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Community Corner

Ride your bike, run or walk to support new farmers!

On Saturday, July 20th, you can ride your bike, run or walk to help support The Seed Farm.  The Seed Farm is a nonprofit organization, based just outside of Emmaus, that is working to train new farmers in the Lehigh Valley.

The 5th annual Farm Ride and Fun Run will give participants the chance to run, walk or ride through some of the area's scenic, fertile farmland. Not just a fundraiser to support the Seed Farm's important work, the event showcases area farms, as well as the men and women who own and operate these farms.    Participants can choose from challenging rides of 10, 20 and 40 miles or a rugged 5K course around the Seed Farm fields.  Participants will receive a breakfast of fruit and local baked goods, as well as a tasty lunch of wood-fired pizzas from Switchback Pizzas with Seed Farm veggies.  Weyerbacher Brewery will also be on site offering samples.   For more information, visit http://www.theseedfarm.org/2013-farm-ride.  All proceeds of the event benefit the Seed Farm’s new farmer training program. 

Why do we need farmers?    “No Farms – No Food” is the popular slogan, but farmland itself does not produce food on its own!   In Pennsylvania alone, 11,000 farmers plan to retire in the next ten years. With five times more farmers over the age of 65 than under 35, not only will more land continue to be permanently developed with housing and shopping malls, but even the preserved farms could sit idly if there is no one to farm the fields. Every town needs to retain the ability to feed themselves, for the sake of the economy, the environment and the community.  Preserving the farmer is integral to ensuring a sustainable, healthy food system.   The Seed Farm’s new farmer training and agricultural business incubator programs help start and maintain new sustainable farms in the Lehigh Valley, facilitating the development of a vibrant, local food system.  The Seed Farm links new farmers with training, equipment and land through its Apprenticeship and Stewardship Programs, eliminating the top three barriers to farm entry and opening doors for a new generation of farmers.

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