Farmland Fund: looking like a million dollars
by Jody Aliesan, Director Farmland Fund
This article was originally published in March 2004
(March 2004) — Thanks to contributions from nearly 1,500 individuals, families, businesses and foundations since September 1999, the Farmland Fund has raised more than a million dollars and has participated in saving five farms. The newest rescue is The Bennington Place, 174 acres of silt loam soil in the Walla Walla Valley, now leased to the Huesby family of Thundering Hooves (see cover story).
“Agrarians subscribe generally to that first law of ecology: We can never do just one thing. Action, or inaction, has consequences: both benign and terrible, trivial and important, intended and unintended. We are born into a web of life that both precedes and follows us. Some of it is understood and much of it isn’t. But we are each simultaneously part of the picture and one of the painters. Neutrality is not an option.”
— Maurice Telleen, “The Mind-Set of Agrarianism … New and Old,” in The Essential Agrarian Reader, ed. Norman Wirzba
“Any reform of the current system of industrialized agriculture will have to address the needs of independent ranchers and farmers. They are more than just a sentimental link to America’s rural past. They are a unique source of innovation and long-term stewardship of the land.
“This new century may bring an impatience with conformity, a refusal to be kept in the dark, less greed, more compassion, less speed, more common sense, a sense of humor about brand essences and loyalties, a view of food as more than just fuel. Things don’t have to be the way they are. Despite all evidence to the contrary, I remain optimistic.”
— Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation
Fish Brewing Company gives 50¢ per six-pack sold at PCC during March
The Fish Brewing Company is a small, locally owned craft brewery in Olympia, Washington. For ten years, the Company’s mission has been to brew specialty beers that are recognized to be among the very best produced in the Pacific Northwest. Fish Brewing is also committed to the effort to preserve our important water resources, so that future generations may continue to enjoy wild Pacific salmon, craft beers, and our quality of life in the great Northwest.
At Fish Brewing we are most proud of our USDA Certified Organic Fish Tale Ales. Our Organic Wild Salmon Pale Ale, Organic Amber Ale, and Organic India Pale Ale are all available on draft and in six-packs at finer stores and restaurants in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Brewing organic beers has been the best possible choice for our customers, employees and shareholders. We’ve made a clear commitment to environmental protection. That decision has made Fish Brewing a stronger company financially, a better place for its employees to work, and a better choice for environmentally conscious consumers.
Another natural move for Fish Brewing has been its support for environmental non-profit organizations such as the PCC Farmland Fund. The work being done by the Farmland Fund to preserve organic farmland is indispensable to organic producers such as Fish Brewing. We are pleased to contribute to the Farmland Fund’s effort to save the Bennington Place and we encourage everyone else to do the same. — Crayne Horton, Founder, Fish Brewing Company
Donor Roster (January 1-31, 2004) |
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Anonymous: 5 |
PCC Staff In honor In memory Businesses and Organizations |
The PCC Farmland Fund works to secure and preserve threatened farmland in Washington State and move it into organic production. For more information, see the PCC Farmland Fund web page.