Terra Madre delegates & Slow Food Twin Cities members Steven & Jodi Ohlsen Read lost nearly 600 head of sheep in a barn fire early in the morning of January 24th. Arson is suspected.
Any amount of help you can provide would be welcome. Please send checks and letters of support and encouragement to:
Shepherd's Way Farm
Steven & Jodi Ohlsen Read
8626 160th St. E.
Nerstrand, MN 55053
The Slow Food Forum has also shared with us a news report of the fire, from the Star Tribune
After barn fire, newborn lamb is a symbol of hope
Donna Halvorsen and Tom Sweeney
NERSTRAND, MINN. -- With her neighbor's barn in flames early Monday, Lynn Reeck was there, trying to push sheep out the door, when she felt something bump against her feet.
It was a lamb, newly born, with its umbilical cord still attached.
Reeck took the lamb home, warmed it and fed it from a baby bottle. When she brought the lamb back later, it was cuddled and fussed over as a kind of miracle baby--the only one of 225 lambs to survive a massive fire that killed about 550 sheep at Steve and Jodi Read's farm in Rice County, about 45 miles south of the Twin Cities.
It was a bright spot in an otherwise grim day.
The Reads' Shepherd's Way Farms is the largest farmstead raising dairy sheep in North America. They turn sheep's milk into award-winning cheese, which they distribute throughout the country. But on Monday, most of the animals and a big chunk of the barn were gone.
The state fire marshal's office and the Rice County Sheriff's Office are investigating. Arson has not been ruled out, said Rice County Sheriff Richard Cook. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the Minnesota Arson Hot Line at 1-800-723-2020.
More than 100 sheep were burned but survived. As neighbors stopped to offer condolences Monday, veterinary students from the University of Minnesota and the farm's staff examined the animals to decide which could be treated and which would have to be destroyed.
It was the second fire at the farm in five days. A fire Thursday night burned 30 huge bales of hay that were in a field close to the road, not far from the sheep barn that was burned early Monday.
The Reads and their four sons were roused from sleep about 2:30 a.m. Monday when a neighbor called to tell them about the fire. The barn, made up of several attached buildings, was engulfed in flames when the Nerstrand Fire Department and sheriff's deputies arrived 15 minutes later. Firefighters from Fairbault and Kenyon helped battle the blaze, but two of the barn units were a total loss, the Sheriff's Office said.
Steve Read said he has insurance but didn't know how much of his loss will be covered. Replacing the sheep will cost $350 each, he said. The feeding operation, the cheese factory and an office were spared, as was the family's house behind the barn.
The Shepherd's Way sheep are not like most sheep, which are typically raised for meat or wool. They were all born at the farm and are tended constantly. Because the ewes' milk is used to make cheese and butter, the lambs are bottle fed twice a day, and staff and visitors become attached to them.
"Our sheep are very socialized and very tame and very good girls," Steve Read said, adding that the loss is "terrible. You put your head down and go to work. That's what we're doing right now."
What the Reads do is very specialized. Most cheese is made from cow's or goat's milk. "There aren't a lot of people who are milking sheep, and even fewer who are making cheese [from it]," Steve Read said.
He said their farm is part of the "slow food movement," made up of people who want to know where their food comes from--and who have palates for specialty cheeses, such as the Big Woods Bleu, one of three of Jodi Read's products that won top awards from the American Cheese Society last year.
"They have a lot of people who believe in what they're doing here," said the Rev. David Lechelt, the Reads' pastor at East Union Lutheran Church near Chaska, who stopped by to offer prayers and support. "They've worked so hard, and this is such a beautiful place."
The surviving baby lamb became the symbol of the day. She was named Esperanza, which is Spanish for hope. Her ears and coat were singed by fire, but otherwise she seemed fine, drinking from a bottle held by Reeck, the neighbor who rescued her.
"She was a brand-new baby amid all that chaos," Reeck said. "Somehow she managed to get free of all the fire."
If you're just now considering your February calendar, remember that the Champagne and Sparklers event is scheduled for the evening of February 12. Forgot the details? Review the original announcement and consider joining us.
