By Maryann Alston

Whether it be watching my two-year-old pick lettuce right from the plant and eat it, or being bent down on my knees for hours planting hundreds of cloves of garlic, and then coming to find that after the snow melts, the garlic is actually peeking its way into the world; these are some of the things that make me proud to be an AgriAdvocate.

Agriculture is not just a hobby, it sustains lives, and if done properly, nourishes the environment and population for years to come. From my short experience of being an urban farmer, I have found how rewarding it is to share your harvest with those around you, and how important the local growing movement is to the overall vitality and health of our communities.

Farming, however, is only one piece of the local food production puzzle. For farming to thrive and continue, the local population needs a place where people can go to understand and connect with these local food producers. And this is why, I created the Wasatch Front Farmers Market. The market is a non-profit organization dedicated to hosting farmers’ markets that bring local food producers and consumers together. And this is yet, another piece of the puzzle. Yes, there are already farmers’ markets in Utah, but ours are different. They are held on farms. People travel to zoos to see wild animals, so, why not bring people to farms to show them what a farm is truly like? Our markets sometimes have roosters stepping in front of traffic, but this is what our markets are all about. You can raise chickens. You can raise bees. You can grow your own food. You can make your own jam. You can! You can! You can! And this is why I am an AgriAdvocate!

Here’s to a truly local economy!

Maryann Alston
Director, Wasatch Front Farmers Market
www.wasatchfrontfarmersmarket.org