow.

That being said, there are also some wonderful plants that grow wildly and are easily harvested and eaten freshly picked- like miner's lettuce. I'll post a picture of these dainty and tender leafy greens next time - I'm in love.

It's already been four weeks and that means I am choosing an internship project this week that I'll be working on for the next two months. I want to do something tangible that can be seen on the farm or sold at the farm store, that will leave behind some kind of legacy from my time here. Ideas I've thought of so far involve making soap, candles, or loose tea to be sold in the store. I also will be blogging for the Green String farm in addition to my own blog- and hope to build more community awareness to our internship program and the young farmer movement here in Northern CA. Another idea was to work with someone else and help write a book on natural process farming through the teachings of Bob Cannard. So many things!

As for now, it's time for bed. But one quick update - I'm making a decision on graduate school in the next couple weeks. I visited UC Davis this weekend and it was a great 13-hour epic day. I loved the campus and the work they are doing on sustainable agriculture. I need to figure out some financial things, but I'm seriously considering accepting for the Fall. The other two schools I'm deciding between are American University in DC and University of Washington in Seattle. I also got into Rutgers Camden and the Institute of Int'l Studies in Monterey - and haven't exactly thrown them away. But, I think Davis has more of a pull for me than Monterey, in respect to living in the state of CA. It's a lot to think about. I know I'll make the right decision though, and it's exciting. I'll update as I can!

Hope everyone is doing wonderful and I miss you dear reader, whoever you may be :) Lots of love!

Is this real life?

It's been two weeks since I arrived here at the String and I find myself asking "Is this real life?" My weekend consisted of delicious and sustainably produced Oregon and Sonoma wines, homemade pizzas cooked in the brick oven outside with toppings that included the broccolini that I helped harvest that morning and butternut squash (I can never get enough of butternut, it's just wonderful), an epic bike ride Saturday afternoon into downtown Petaluma with new friends, yummy polenta with leftover veggies for dinner, and a lazy Sunday of laundry and making oatmeal-pumpkin/flax seed-raisin cookies. Everything is so connected to the land and the produce that grows here on the farm - and it feels so good to eat food that I've picked myself. Even though I didn't plant it - I've been told how the plants were treated and grown since they were seedlings.

The people I'm meeting and living with are awesome, and it's been so much fun just hanging out with them here. It's an incredible place that has drawn individuals together who love good, clean food and natural process farming. We've come up with some pretty damn good meals since we've been here, and I promised I'd highlight some of the dishes we've cooked together.

This was an insane platter of freshly made hummus with sliced turnips and carrots from our garden to dip into. The chick peas were mashed by hand to make the hummus!
This meal I actually didn't eat because I was doing a cleanse for a full day and not eating food - just juice and the 'master cleanse' lemonade drink. I just felt like I needed to re-start my metabolism and give my digestive tract a break. It was good and actually gave me some perspective when I was just observing food and not obsessing on eating it as soon as possible. Anyway, Paula (my Irish roommate) is a chef and she made fresh pasta! It was amazing to help make and watch being put through the pasta maker. The night before we had made butternut squash ravioli by making the pasta fresh as well and stuffing raviolis. There were lentils and chick peas mixed in with the pasta and lots of good smelling spices. I think they had kale and kale florets with squash on the side. YUM.
This meal I definitely ate - it was incredible! There were two types of lasagna - one with meat (grass fed beef) and one veggie with three kinds of lentils and chick peas. Both had cheddar and different cheeses mixed in layers. The cheddar was made by the intern class last spring, and finally ready to be eaten! We got a massive block of it - and we've already had quite a bit of it in many meals.

I took some pictures of other meals that I helped make on my camera, but I haven't uploaded them onto my computer as of yet. One dish I made was stuffed butternut squash with brown and white rice, fresh leeks, garlic and lemon. It was deliciouss and probably the best rice I've ever made :)

So needless to say, the eating here has been fantastic. It's a challenge as well because you mainly are eating the same foods (if you haven't caught onto the butternut squash theme you're not paying attention hehe) and you have to get creative to cook and prepare certain foods that you eat all the time. The winter squash are in over-abundance and are piled in the large squash barn left-over from the winter harvest. Along with the winter squash are root vegetables like beets - there are TONS of beets! I think the picture of the beet bins I've already posted - if not I'll add it in. There are many ways to get creative with beets - they have such a fun color mixed with other foods.

