Turn Your Face To The Sky

Arthur and I drove down to State College on Saturday morning for the PASA (Pennsylvania Association For Sustainable Agriculture) Conference. We arrived in time to take a quick walk through the exhibits on our way to hear the keynote address.
The young man who took to the stage was unknown to us but we knew from past experience with speakers at this conference that his words would offer us new and interesting perspectives. We weren't disappointed. Ben Hewitt used his annual experience haying with a seasoned farmer (a story in itself) to bring into focus the great joy we farmers share and the challenges we face as our environment becomes increasingly commoditized and systems evolve to continue to support and shore up the status quo.
He concluded his talk with a long list of "Rules For The New Game" for he believes that nothing will change until everything changes. "Turn your face to the sky," he said and on Sunday morning, I stepped outside in the crisp cold air to do just that.

Ben Hewitt is a farmer and writer who lives in northern Vermont. I am anxious to read his 2010 book "The Town that Food Saved", which chronicles the story of Hardwick, VT, and the efforts to blueprint and implement a localized food system.