Help 'Farmer John' Peterson Turn His Dairy Barn Into A Learning Center

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jan 24, 2013 5:00PM

John Peterson has become one of the faces of small-scale American agriculture. He was the subject of the documentary "The Real Dirt on Farmer John", he's a mainstay of the local agriculture community and his farm hosts the Angelic Organics Learning Center. The Center brings in thousands of people to learn about farming, take classes and tours and discover the world of growing food. Now, he is trying to renovate and improve a space for classes and workshops and he wants your help.

Peterson started a kickstarter campaign called "Barns Are For People Too" to raise money. "When you really look at what we're doing here, we're creating a place to share with others, that others can benefit from." The beautiful old dairy barn (check out the film below) needs a lot of work to turn it into a safe, reliable space for education.

Promoting local food isn't just about eating heirloom tomatoes and shopping at farmers markets. It's about education, and providing the spaces and resources to teach people about their food. If we don't have these spaces, where will the next generation of farmers come from? So if you're a local eater, consider a donation. There are all sorts of fun gifts like Angelic Organics products, DVDs, cookbooks and more.