I have been craving some foods that aren't available in season yet or aren't grown here - like fruit other than citrus and asparagus. There will be asparagus soon though! And I'll probably have to buy fruit like berries, apples or mango because they just aren't growing here. That's one thing I want more of - fruit. The citrus is fantastic though - the best lemons and mandarin oranges I've ever had. And Bob Cannard was told by many people that he'd never be able to grow citrus here in Sonoma Valley. He definitely proved them wrong.

Anyway, next post I'll write about some of the specific lessons I've had so far - especially dealing with soil. If you haven' seen the documentary "Dirt!" I'd recommend you do. It's a great film that really brings to life the problems we are seeing with modern industrial agriculture, and how degrading our lifestyles are to the soil and lifeforms that give us food, nutrition and oxygen.

I'll wrap it up with a quote that I found through my friend Leigh that really struck me: "When each day is the same as the next, it is because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives each day the sun rises."

Life here allows me to appreciate the beauty around me and the food that I am eating - and every day brings new challenges, fun, adventures, and knowledge. I am up with the sun rise almost every day, and it's incredible to be outdoors for most of the day. More soon! Lots of love.

get out of the box, and into the soil

I've been living and working at Green String for just over a week now, and it has already changed my perspective on observing nature, growing food, and eating well. There is so much going on at the farm, it's almost overwhelming to think of being in charge of it all. Bob Cannard (co-owner of Green String) who I receive lessons with every afternoon along with fourteen other new interns (or Sprinterns as we are called) has a lot on his plate and he is always in high demand. His outlook on farming and life in general is unique, and many people come here to find out just how he runs his operation and to get advice on their own farming ventures. His main advice to anyone who cares about where their food comes from or growing food is "Get out of the box, and into the soil." The box he was referring to while he was speaking today was packaged lettuce and salad greens, and how much of society imagines a bag or a box of greens instead of the plants coming straight from the ground.

The soil quality and the nutrient content of our food are inextricably linked, and the only way to grow healthy and nutritious food is to build and cultivate full-spectrum, nutrient-dense soil. Over the next few months we will be building on this, and learning extensively about soil science and what it takes to bring vitality and health back to the earth. Although my knowledge of plants and soil is fairly limited to high school science class and my intro to biology course in college, it's incredibly interesting and empowering to have the ability to learn now. I already am thinking of ways to improve my family's garden in NJ, and ways that I could start my own garden when/if I have my own place again wherever I end up over the next year. There is no excuse for why I can't grow much of my own produce after this experience, and teach others to do the same. I'd like to build confidence in gardening and growing plants, with the goal of being self-sufficient in providing good, healthy and sustainable food for myself and family.

Bob's saying "do little, get lots" is an important guideline for thinking about gardening and eating. The less you have to put into the soil that is not natural, the better it will be for the plants and your body. It's simple - yet most of the food you find in a conventional grocery store will be grown with loads of pesticides and toxins, all of which are harmful on so many levels. Even the 'certified organic' food products are questionable - there are so many loopholes that exist currently within the system. If it's possible and available - get to know your local farmers. When farmers markets are out there, go to them! It may sound silly and foreign, but there's so much value to it that I can't even begin to explain right now. There's a shift a comin' towards centralized small, local organic farms (many run by young people in their 20s and 30s) that allow people to contribute to their local economy and be assured their food is safe and healthy. There's a NY Times article about this that a friend shared with me the other day that is worth a read: New Generation of Farmers Emerges.

I am really connecting with my food here at Green String, and it's way more than I ever expected. Today, I literally saw a hen lay an egg right in front of me, and then I collected it to sell in the farm store. When we're talking farm fresh, you CAN'T get fresher than that. The chickens are a bit much for me though- and probably my least favorite activity on the farm. I'd much rather be our harvesting turnips or fixing up a barn then being pecked at by ornery hens who don't want to give up their eggs. Even though some hens are pretty mean about letting you collect eggs - the eggs are AMAZING. There are four different chicken coops or areas on the farm - two or sometimes three of which we collect from for the farm store, and one of which has free range chickens that sleep in 'chicken trailers' overnight. The productive hens lay between 20-60 eggs in the morning and again in the afternoon, and the eggs range in color depending on the color and type of chicken (as you can see above). The coop closest to the intern house where I live has maybe two dozen or less chickens and they only lay 4 or 5 eggs in a day and those go directly into our kitchen. The smallest coop is really just a fenced in area of about 10 chickens and a rooster who are "Silkies" - or the 'special' chicken. Think about the most ridiculously pampered dog at a dog show, and you have the Silkies - just in the chicken version. They lay tiny little eggs but are prized on the farm - they are kept under lock and key! They are fluffy and pretty colors, and have ornamental feathers on their feet - it's kind of cute. But really, I've had it this week with chickens.

