The Politics of Beef
by Joel Salatin
A Presentation from Wise Traditions 2010, 11th Annual Conference

Friday, September 23rd, 2011
DVD begins promptly at 6:30 PM
Please come early.

Location:
Market of Choice
67 West 29th, Eugene
Upstairs in the Community Room

If you missed hearing Joel Salatin speak in Corvallis in August, here is another opportunity to hear this inspiring speaker.  This presentation was the Keynote Address at the Wise Traditions Conference 2010.  In this talk, Salatin addresses many myths about sustainable farming.  My favorite was his response to: “Organic Agriculture can’t feed the world”.  Come hear his answer!  He is an entertaining, educational and inspiring speaker.

Carnivorous Consumption Keys Planetary Health Our culture generally embraces the wonder of animals’ ecological symbiosis on nature programs, but does not understand the same principles when applied to domestic livestock on farms and ranches. The combination of poor farming practices and the Bambiizing of America have colluded to make human carnivores politically incorrect. But animals and humans can relate symbiotically to heal land, economies, and people.

Joel Salatin, BA is a fulltime farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. A third generation alternative farmer, he returned to the farm fulltime in 1982 and continued refining and adding to his parents’ ideas.

The farm services more than 3,000 families, 10 retail outlets, and 50 restaurants through on-farm sales and metropolitan buying clubs with salad bar beef, pastured poultry, eggmobile eggs, pigaerator pork, forage-based rabbits, pastured turkey and forestry products using relationship marketing.

He holds a BA degree in English and writes extensively in magazines such as Stockman Grass Farmer, Acres USA, and Flavor.

The family’s farm, Polyface Inc. (“The Farm of Many Faces”) has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Gourmet and countless other radio, television and print media. Profiled on the Lives of the 21st Century series with Peter Jennings on ABC World News, his after-broadcast chat room fielded more hits than any other segment to date. It achieved iconic status as the grass farm featured in the New York Times bestseller Omnivores Dilemma by food writer guru Michael Pollan and the Grammy-nominated documentary, Food Inc.

A sought-after conference speaker, he addresses a wide range of issues, from “creating the farm your children will want” to “making a white collar salary from a pleasant life in the country.” A wordsmith, he describes his occupation as “mob-stocking hervbivorous solar conversion lignified carbon sequestration fertilization.” His humorous and conviction-based speeches are akin to theatrical performances, often receiving standing ovations.

He has authored six books, four of them how-to types: Pastured Poultry Profits: Net $25,000 in 6 months on 20 Acres, Salad Bar Beef, You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farming Enterprise, and Family Friendly Farming: A Multi-Generational Home-Based Business Testament, and Holy Cows and Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer’s Guide to Farm Friendly Food. His most recent release, Everything I Want to do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front, explains the hurdles and opportunities facing local food systems.

His speaking and writing reflect dirt-under-the-fingernails experience punctuated with mischievous humor. He passionately defends small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm.

RSVP:
Please RSVP if you think you will be attending. If your plans change, always feel free to just show up.

Cost:
Donations of $5-10 donation to the Eugene Chapter are suggested and appreciated.
Sliding scale for low-income people is $1-4 or volunteer to help the Eugene Chapter.
(A donation is suggested from everyone who can afford it, but no one should miss a showing because of cost. Please volunteer to help the Eugene Chapter).

Discussion:
We have had such interesting conversations before and after recent DVDs that we now offer time for discussion (6:00 to 9:00 PM).

Dinner and a Movie:
You are welcome to buy food downstairs in Market of Choice or (shh, don’t tell them I told you this) bring something from home to eat in the room.

Nutritional Therapy Practitioners:
You can earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by attending the Eugene Chapter’s DVD showings.

Links:
Joel Salatin’s website: www.polyfacefarms.com
Joel Salatin’s biography on the WAPF website
Articles in the Wise Traditions Journal by Joel Salatin
Weston A. Price Foundation 2010 Wise Traditions Conference
Wise Traditions 2010 Conference Presentations
Wise Traditions 2010 Conference Speakers

Notes:
You may want to bring a sweater, as the Market of Choice often keeps this room cool.
We are not able to loan out DVDs at this time.
Purchase your own DVDs from Fleetwood Onsite Conference Recording
Mr. Salatin does not include handouts from this presentation, but you may download other Conference speaker’s Handouts
View our “Popcorn Review” pages (here and here) for information on past showings.