Karen Buck

Karen Buck donated 2013-04-02 23:48:57 -0400

American Meat Theatrical: Farmers on Innovation

Friday, April 12th

Farmers on Innovation: Farmers are at the forefront of changing our food system, and they are doing it through business, writing, and advocacy. Joel Salatin, Paul Willis, Chris Ely, and Chris Arnold represent a powerful force in the meat industry; each is involved in innovative methods of farming whether by actually working in the fields or helping those farmers reach markets. This discussion will bring together pioneers in sustainable meat farming in order to discuss successes, challenges, and the path forward.

  • Joel Salatin runs Polyface Farms in Swoope, Virginia, a sustainable farm that uses innovative techniques to raise livestock. He has authored several books about innovative animal husbandry and agriculture including Folks, This Ain’t Normal; You Can Farm Too, and Salad Beef Bar. Salatin is featured in American Meat as well as in Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. He refers to himself as an “environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic farmer.”  

  • Paul Willis was working in Iowa to revitalize sustainable hog farming methods in the mid-Nineties when he joined the Niman Ranch Company, which produces beef, pork, and lamb prepared with “the belief that all-natural, humane and sustainable methods produce the best possible flavor.” The Niman Ranch network includes over 700 independent American farmers and ranchers.

  • Chris Ely is the co-founder of Applegate, a leading national brand of natural and organic meat products. Chris grew up on a New Jersey farm while working in his family’s meat business, and later attended culinary school in England. Chris then brought these skills to Applegate, and for the past 25 years has helped develop Applegate’s product line. Chris continues in this role today, while serving as the company’s farmer liaison. Chris is also on the board of the Organic Trade Association.   

  • Chris Arnold is Director of Communications for Chipotle Mexican Grill. He is an architect of the company’s brand and external messaging, and a counselor to the company’s executive team. His efforts have made Chipotle a mainstay in opinion-leading media, food and specialty media, national network and cable news and a host of local and regional media outlets from coast to coast. Chris has coordinated testimony before Congressional committees and orchestrated Capitol Hill meetings, established and managed partnerships with philanthropic and thought leadership organizations, authored executive speeches, secured speaking engagements at prominent, national conferences and programs, developed a social media vision and strategy for the company, and managed communications through crisis situations.

  • Dave Murphy is the founder and executive director of Food Democracy Now!, a grassroots movement of more than 350,000 American farmers and citizens dedicated to reforming policies relating to food, agriculture and the environment. Murphy has been called “the most crucial and politically savvy actor in the on-going efforts to help move American agriculture into the 21st century” as a result of his “Sustainable Dozen” campaign, which resulted in four candidates being placed in high level positions at the USDA and his efforts to reform food and agriculture under the Obama administration.

  • Moderator: Graham Meriwether is a documentary journalist who serves as the director at Leave It Better, a film production company committed to telling solutions-oriented stories about environmental challenges. Graham studied at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is based in New York City. For the past five years, Graham has been focused on directing and distributing the film American Meat. In 2010, Meriwether founded the non-profit organization, Leave It Better Foundation, whose mission is to empower youth to heal our environment.

WHEN
April 12, 2013 at 7pm
WHERE
Cinema Village
22 E 12th St
New York, NY 10003
United States
Google map and directions
· 50 rsvps