Free Earth Week screening of Polyface Farms film

NEWS RELEASE

RAIN

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Clean North, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and the Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN) will host a special Earth Week film screening of “Polyfaces” at 6:15 p.m. on April 19 at the Centennial Sault Ste. Marie Public Library (Downtown) media room.

The documentary will be followed by a Q&A discussion with RAIN Research Project Coordinator David Thompson, and Martti and Melanie Lemieux of Valleyfield Farm in Echo Bay which serves families of Algoma using innovative farming methods discussed in the film.
 
Three years in the making, Polyfaces tells the story of Joel Salatin and his farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

The farm services more than 6,000 families, 10 retail outlets and 50 restaurants through on-farm sales and buying clubs for beef, poultry, eggs, pork, rabbits, turkey and forestry products.

The film considers Joel’s unique approach to regenerative agriculture, using symbiotic relationships of animals and their natural functions to produce high quality products.

The film shows how Polyface Farms has regenerated landscapes, communities, local economies, customer’s health and most importantly their soils.

David Thompson from RAIN states, “We’re excited for people to see the film so they can build relationships with local farms that are striving to produce similar outcomes.”

Martti and Melanie Lemieux of Valleyfield Farm have been following Joel Salatin’s methods with their farm where they raise sheep, grass-fed beef, pastured pork, turkeys and poultry. They also grow vegetables for sale at Mill Market and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) buying club.

Martti states, “We first heard of Joel Salatin by chance (or fate) in 2005 when we were looking for information on fresh (raw) milk and found a video of Joel talking to a journalism class at UC Berkeley. The class was Michael Pollen’s, the year before he wrote “Omnivore’s Dilemma”. That one talk on seasonal, pasture based systems (that mimic natural patterns of plant and animal behaviour) set us on our path to farm flavourful, nutrient dense food through regenerative agriculture. More than a few years back Joel wrote in one of our notebooks ‘May your grass grow long, your cattle fat and your fields fertile.’ Working towards this has now become a way of life for us at Valleyfield.”

The film screening is free and no registration is required. If you would like more information about the film, contact David Thompson (RAIN) at [email protected] or 705-942-7927 x3027.

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