The Wisdom of the Last Farmer with David Mas Masumoto

Steve Scher
08/25/2009 at 9:00 a.m.

America is no longer a nation of small family farmers. Small–scale farming has become rare, and the average age of those remaining farmers is 57. What wisdom are we losing as these farms disappear? When parents no longer pass their farms and knowledge of the land onto their children, what do we lose as a nation? What does it take to be a family farm in this era of large–scale corporate agriculture? David Mas Masumoto is a third generation organic peach and grape farmer. He is also a third generation Japanese American. How do these two things overlap? Masumoto joins us on the next "Weekday" to discuss what wisdom can we glean from our farming history. Did you grow up on a farm, and decide to move on? Why did you? What knowledge did you gain from your parents? Do you run a farm now? What are the challenges?

Related Event

David Mas Masumoto will read August 26 at Elliot Bay Book Company at 5:30 p.m. Chef Tamara Murphy of Brasa, and the new proprietor of Elliott Bay Cafe, will be setting out a family style meal using local farm–fresh ingredients. The is cost is $35.00 or $57.00 for entry and a book.

Guest(s)

David Mas Masumoto is the the award winning author of "Epitaph for a Peach," as well as a columnist and a spokesperson for organic farming. He's also a fellow at The Kellogg Foundation. His latest book is "Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacy from the Land." He is a third generation organic peach and grape farmer in California.