On the Bus
Where does your food come from? Do you really know?
These are some of the questions that the good folks at Farm to Family (F2F) are hoping to answer, and in the process provide healthy fresh food for customers and support to local farmers in the process.
I reconnected with my old friend Mark Lilly, who helped start Farm to Family last year, and had the opportunity to ride with him yesterday to make his weekly purchases. We were joined by Kyle Brennis, a new intern with F2F.
The first stop was the Shenandoah Valley Produce Auction in Dayton, VA. This auction has been going on for the past four years and brings in a variety of food crops from area farmers. I believe that the auction specifies all produce is grown within 100 or 150 miles of Dayton.
Many if not the majority of the farmers are members of the large Old Order Mennonite community that has lived and farmed here for generations.
The auction site is quite impressive. Clean, open space and very efficient management make for an exciting morning. The first part of the auction involves a ‘drive-through’ area where produce is pulled through the auction area on tractors. These are large lots of produce like 50 sugar baby watermelons or 100 athena cantaloupes.
Buyers participating in the auction represented farm stands, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), small markets and big players like Whole Foods Market.
Once the drive-through wraps the auction moves into the pavilion area for smaller lots.
The auction provides a social opportunity for many in the community. Men, women and children gathered to catch up on news. Many of the younger children moved around the facility in groups doing what kids do. A group of women ran the concessions stand serving up burgers, hot dogs, sweet tea and soft drinks.
Once all the buying was done it was time to load up the trailer. Me and Kyle loaded carts and negotiated piles of produce and people to load up. Boys from the community flashed by with their carts as they assisted other buyers in loading up.
With a load of beautiful, fresh produce on board we set off for our next stop, a pickup of meats from Southernmost Maple products in Highland County, VA.
Then it was a short trip down the road to pick up meat from the Polyface Farm. Back on the road towards Lexington where we would make our last stop and pick up milk, yogurt and cheese.
Being on the road for a good part of the day allowed for some good conversation. Each of us is committed to educating more people about food – where it comes from, why it is helpful to eat locally grown, why prices for local are sometimes higher than imported food, etc.
As we talked about food the conversation branched into metaphysics, politics, geology, religion, history, astronomy, and multiple other areas. One significant topic that we didn’t get into was music. That surprises me as I think back, but pretty much everything else got mixed in. It goes to show you how deeply rooted food is in our lives and how it touches or is influenced by some many other issues.
Arriving back at the F2F market we unloaded and spent a bit of time unwinding before heading home. A day well spent with a mission to improve people’s lives. Those who grow the food, those who distribute the food, those who eat the food.
A journey on the bus. Get on board and join us. See you soon.
BillzBuzz 