Day 18: The Changing Face of Farming

The Changing Face of Farming

by Rev. MargaretAnne Overstreet

I grew up at the very southern tip of Illinois. Farm-country. Specifically corn- and soybean-country. Though my family did not farm, I learned early that conversations about the weather were not small talk, but rather were commentary on the economic forecast of the livelihood of my friends and neighbors.

I also learned early that these farmers did not grow food . . . at least not in the traditional sense. I remember being stunned to discover that the products grown in the fields just outside of town were not destined for my supermarket, but rather would feed livestock, become sweetener for soda, be converted into a fuel additive for cars.

But the face of farming is changing in Southern Illinois, and around the country. At local farmers markets, I am greeted warmly each week by farmers who not only know me, but whose faces and names and farming practices are known by me. My questions about pesticides and fertilizers and chemicals are answered, so that when I purchase my produce, I know exactly how it has been grown.

Small-town Southern Illinois now has several CSAs from which to choose, and there are even year-round CSAs that are using high-tunnels to grow fresh, local and sustainably-grown seasonal produce throughout the winter.

Nearby Southern Illinois University has an on-campus organic garden project and the university food service department keeps their ongoing commitment to using local food as much as possible in the university dining halls.

I’m proud to live in an area where more and more land is being used to grow food rather than commodity crops, where farmers are increasingly intentional about growing sustainably rather than using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and where nearly every one of these small communities hosts a weekly farmers’ market.