a catskill eagle

susie-c:

A rough cut of an interview with UC Berkeley agroecology professor Miguel Altieri at the Gill Tract farm occupation this morning. Altieri has used the Gill Tract for his research for the past 31 years. This morning he and farmers at the Gill Tract planted his experimental “dry-farm” tomatoes. Altieri was planning to come to the farm with his students at 8:30 a.m. for the planting, but after UC police blockaded entrances to the tract, he said he felt the situation wasn’t safe for his students.

Altieri mentions the 1887 Hatch Act, which set aside federal funds for land-grant universities in order to create agricultural experiment stations aimed at studying food production and agriculture.

More audio and drawings from the farm to come.