Field day at Maple Edge Farm will showcase links between the arts and agriculture – Aug. 25, near Hastings
For Release: August 10, 2018
Contacts:
Tina Bakehouse | Maple Edge Farm | (712) 789-0158 | tina@goldenhillsrcd.org
Tamsyn Jones | Outreach & Publications Coordinator | Practical Farmers of Iowa | (515) 232-5661 | tamsyn@practicalfarmers.org
HASTINGS, Iowa —At first glance, agriculture and the arts might seem to have little in common. But Tina Bakehouse, of Maple Edge Farm and Golden Hills RC&D, believes the two vocations share a natural synergy that can be tapped to teach people about where food comes from.
“The arts, from visual to literary to theatrical, can be used to imagine and promote healthy food systems,” says Tina, who operates a diversified crop and livestock farm near Hastings with her husband, son and parents-in-law. “Food is art and art feeds the soul. Agriculture is art, and using the two together can initiate real change.”
The Bakehouse family hopes to showcase the connection between art and agriculture – and give families a chance to experience a southwest Iowa farm – at a Practical Farmers of Iowa field day they are hosting on Saturday, Aug. 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on their farm near Hastings (55755 370thSt., about 5 miles north of town).
The event – “AgArts Field Day of Family, Food and Fun” – is free, and is being sponsored by AgArts, Golden Hills RC&D and Humanities Iowa. A local foods lunch will be prepared by Chef Robert Poehling of Harlan-based Milk and Honey, with locally sourced ingredients from Ellen Walsh-Rosmann of FarmTable Delivery.
The lunch is limited to 75 people and costs $15 for adults, or $5 for children. RSVPs are required for the meal. Please contact Debra Boekholder, debra@practicalfarmers.org or (515) 232-5661, by Tuesday, Aug. 21.
During the day, Tina Bakehouse will conduct a storytelling workshop; Ardy Gillespie, of Harrisdale Farmstead, will give tips on nutrition; and a celebrity cast will perform “Farmscape” by playwright and AgArts co-founder Mary Swander.
The performance will include a talk-back with Mary, and feature Jon Bakehouse on guitar and PFI member Stephen McGrew playing music on a saw. Guests will also get to discuss how food is medicine, and share simple local recipes anyone can make.
“This is unlike any other field day,” Tina says. “We’re blending the arts and science to challenge people to think about where their food comes from using hands-on experiences, and by engaging all five senses.”
Tina and her husband, Jon, son Anderson, and Jon’s parents Bach and Nancy Bakehouse, raise corn, soybeans, alfalfa, cover crops, cattle, chickens and goats at Maple Edge Farm. The farm has been in the Bakehouse family for nearly 150 years, and the Bakehouses continue to explore new opportunities to diversity the operation.
The Bakehouse family has partnered with Practical Farmers of Iowa, Golden Hills RC&D and others to increase their knowledge of soil health. This summer, Tina is hosting AgArts camps to help participants learn, through art, the importance of understanding agriculture and how food is raised.
Directions from the east: Take I-80 west to the Avoca exit (Exit 40). Take U.S. 59 south to U.S. 34 and head west to County Road M16 / 370th Street, then go 3 miles north.
From the west: Take I-80 east to I-20 south. Take the Glenwood exit (Exit 35), then U.S. 34 east to 370thStreet / Co Rd M16 and go north 3 miles.
Please note: The brige on Co Rd M16 / 370th Street is closed; thus, the U.S. 34 to Co Rd M16 is the best route.
Practical Farmers’ 2018 field days are supported by several sustaining and major sponsors, including: Albert Lea Seed; Applegate Natural & Organic Meats; Blue River Organic Seed; Cascadian Farms; Center for Rural Affairs; Farm Credit Services of America; Gandy Cover Crop Seeders; Grain Millers, Inc.; Green Cover Seed; Green Thumb Commodities; Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance; Iowa Beef Center; Iowa State University Department of Agronomy; Iowa Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE); ISU Extension and Outreach; La Crosse Forage and Turf Seed; MOSA Organic Certification; Natural Resources Defense Council; Organic Valley / Organic Prairie;PepsiCo; Pipeline Foods; Premier 1 Supplies; Sunrise Foods International; The DeLong Company; The Fertrell Company; The Scoular Company; Unilever; University of Iowa College of Public Health (I-CASH); USDA: Natural Resources Conservation Service; Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture; and Welter Seed & Honey Co.
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Practical Farmers of Iowa works to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities. Our values include: welcoming everyone; farmers leading the exchange of experience and knowledge; curiosity, creativity, collaboration and community; resilient farms now and for future generations; and stewardship of land and resources. To learn more, visit http://practicalfarmers.org.