Steve Gilman oral history with Leslie Cox and Robert S. Cox
Description:
Conversation with Steve Gilman of Saratoga, NY. Entry into organic farming through the back to the land movement in about 1970, though he had family background in gardens, transitioning from gardener to market gardener; got information from Rodale, the Nearings, Cooperative Extension, but began forming community connections and networks began to form, farmers' markets important to the development (00:01:03); first NOFA conferences in Vermont led eventually to him giving workshops (00:05:37); first became a real farm in 1976 and made connections with Walter Krusczak, Robert Houriet, Samuel Kaymen; Kaymen's innovations and developments that led to Stonyfield (00:06:16); early NOFA conferences, debt problems and entry of Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson, who took the whole organizational ability to a new level and brought in a lot more people; growth of NOFA in NY, Connecticut, Rhode Island (00:07:32); background that led Gilman to agriculture and lifestyle associated with it: getting out of college and had farming and back to the land click for him unexpectedly as he figured how to make a living connected to the land (00:09:48); choosing not to go into conventional farming with spiritual connection and growing awareness of impact of chemicals on food system and environment; kept farming going for 30 years (00:11:54); becoming an advocate for organic foods: things coming together for Gilman on turning to the policy side: involvement in a USDA project through Cornell to monitor 12 farms; ended up of SARE board reading grants (00:14:10); in other activities has studied Buddhism and is involved in environmental issues; GMOs; board member on sustainable agriculture issues (00:17:18); trying to create an organic farmers' alliance and negotiating political considerations, resistance from agribusiness groups; concerned about keeping the grassroots organic viewpoint (00:20:50); staying relevant to a new generation with al the options now available; national organic program is now a target leading to big agriculture being in there, making it difficult for new farmers to enter the field; need to continue to make the case that organic is the gold standard (00:24:48); wants people to remember the youthful energy of the early days of the movement, though he would not want to go back: it's a different energy now and exciting (00:27:50).
Requests to publish, redistribute, or replicate this material should be addressed to Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
Contact host institution for more information.
