Celebrate the culture of agriculture & share skills (Growing! Cooking! Eating!)

IS FARM AID BEING IRRESPONSIBLE ???

Is Farm Aid being irresponsible by offering HOMEGROWN concessions—all that good tasting, family-farm identified, local and organic food - and not giving consumers a good way to burn off a few calories?

Since overweight and obesity in America have reached epidemic proportions, shouldn't something be done to help The Weight (of the Nation, in consultation with the Division of Adolescent and School Health; the Division of Adult and Community Health; the Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors (ASTPHND); the Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE); and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD)) ?
http://www.weightofthenation.org

Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Village showcases hands-on activities that give concertgoers a chance to meet farmers, get their hands dirty, and learn how family farmers are enriching our soil, protecting our water, and connecting us to our roots ... but they can't add an attraction that would promote healthy physical activity due to "liability concerns"?

According to the CDC, "policy and environmental change initiatives that make healthy choices in nutrition and physical activity available, affordable, and easy will likely prove most effective in combating obesity."
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/index.html

Is the time ripe for a Farm Aid (Homegrown Village) policy change?

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Permalink Reply by JoyfulC on August 28, 2009 at 8:31am

I suspect that obesity and problems with excess weight are more likely caused by processed, convenience, "fast" foods. I don't think it's due to lack of exercise or from an excess of organically grown fruits and vegetables.

I do agree that activities to help people get involved and connect with the farms their foods come from would be cool. Certainly if people can offer skydiving instruction and white water rafting outings, the liabilities in having someone visit the farm shouldn't be too excessive. The farms involved probably would have to spring for some third party liability insurance, and come up with a good stiff waiver for participants.

..Christine..

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Permalink Reply by Cornelia on August 28, 2009 at 1:59pm

Yes, obesity is absolutely a national crisis that needs to be addressed. We commend your passion and desire to provide solutions to this problem, just as the HOMEGROWN Village and Concessions provide an education and alternatives to the unhealthy processed food options that are so prevalent in the US diet.
Unfortunately, bringing a climbing wall (which is what you have proposed to Farm Aid organizers) to a concert event with nearly 20,000 attendees is not something that is feasible.

All the best in your work for good health! We share the mission.

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Permalink Reply by Carrie Seal-Stahl on August 28, 2009 at 3:33pm

I agree with JoyfulC that a lot of the problem is more the type and amounts of food being consumed. If you're shoveling in 2 supersized Big Mac meals daily, no amount of exercise is going to help you.

Here's an idea- is there anywhere near the grounds that would allow for some sort of guided nature tour/hike? That's fairly low impact so even those really out of shape or with mild health issues could participate while learning a little something.

I have to say, climbing wall is a bad idea in my opinion. I'll use myself as an example- I'm 5' tall 106lbs, so to look at me you'd think it'd be safe for me to do such a thing- NOT. I have bad knees and asthma. What if I got up there, got out of breath, my knee locks up, I fall and got hurt? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen!

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Permalink Reply by Sherri on August 29, 2009 at 6:27am

Hi Christine, according to the CDC it is a combination of factors that cause us to lose our "balance"

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/index.html

and fall into overweight/obesity/health related problems.

Climbing - and yoga - are excellent ways to regain that balance. Free yoga classes are offered every Saturday at the Tower Grove Farmers Market in Saint Louis
http://www.tgmarket.org/

... so ... wouldn't it be wonderful to see them helping folks at Farm Aid too?

They could gather folks around "The Spire" ... :-)

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Permalink Reply by Sherri on August 31, 2009 at 3:56am

Hi Cornelia and Carrie,

Although it may appear otherwise, "sport" climbing is a safe sport

http://climbing.about.com/od/staysafeclimbing/a/HowSafeClimbing.htm

and climbing walls MUCH taller and larger than the one above can be found almost everywhere, for example this link shows a climbing wall in a retail store in the Oxmoor mall of Louisville, Kentucky (my hometown)
http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct0403/page56.php

Climbing provides challenging exercise for people of nearly all shapes and sizes, in fact the only requirement at this school is that potential climbers have outgrown their diapers ...

http://www.abckid.net/index.htm

... and one can't help but notice that they are located in the U.S. state with the lowest prevalence of obesity! :-)

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html

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Permalink Reply by Trell Johnson on August 31, 2009 at 2:17pm

Yeah umm, you see. Money is a real problem. I am sure, if you offered to pay the thousands of dollars worth of insurance, they could accomodate you better.

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Permalink Reply by Sherri on September 1, 2009 at 4:38pm

Well, Trell, Upper Limits carries a $1,000,000 insurance policy for all events, it's included in the wall rental (which I offered to donate).

Trell Johnson said:

Yeah umm, you see. Money is a real problem. I am sure, if you offered to pay the thousands of dollars worth of insurance, they could accomodate you better.

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Permalink Reply by michael on September 1, 2009 at 11:06pm

Sherri, I don't understand. What's irresponsible?

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Permalink Reply by Sherri on September 2, 2009 at 4:30am

michael said:

Sherri, I don't understand. What's irresponsible?

Hi Michael, here's the definition from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
Main Entry: 1ir·re·spon·si·ble
Pronunciation: \ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl\
Function: adjective
Date: 1648
: not responsible: as a : not answerable to higher authority b : said or done with no sense of responsibility c : lacking a sense of responsibility d : unable especially mentally or financially to bear responsibility

For example, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson (and friends) could have been irresponsible back in 1985 and not offered to donate their time and talent to the first Farm Aid in Champaign, Illinois ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABOCF5UJASE

... but instead, they decided to answer to Higher Authority.

Shouldn't we ALL try to do the same? :-)

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Permalink Reply by michael on September 2, 2009 at 9:50am

Great, thanks for the definition! Very helpful indeed.

Please let me rephrase, and forgive me if I'm missing something, but why is Farm Aid now being irresponsible? From your post it seems like it may have something to do with a climbing wall? Who is Upper Limits? Please elaborate.

Sherri said:

michael said:
Sherri, I don't understand. What's irresponsible?

Hi Michael, here's the definition from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
Main Entry: 1ir·re·spon·si·ble
Pronunciation: \ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl\
Function: adjective
Date: 1648
: not responsible: as a : not answerable to higher authority b : said or done with no sense of responsibility c : lacking a sense of responsibility d : unable especially mentally or financially to bear responsibility

For example, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson (and friends) could have been irresponsible back in 1985 and not offered to donate their time and talent to the first Farm Aid in Champaign, Illinois ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABOCF5UJASE

... but instead, they decided to answer to Higher Authority.

Shouldn't we ALL try to do the same? :-)

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Permalink Reply by Sherri on September 9, 2009 at 4:47am

http://www.upperlimits.com/

michael said:

Please let me rephrase, and forgive me if I'm missing something, but why is Farm Aid now being irresponsible?

Well, Farm Aid founded HOMEGROWN.org with the mission to create a place where our love for food and the land evolves, deepens, and becomes something more fulfilling. A place where we can hear and appreciate the BIGGER stories that our food has to share ...