LECTURES

As part of a Farm to Lectern Speakers Series, on Thursday, January 17th the Concord Museum welcomes Joel Salatin, author of nine books and full-time farmer at Polyface, a multi-generational, “beyond organic” farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The program is offered in association with the Museum’s special exhibition, "The Greatest Source of Wealth: Agriculture in Concord," on view through March 17, 2013. In Salatin’s talk, “Folks, This Ain’t Normal,” based on his book by the same title, the third generation alternative farmer gives a whimsical performance filled with history, satire, and prophecy in defense of small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm. He relates his dirt-under-the-fingernails experiences with mischievous humor and based firmly on a lifetime spent communing with ecology, economics, and emotion in their full reality, as a farmer. His conviction-based speeches are akin to theatrical performances, often receiving standing ovations Salatin holds a BA degree in English and writes extensively in magazines such as Stockman Grass Farmer, Acres USA, and American Agriculturalist. The family’s farm, Polyface Inc. (“The Farm of Many Faces”) has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Gourmet, and countless other radio, television and print media. The farm achieved iconic status as the grass farm featured in the New York Times bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma, by food writer guru Michael Pollan.

The talk by Joel Salatin is at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, January 17, 2013, at the Fenn School in Concord, Massachusetts, 516 Monument Street. A book signing will follow the talk. The Speakers Series is free, but reservations are requested. Please call the Concord Museum at 978-369-9763 ext. 216.