• From the farm to the table

    Gary Holthaus Speaks at Carleton’s Harvest Fest

    This past Saturday afternoon a crowd of Carleton students squeezed into Parr House’s living room to drink mulled cider, eat pumpkin muffins and most importantly, to hear what author of From the Farm to the Table: What all Americans Need to Know about Agriculture, Gary Holthaus had to say. Holthaus, an ordained minister who currently lives in Red Wing, MN is known for his poetry, essays and work in theatre, in addition to lifelong commitment to social justice work. At Parr House, he prefaced his talk by reminding everyone that he is no scholar. He simply devotes his time educating himself about agricultural issues because he finds them to be incredibly important.

    He does not see his lack of expertise in any one area to be particularly problematic because our current agriculture system can only be fixed with an interdisciplinary approach. There is no one scientist who will have all the answers to all the problems.

    Holthaus went on to explain that his interest in agriculture stems from his commitment to the environment and social justice, which intersect in agriculture—he briefly described a recent trip to farms in Owotanna, MN where he spoke to migrant workers about issues related to housing, health care, working conditions and gender.

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