The first thing we did this morning was go to Tabletop Farms, which is an organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm. It was run by a couple, so it was different from the farm we went to yesterday because it was their business and was not backed by a nonprofit organization like the Henry A. Wallace Center. This made the economic risks for the people running it that much greater. This was evidenced by the fact that they used to be in business with another couple who had chosen to leave the operation because of how stressful it was for them. It was really interesting to learn about all of the aspects of how they ran their farm and especially about the contraption in which they produced compost. Before leaving, we even got to help weed around the rows of kale.

The next activity on the list was to attend the March against Monsanto that was planned for this afternoon. While we did not really know what to expect, we figured it would be an interesting experience. I was hoping for more of an intense protest atmosphere with masses of protesters being beaten by the police, but it ended up just being more of a small informational gathering with speakers and tables set up about various things that were related to small scale, organic agriculture. One of the more interesting speakers was a man who raised bees and talked about why he believed that many of the chemicals being used in conventional farming nowadays are responsible for a lot of the decline in bee colonies. I had heard this argument before, and found it compelling so I enjoyed hearing him expand on it.

The last thing we did was go see the new food documentary, “Fed Up”, which took aim at processed sugar as being the most dangerous threat to our health currently in the United States. While I already knew that processed sugar was terrible for our health, it reminded me to pay more attention to how much of it I am consuming, since my vegan diet does not prevent the overconsumption of it, and I am certain that I could continue to cut down on it. Also, the film really emphasized the addictive properties of sugar, and I do not think that fact was exaggerated at all. We very much have a nation of kids and adults alike who are heavily addicted to sugar and other processed foods.