Eat Your View
EDUCATION
Why Education is so Important
The average age of an American farmer is now 60 years old. Just 5.7% of our farmers are under the age of 35. We need to educate the next generation of farmers and growers, and we need to give them access to affordable land.
Say Goodbye to Iowa
Over a recent 20 year period, the United States lost farm land to development that equaled the size of New York state or most of Iowa.
We're losing not only the knowledge, but the capacity (the farm land) to grow our own food locally. The Creekside Farm Education Center is dedicated to promoting the Eat Your View movement as a means to improve public understanding about the importance of keeping the local food production knowledge and capacity alive in all communities across the US, and around the world.
Why should we take back control?
Global, multi-national food corporations have created an unhealthy food web that is leading us to skyrocketing levels of obesity, diabetes and heart disease (mostly due to processed foods) and an unsustainable health care crisis. We combat that problem with education and access to fresh, healthy whole foods.
BUILDING RESILIENCE
We need to bring farming and food production closer to where it is consumed, and we do that by supporting small farmers and growers through education, at the local farmers market, and through CSA programs.
Creekside Farm is dedicated to the "Eat Your View" campaign and movement because increasing public awareness about the importance of local food production is the key element to local food sustainability. Local farmers can grow it, but it's up to the community to buy it.
Ask your local restaurants and grocery stores to support local farmers and food production.
Past Educational Events at Creekside Farm Education Center in cooperation with Organic Growers School
Homestead Dreams - one day workshop
One-Day Workshop on Land-Based Living
Homestead Dreams is an entry-level workshop designed to help you incorporate small-scale sustainability and self-sufficiency into your life. Whether you own or rent a home, or live in a rural or urban setting, you can move towards self-reliance now.
Full day workshop as part of the Organic Growers School Spring Conference
Year Round Growing on Farm & Garden with Pam Dawling & Ira Wallace
Join experienced vegetable, herb, and seed growers Pam Dawling & Ira Wallace for a step-by-step approach to growing year-round. Learn the tools to manage space effectively, grow the quantities of crops when you want them, and efficiently meet your growing goals.
12 Month, Farmer-Led Training Program. Farm Beginnings
Many skills are required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more. Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. The program includes farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, and an extensive farmer network to help you clarify your goals and strengths, establish a strong enterprise plan, and start building your profitable and sustainable operation.
Learning the Farming Tradition at Creekside Farm
Creekside Farm Education Center supports new farmers and growers with the land, water, equipment, supplies and helpful instruction and education so that they can learn this important trade.
Educating our young people about healthy food and where it comes from is important, and we believe every kid should visit a farm at least once as part of a school farm tour.
Education is Critical to Our Food Security,
Food Sovereignty, and Regional Resilience.
Emily from ASAP gives a talk at the Creekside Farm Education Center
Farm manager Melissa gives a cooking class in the commercial kitchen
The Rising Health Care Crisis
Health care costs are skyrocketing in an unsustainable manner. Our health care system treats symptoms, not the root causes or the real problem, which is obesity in America. The rapid rise in diabetes and heart disease is leading to shorter lifespans for a lot of people. We need to eat healthier diets. The CDC reports that 70% of American adults are overweight with increased risks of diabetes and heart disease. Recent studies show that 20% of our kids are now obese (that’s one out of five adolescents) and 40% are overweight. This is the first time in history when we can predict that a younger generation will have a shorter life span than their parents. The costs associated with our current health care system are skyrocketing and is not sustainable. Our health care crisis is directly related to processed foods and an unhealthy diet. And the problems are unfairly concentrated in poor and low-income households where inexpensive processed and fast food has become a mainstay of the diet. We improve health through education and access to healthy food.
Farm worker Nicholas after a hard days work.
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