Fair Food or Bust!
We’ve finally reached the end of the road, and it’s been a blast! But before we sign off, there are a few more updates to give—starting with the Iowa State Fair last Thursday. With a herd of cow-suited groupies in tow I bought a $10 ticket for “Non-Stop Fun” (the appropriately-chosen theme of the Iowa State Fair this year). Although The Iowa State Fair is not the largest in the U.S. (that honor goes to Texas or Minnesota depending on whether you are talking about over all attendance or daily attendance, respectively) it is the largest state fair I have ever been to. It was also the hottest day of my life. We received a lot of support when we stopped by the milking barn where the dairy cows reside. The people there were very supportive and listened intently about the Department of Justice hearings. These hearings could really improve the way dairy farmers are able to do business. It’s so important to demonstrate public support for fair markets for farmers, so thanks to everyone who has signed our petition along the way. Eventually the heat overwhelmed my herd of humanoid cattle and sadly, we had to leave. We had a great time at the Iowa State Fair and on the way out I learned that judging was about to begin on homemade baked goods, jams and jellies. Maybe next year.
After recovering from State Fair-induced heat stroke we headed to the Red Avocado Restaurant. There, we met up with local activists at the Iowa City Green Drinks http://www.greendrinks.org/IA/IowaCity. Over 20 people showed up to talk about the Farm Bill and why we need to get political in order to establish a better food system. We talked for an hour. A big topic of conversation was the fact that Iowa imports 70% of its food and is the second highest importer behind Hawaii—despite how much of the state is agricultural, the corn and soybeans are mostly exported. Because of this, Iowa’s citizens understand the need for better infrastructure for regional food systems. It was definitely our most successful meet-up of the entire road trip.
The next day was our final stop on the Road Trip. We went to the Sweet Corn Festival in Mendota, Illinois http://www.sweetcornfestival.com/. ADM—one of the largest grain processors in the country—has a processing plant there. We met up with Janet Luecke and Margaret Kacvinsky, both Joliet Franciscan Nuns. They drove out to Mendota just to meet us at the Sweet Corn Festival. Margaret grew up on a farm just 60 miles away from Mendota and told a poignant story about how the small family farms of her childhood have disappeared. They both took USDA/DOJ petitions back to the convent with them. As I walked around the Sweet Corn Festival I saw Kettle Corn, Caramel Corn and Corn Dogs but no sweet corn. I searched the entire festival three times over looking for a single ear of this elusive mascot. Finally, I gave up and as I was walking out mumbling under my breath about a sweet corn festival with no sweet corn I smelled burning cornsilks and saw a giant contraption full of roasting corn under an unmarked tent. I ran back through the exit, got my corn and ate it too.
Overall, we’ve had a successful two weeks. Thanks to everyone who met with us along the road, to the communities that took us in along the way, and to everyone who followed along on our adventure. There’s still a lot of work to be done, so we hope you’ll stay involved in our campaign to fix our food system.
–Chef Rocky Barnette