Market Farming

["Wiediger, Alison" <awiediger AT HART.k12.ky.us>]

Actually, although Wendell's father started the Burley Co-op as a means to
make the tobacco buyers pay a decent price for tobacco, he does have a lot
of alternatives on his agenda for small farmers.  Eight years ago, he was a
driving force in the Burley Co-op starting a cooperative for Kentucky's
organic farmers.  It didn't work at that time, but he, his brother John and
the Burley did at least make an attempt. He also speaks regularly at Sierra
Club and alternative ag functions about the alternatives for Kentucky's (and
America's) small farmers, including livestock, organic production and
timber. He is human, and like all of us, makes mistakes, but he does
recognize (and did 8 years ago) that raising tobacco is going the way of
most commodities - LARGE - , believes that the small farm is important, and
lends his voice and pen to that end.

Alison Wiediger, Au Naturel Farm

> ----------
> He could not conceive of any alternative for Appalachian farmers to grow
> as a
> crop and still eke out a living. But I never had the same respect for
> Wendell Berry again.