Although not officially a Slow Food event, we thought you might like to know about an upcoming event at The Wine House featuring a wine tasting with Rex Pickett, author of Sideways, the basis of the much-acclaimed film now in theatres. Come celebrate the great wines of Santa Barbara and the book that has brought them the attention they have richly deserved for quite some time.
When: Saturday January 22, 2005 from 1:00pm-4:00pm
Where: The Wine House Tasting Room, 2311 Cotner Avenue, Los Angeles 90064
Cost: (Reference event #3068) $50.00, which includes a copy of the book Sideways). Rex will also be available to answer questions and to autograph copies.
Note that full payment is required in advance, and that cancellations must be made 72 hours prior to the event for refund. One copy of the book is included in the admission fee, and there will be additional books available for purchase at the event. $50.00 buys 20 tasting tickets each good for one tasting sized portion of your selected wine.
Participating wineries include: Byron, Sanford, Lafond, Andrew Murray, Foxen, Stolpman, Babcock, Melville, Gray Hartley from Hitching Post and others. There will be over 30 wines to choose from this afternoon.
Questions? The Wine House can be reached by phone at 310.479.3731 x260 or by email to wine [at] winehouse [dot] com.
Jennifer Wilkins is a food and society policy fellow in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell, and contributed the following Op-Ed piece to the December 18, 2004 New York Times. For those of you who missed the piece, or would like to share it with friends, we include the text here. Read on...
Ithaca, N.Y. -- When Tommy Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, announced this month that he was resigning, he made an unexpected comment: "For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do." He added, "We are importing a lot of food from the Middle East, and it would be easy to tamper with that."
Unexpected, but right. The United States is importing more and more food, and not just from the Middle East (which actually accounts for only 0.4 percent of our food imports). Tomatoes from Mexico, grapes from Chile and beef from Brazil are standard fare on American tables. The Department of Agriculture reports that in 2005, our nation will fail to record an agricultural surplus for the first time in 50 years, demonstrating our rising dependency on foreign agricultural production and distribution systems that may not be safe.Yet few of these imports are examined to ensure they meet American health and safety standards. This year, the Food and Drug Administration will inspect about 100,000 of the nearly five million shipments of food crossing our borders, and distribution is so rapid that tainted food can reach consumers nationwide before officials realize there is a problem. The increasing control of the global food supply by a few corporations has made such tampering even more tempting for a terrorist who wants to have a big impact.
You might think that the solution is obvious: we should rely on our domestic food supply. Unfortunately, when it comes to food security, our vulnerabilities at home rival those we face abroad. The federal government's encouragement of consolidation in agriculture diminishes the security of our food supply.
Since the 1950's, American agricultural policies have been grounded in the belief that farms should produce as much food as possible for the least cost. These policies have led to a landscape of fewer but bigger farms that specialize in a decreasing number of commodities that are destined for fewer processors and packers.
From 1993 to 2000, 33,000 farms with annual sales of less than $100,000 disappeared. Meanwhile, very large farms play a larger role in the United States: farms generating more than $500,000 a year are only 3.3 percent of all farms but use 20.3 percent of America's farmland and account for 61.9 percent of all sales. The 10 largest food companies account for more than half of all products on supermarket shelves. Imagine what might happen to our food supply if a widespread contamination by a food-borne disease, accidental or intentional, were to strike even one of those megafarms or food companies.
The increasing power of food processors means that the farmer no longer controls the quality of the food system. About 85 percent of all vegetables destined for freezing and canning are grown under contract, with processors dictating variety, quantity, quality, delivery date and even price. If American farmers cannot produce the cheapest food, the processors turn to foreign countries, where there is greater potential for contamination, whether because of less strict inspection procedures or because of fewer protections against bioterrorism.
The combination of cheap food from overseas and the consolidation of domestic production compromises America's ability to feed itself. A food system in which control of the critical elements is concentrated in few hands can and will fall victim to terrorism or accidents.
