Publisher’s Letter: Spring 2011

Forty years ago, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz’s mantra to farmers was “get big or get out.” As a result, he has the not-so-honorable distinction of being the person responsible for the rise of commercial corn production and the abundance of corn in American diets. Today, his mantra still haunts agriculture. When we visited fourth generation small-scale fisherman Mark Weborg for our cover story (p. 28), he quoted this same phrase— “You have to either get big or get out”—as he explained the not-sohopeful vision for the future of Wisconsin’s commercial fishing industry.

But despite the grim outlook, Mark works day in and day out, side by side with dedicated fishermen, including his son-in-law, to keep the fishing tradition alive. He doesn’t know if his son-in-law will follow in his footsteps or what the fate of Wisconsin fishing will be, but that doesn’t stop him from doing what is in his blood—heading out on the water each day to deal with the changing underwater landscape and bring us delicious whitefish.

According to The Organic Center, about two-thirds of U.S. teens suffer from one or more of the following conditions that were once only found in middle-aged adults: high blood pressure, high blood glucose, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and a waist size of 38 inches or more. And of all overweight or obese kids ages 12 to 19, about one in three already have metabolic syndrome, putting them at high risk for developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes (That First Step, 2009).

What’s the link between “get big or get out” food production and epidemic of childhood heart disease and diabetes? A big part of the answer is the unhealthy foods and eating habits spawned by the “get big” philosophy. This connection underscores the critical and immediate need to educate children about food (so many kids can’t even identify a tomato or potato!), how to grow food, and how to cook and eat healthfully.

In this issue, you’ll read about the next generation: kids getting into the garden and inspirational young people who are taking initiative and positively impacting our region’s food scene, like Genya Erling (p. 33), founder of Slow Food-UW Madison, and Lisa Nudo (p. 24), who shows us the “wild side of sustainable eating.” You’ll also read about the efforts to cultivate the next generation of organic farmers (p. 20). And we give a well-deserved shout-out to the “social benefit organizations” (p. 35) that are working tirelessly on food and farming issues, many of them benefiting the youth in our region.

Springtime is the season of rebirth, renewal, new growth and youthfulness. The stories shared in these pages are a reminder that we must carefully tend to the youth. This may be the most important thing that we can do—for them and future generations. They are the future of our region’s “good food and farming” movement. Whatever shape it takes—school gardens, farming education programs, cooking classes or the simple transfer of personal wisdom—we all play a role in nurturing and empowering our youth to lead healthy lives and carry on the work of creating a sustainable future.

As the snow finally melts and the world begins to turn green again, we wish you a season filled with joy and rejuvenation!

Jamie Johnson
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

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