A Sign of the Times

Recently, Rettland Farm was paid a visit by a member of the editorial staff of a regional newspaper. The subject of the piece was my good friend and loyal customer, Chef Andrew Little, and the relationship that he has with those of us who produce food for The Sheppard Mansion, where he is the Executive Chef. (As an aside folks, remember Chef Andy Little's name--you are going to hear it in some really cool places very soon!)

This wasn't the first such visit from a writer interested in the somewhat unique relationship that exists between Andy and his suppliers. We've been lucky enough to have been a part of several such interviews and visits this year.

What IS remarkable, though, is the type of publication this story was published in. You see, this publication isn't a "foodie" magazine, or a tourist feature, or any other periodical that you would expect to carry a story like this.

No, this was a FARM NEWSPAPER! The Lancaster Farming newspaper is a weekly newspaper with a huge (as a percentage of the target demographic) distribution in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Almost every farmer in the region, big or small, subscribes to this newspaper.

So why is our presence in these pages so remarkable?

Because five years ago, this article would have never been published in this newspaper.

Because it demonstrates the shift that is occurring in American agriculture, at least on the east coast, towards more sustainable, locally focused food production. Farmers in the region have apparently reached the point where these types of production and marketing are interesting to them.

Awesome.

Thanks to the author, Tracy Sutton, for a great article, and to Lancaster Farming newspaper for a fantastic publication.