The solution to these insecurities is to establish community-based food systems that include many small farmers and a diversity of products. Such systems make large-scale contamination impossible, even for determined bioterrorists. Far more people have contact with the Mexican lettuce at the supermarket, for example, than with the locally grown lettuce at the farmers' market.
But is it possible for farmers' markets to feed a growing country and provide the range of produce we demand? The answer is yes. With some exceptions, like coffee and chocolate, American farmers can easily meet demand. They've also had great success in marketing directly to the consumer: the number of farmers' markets has increased to 3,100 in 2002 from approximately 1,700 in 1994.
But creating this system of agriculture would require a shift in policy. We should encourage smaller, diversified farms, a reallocation of farmland from feed grains to food crops, and local food processing. And the change in the cabinet, at both the department of health and human services and the department of agriculture, is an opportune moment for a such a change in policy.
It would be reassuring to one day hear a new secretary of health and human services report that a terrorist attack on our food system would be next to impossible because it is a complex network of farmers, processors and consumers integrated into communities nationwide. Strengthening local food systems and supporting policies that shorten the distance between producers and consumers will reduce the points of vulnerability and make America truly food-secure.
Market Gourmet is a new store that features the products of many local vendors as well as hard-to-find items from small international producers (such as rainforest limes from Australia). Whether shopping for your own kitchen or for a gift, this is a local resource worth visiting.
Lauren Hunter, the founder and proprietor, will arrange for a tasting of various products with an emphasis on the Valentine's Day dinners you may want to prepare the following week. Among the products Lauren will feature are chocolates, exquisite oils and vinegars, breads, and cheeses.
When: Sunday, February 6, 2005 at 10:30am
Where: Market Gourmet, 1800 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice 90291
Cost: $16 for members and nonmembers, payable at the door. Reservations not required; cash or check (payable to SlowLA) accepted.
Join us!
The incomprehensible magnitude of this disaster compels us all to help. Below is an updated short list of agencies now accepting secure, online donations. Please alert your friends, or contact your local relief agency.
Google is offering a list of sites already set up to provide information and to handle donations for victims throughout the region.
See also:
Oxfam's Asia Earthquake & Tsunami Fund
American Jewish World Service
Network for Good's expanded list of relief agencies
and Operation USA, a Los Angeles organization
We invite you to join us for Slow Food LA Wines of the World: Champagne and Sparklers event featuring a tour and tasting of artisanal champagnes and new world sparkling wines with Robert Rogness. The event will showcase the eclectic portfolio of Wine Expo, a Santa Monica wine shop located at 2933 Santa Monica Boulevard and noted noted for its world wine selection from small, artisanal producers and its knowledgeable staff.
When: Saturday, February 12, 2005 at 6:00pm
Where: Le Sanctuaire, 2710 Main Street, Santa Monica 90405
Cost: $65 for Slow Food Members; $75 for nonmembers. For event registration and further information, call the Slow Food LA event line at 323.860.9804.
Discover the real champagnes: wines made by the individual owners of grand cru vineyards, not in the industrial centers of Eperhay and Reims but in the heart of La Champagne, in small agricultural villages with whimsical names like Bouzy, Rilly, Ludes and Dizzy. Why does this matter?
Because, just like in Burgundy, the wines from these different terroirs are very different from one another. Most of the champagne you may have tasted has been blended from purchased grapes to make a consistent branded product, not a wine reflecting its vintage and terroir. These champagnes tend to be better values because they are made in such small quantities that there is no need for the winemaker to spend half of his or her budget (and ultimately yours!) on advertising and promotion. The growers are at the very forefront of the sustainable agriculture, organic and even bio-dynamic movements; they are not subsidiary brands of liquor and perfume empires but the actual fruit of actual farmers ... very Slow Food!
To guarantee your attendance, please make your checks payable to SlowLA and mail them to:
SlowLALe Sanctuaire is a noted culinary boutique conceived from the desire to provide only the rarest choice ingredients and restaurant-quality kitchenware to passionate home chefs with the most discriminating appetite for culinary excellence.
Attn: Champagne Event
c/o Angeli Caffe
P.O. Box 360769
Los Angeles, CA 90036