I have to close up the trailer chickens for the night, so it's time to end this post. I am so ready for another delicious dinner, I can already smell some amazing aromas from where I'm sitting in the living room. I'll post next time with some food photos of the amazing meals I've been having...it's like a dinner party every night :) Hope everyone is doing well!

strawberry fields forever

The first two days of this three month venture has been an absolutely mind blowing experience. I feel like I haven't even processed what I've done or learned already. The internship program that Green String has established has been operating for four years now, and it's really incredible the work that they have done and the legacy that past interns have left behind. Some have started a bike shop, spun wool and made yarn, built a composting toilet and a brick oven, and more. This experience is equally balanced between doing actual hard farm work (like scraping chicken shit, harvesting produce rain or shine for the farm store and restaurants, bottle feeding baby sheep and goats, planting seeds, making beet juice...etc etc) and then learning as much as possible about soil science, plant health, the agricultural industry, the business aspect of farming...there are around 70 or 80 lesson topics planned for each semester. You also get to take the knowledge you gain and apply that to a project that you want to do for the farm and leave behind your own legacy. There is time to explore and figure out what you want to get better at, and learn more about on your own time.

Yesterday our internship coordinator Misja gave a lesson on holistic nutrition, and it was like everything just fell in place for me. The current approaches in our industrialized and modern society to health and nutrition are failing us in so many ways. We are living in a nutrient deficient world where the soil and our bodies are lacking essential minerals, vitamins and nutrients. A lifestyle that centered around bringing health to your body and the earth is the only way to go in my mind. Green String is a manifestation of this in so many ways. Everything that they do on the farm is with the mindset: 50% for nature, and 50% for human consumption. If something you are planting is not giving back the same amount of goodness and nutrition to the soil and the environment as it is to you, it is unbalanced. It's a critical mindset change that is needed to actually create a more sustainable planet. The earth and the soil and the things we eat and walk on everyday are made up of the same things that make up our bodies. We should treat the natural environment in a fashion that allows it to flourish and become whole - not chemically treated, degraded, polluted, and destroyed.

All of the chores and tasks and harvesting that occurs on the farm as part of our workday as interns are mindful activities, keeping in mind the larger picture of treating the land and resources with respect. There's also a satisfaction in what you are doing and being part of something bigger. I was hoeing a strawberry patch yesterday (which feels like days ago now because of how long the days are) and just was in awe of the beauty around me and how my actions clearing the patch would help produce amazing strawberries for the next harvest. Then when I've been actually harvesting vegetables it's almost intoxicating to breathe in the freshness and taste fresh picked goodness. We're encouraged to just eat any edible plant that is growing in the fields and it's just...awesome.

More soon...I'm exhausted and am waking up early to wash all of the dirty produce boxes from today. Yay!

first night in petaluma

Greetings from Petaluma and the Green String Farm! I can't even begin to explain how lucky I have been and how amazing my first days in California have been. I stayed with some awesome people in Berkeley last night who brought me to the farm today and the people I've met so far are great. There's just complete beauty surrounding me right now; the hills of Petaluma are incredible and covered with vineyards, with vines ready for the growing season. No grapes, yet. The farm work I'll be doing here does not include growing the grapes, but I'm sure I will learn a ton about the process and get to check out winemaking at some point soon.

I can hardly process what I'm about to immerse myself in for the next three months. It sounds like a lot of hard work, and that there are lots of dirty jobs to be done. But already the food that we've prepared and eaten is AMAZING and so fresh. We made butternut squash and lentils tonight with some quinoa that was left over from the intern class that moved out today. There also were salad greens left, which we ate along with locally made goat cheese with honey (probably one of my favorite cheeses/flavors). There also was an incredible cheddar that we seem to have a lot of in the house which was excellent with a pinot noir that one of the interns brought from a winery she worked at in Napa. I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to spend a lot of time thinking about and talking about the food we eat here. Get ready foodies :)

