A story contribution to 2011: The Year of Idaho Food
Nico Santelices testing out a tractor. Photo by Christian Santelices
I sat beside a man from Hollywood, California on a plane
He said he had rich and famous friends, he liked droppin’ names
I said ‘Howdy do, that’s good for you, I dig a lot of those actors,
But son you ain’t got a thing on me, see I got friends with tractors’
–From “Friends with Tractors” by Rodney Atkins
Should I take a right, or a left? Well, it depends how much time I have to drive to Driggs from Victor, and where we think we might see the most tractors. If no one’s in the front seat we take off the headrest so Nico, my two-year-old son, can see better from his car seat. An upcoming barn on the horizon initiates a deep, low squeal of “BIIIGGGG TRAAACCTOOOR” long before we get there. It’s an extra bonus if it’s a John Deere with a haylift and an actual farmer feeding the cows.
And then there’s tractor porn on the Internet. That’s what we call Nico’s obsession with tractor videos; he gets to watch one every time he uses the potty, a bribe that puts toys and candy to shame. Country singer Jason Aldean’s Big Green Tractor accompanied by tractor photos on YouTube has had more than 11 million views–and a remake by Alvin and the Chipmunks that brings on a baby belly laugh to die for. Nico plays tractors and farm animals all day, can reproduce every sound, and sports his fleece-lined ‘farmer overalls’ whenever they are clean. Judging from the other two-year-olds he hangs with, he’s not alone.
So what? Farming and everything that goes along with it is the hands-down, number-one favorite occupation in the eyes of a young boy. What happens by the time they grow up?How does farming lose appeal and they decide they want to be a football player or rock star? I believe we, as a society, worship the wrong heroes.
Teton Valley has experienced tumultuous economic changes. Much of this change has centered upon the bottom dropping out of the real-estate development market. How we use our land will affect generations of community members. Land is integrally linked to food and livelihoods. Our farmers are our future.
Nico Santelices helping load hay. Photo by Sue Muncaster
Community Food Enterprises (CFEs) are the economic engines for growing, processing, selling, and serving food. To many, local food is about discriminating consumers demanding higher-quality foods sold by people they trust. But an equally important part of local food is local ownership of food businesses. The Teton Food Project sponsored by Slow Food in the Tetons is an effort to nurture business partnerships between local farmers, food processors, and consumers. Our vision is a vibrant local food system that addresses a wide range of community needs including jobs, economic growth, open space preservation, healthy habitats, human health, hunger, civic engagement, and education.
We are in the early stages of a comprehensive field study, preparation of a report, and presentation to interested parties–to identify the feasibility of various CFEs to meet a “triple bottom line” of profitability, ecological sustainability, and social responsibility. Recently acquired office space will be used to house administrative staff, hold meetings, and serve as an education and outreach center.
Our research will consider cooperative, entrepreneurial nonprofit, and private for-profit partnership/corporations. We will use data already compiled by groups like Teton Valley 2020 and results of community-wide surveys, investigate similar models working elsewhere, and pursue the expertise of the Northwest Cooperative Development Center. Collaboration with other organizations will include the Yellowstone Business Partnership (for delivery!), county and city governments (economic development), Grand Targhee, schools, the hospital, the Senior Center, restaurants, food bank, Teton County Extension, and other CFEs like Barrels and Bins. We will explore models such as a producer cooperative, a commercial community kitchen, an Internet-based consumer/producer cooperative, a composting greenhouse, and retail coop/buying club.
Many members of this community are looking for advice and assistance on various CFEs. For this reason we are compelled to act as a catalyst at this exciting time of social change to connect producers and consumers with other like-minded individuals so they can collaborate toward a better future. Success will be measured by more local food available year-round, current producers growing their businesses, new producers entering the market, job creation in management, land preservation, and local self-sufficiency.
Find out more about the Teton Food Project.
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Sue Muncaster is the editor of Teton Family Magazine and board president and founder of Slow Food in the Tetons.
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