The Greenhorns are Coming to Sterling's RHI

Severine von Tscharner Fleming, of The Greenhorns will be sharing her wisdom, humor, and farming expertise with us this year. The Greenhorns is a group of farming enthusiasts who has created a guidebook of Farming for Young Farmers and is in the midst of travelling around the country filming a documentary on young farmers. Severine will be moderating a Farmer Roundtable on the opening day of the Institute immediately following dinner .

Clark Wolf Moderates Chefs Roundtable

Check out our exciting keynote speakers including Clark Wolf, author of American Cheeses: The Best Regional, Artisan, and Farmhouse Cheeses, Who Makes Them, and Where to Find Them. Clark’s latest mission is to connect local farmers to restaurants and he will be presenting on this subject as well as moderating a Chefs Roundtable on Wednesday, June 17th at 7:15pm. The Chef line-up is as follows:

• Steven Obranovich of Claire's
• Jeff Egan of Bee's Knees
• Eric Warnstedt of Hen of the Wood; Eric
  is a Northeast semi-finalist of this year’s James Beard Foundation “Best Chef
  Award.”
• Elena Gustavson, Sterling College Kitchen Manager and Chef

RHI Schedule

Wow! RHI is shaping up to be an amazing conference. Here is a quick overview of what's happening this year...

June 16 - Live, hands-on, field demonstrations covering everything from scything, farming, working draft horses and oxen, to food preservation. Listen to presentations on buying organic and local food. Tour High Mowing Seeds (organic seed producers) and Jasper Hill Farm (raw milk cheese producers). Close out the day, and discuss topics of interest, with a lively Farmer Roundtable.

June 17 - This day holds an extensive lineup of experts who will be presenting on topics ranging from changing food choices and food awareness in higher education communities, "Cooking from Historic Texts", policy and economy of agriculture, inspiring communities to eat local food, the roots of agrarianism, social media and the new food and agrarian movement, and readings from an author on american cheeses. The day will end with a Chefs Roundtable followed by live music.

June 18 - Discussions on modern tools for traditional economies, finding a sense of place on the farm, the farm as a wildlife sanctuary, agrarian literature, saving local economies with local food, and redefining American regional cuisine. Participate in workshops dealing with using farms as places for learning about community, and small-scale sustainable agriculture using draft horses. Open talk with the founder of the Center for Agricultural Economy, owner of Vermont Soy, and Vermont Natural Coatings. Finish the evening with a reception for photographer Karl Decker, a viewing of his exhibit "The People of Townsend, Vermont", and energetic discussion of Wendell Berry's Mad Farmer Poems.

BTW for a detailed RHI schedule click here--> RHI-Schedule.pdf

Welcome!

We are very excited about the upcoming Food, Farms, and Community at Sterling College. The Second Annual Rural Heritage Institute (RHI) is shaping up to be a rich and diverse experience bringing together farmers, activists, artists, teachers, students, and community members for three days of collaboration and learning from June 16-18, 2009.

This blog will hi-light the many elements we are excited about in this years program. Check back often to see what's new, discuss topics in more detail, and connect with this unique community.