I'm going to get myself to bed before an early morning tomorrow. We're having breakfast at 6:15am and meeting at 6:50am to go through the morning chores routine which last for an hour each day. Then at 8am we will be working on a project that needs help that day, until 12noon. There's lunch til 1 or 1:30, and then lessons with Bob Cannard (one of the co-owners) that last for usually a few hours. After that comes dinner and hopefully some relaxing. Depending on your chore assignments for the day, you may have to close the chicken coop or close the farm store at night as well. It's all very structured and it sounds like every second of the day is occupied with a task or something that needs to get done. Hopefully I'm able to keep up!

two days left on the east coast

Hello! If you've stumbled upon my new blog you must know that I am preparing for my next adventure out on the west coast of the US, where I will be interning on a sustainable farm for three months in Northern California. On a two-month cross country road trip this past fall I fell in love with the west coast and also northern CA. I knew that there was something about the landscape, the farms and vineyards, and the lifestyle that would draw me back to it. I felt a strong connection that I was unable to really explore due to time constraints while traveling through the gigantic state of California. So, needless to say I am ecstatic for the opportunity at this point in my life to go back to the west coast and do something I've wanted to do for a long time: learn what it takes to farm sustainably and grow organic produce in the United States. I will be living and working at the Green String Farm in Petaluma, which is located in Sonoma Valley (aka wine country). I found this farm and the Green String Institute (the educational institute on the farm) through the WWOOFing network, where I submitted a detailed application and was interviewed over the phone. I was accepted to the internship program on February 1st, along with 14 others, and will be in Petaluma from this Sunday until the end of May.

Many people have asked me what exactly will farming do for me in the context of my career and professional goals. No, I do not have plans to become a farmer and sell asparagus on the side of the road (as my grandfather seems to jokingly romanticize every time I see him). However, I simply want to learn and have a deeper understanding of agriculture in America, since I plan to study environmental and agricultural policy in graduate school this fall. Almost the entirety of an average American's diet comes from a factory farm, and I believe this has to change in order to create a more sustainable planet. I would like to be part of the movement for local and organic food systems and have the knowledge of how to grow nutritious and wholesome food.

No one can survive without food, and what we eat and how we get it brings up some of the most controversial and important topics of our society. There's the current obesity and diabetes epidemic, the moral question of eating animals, the harmful impacts of factory farming on the environment (almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions come from modern agriculture), the use of pesticides and how they relate to cancer, and much more. Aside from these dilemmas food brings joy and forms bonds between people, especially in families and traditional cultures. I am fascinated by so many of these aspects of food, and I hope that through this internship and my blog I will be able to shed some light on as well as reflect on the many different ways of producing and growing our basic sustenance.

Follow me here as I transplant myself to a new coast and learn to farm and produce food (and wine...) sustainably, with the least harm to the natural environment. I'm nervous but excited for the challenges to come, since I have done very little actual farm work in my life. It's not an easy job, and will definitely not be glamourous. I highly doubt I will be getting any mani/pedis while out there (my one aunt was very concerned with the future state of my fingernails) and will probably work harder than I ever have. I am looking forward to it and cannot wait to share with you what I learn. I'll try to post every week pictures from my experiences, write about what I've been doing, and discuss issues that relate to my work.

If you'd like some more information about the Green String Farm I copied a short description from their website, and also linked their page as well.

"Green String is a 140 acre farm, with 50-60 acres in cultivation, in Petaluma, CA. The farm produces vegetables and fruits for a number of restaurants in the Bay Area, and maintains a farm store year-round. While the farm is not certified organic, we hold ourselves to sustainability standards that we believe well exceed organic standards. Green String is the act of farming sustainably and naturally so that we provide a healthy future for generations to enjoy. Sustainability in the farming context is defined as healthy, local, socially responsible, simple living and control. We make every effort to reduce soil erosion, pesticide dependency, loss of biodiversity, resistance to natural predators, and other harmful ecological impact. We create a self-nourishing system where less human intervention yields better quality crops. Green String Farmers are extremely acute to the needs of the plants. Soil management techniques include crop rotation, cover crops and composting that aid in enriching concentration of vitamins and minerals in the soil. In addition to their nutritional benefits, sustainably grown food is produced without possibly endangering public health. Green String Farmers typically improve their surroundings by preserving green space, protecting the soils, conserving scarce resources, providing habitat for wildlife, and stimulating the local economy. They also strive to prevent the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria, the spread of food-borne pathogens, the release of toxic pesticides into the environment, and contamination of our air and water with harmful pollutants."