Heart Land

I am writing this from what is called the Heartland of America. I have been visiting in-laws in Peoria, Illinois and entirely missed the Free Farm Stand this week. I am so grateful for all the many hands that have kept the Stand open, from picking up produce to running the Stand. I am in the land of the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM). I have heard the ads for ADM on public radio, but never knew exactly what the did, except that they are the “super market to the world”. I have learned that ADM is about food processing and turning corn and soybeans into food ingredients or fuel. The idea being that the population bomb has exploded and the only way to feed a hungry planet is to have many ADMs and corporate and industrial farmers grow and manufacture food for us. It almost sounds convincing like the “Green Revolution” of the late sixties, if you don’t think about the side effects from that kind of unsustainable approach.

The Midwest prairies are gone (I did see one prairie restoration project). The land around me as I drive from one family function to another is hardly a land with heart…it is corn with round-up ready genes and soybeans. Going to their website I see that ADM has launched a program that launches this year called Invest an Acre that has a goal similar to our Free Farm Stand: “every farmer doing business with ADM in the United States will have the opportunity to make a donation to feed their neighbors in need”.

Is there something wrong in the Land of Plenty here? How surreal it feels.

I believe the Heart Land is where food is grown for love not profit.

I heard it on the grapevine that the Stand ran smoothly and it sounded like a big crowd. I am always happy to hear that others brought their surplus produce to share. Produce to the People brought lemons and plums, somebody came by with 25 pounds of potatoes, the School Farm brought kale and mustard greens. Here are some photos:

Some of mighty women volunteers: