Where do we grow our food?  How do we grow it?  How much do we know about what farmers have to do to survive on the farm today?  Which environmental choices will ensure long-term food production?

I want to address these questions and others.  Our lives depend on agriculture, but we often know far less about how our food is produced than we would like.   

Farming is one of the most complex of human systems, and that is why I find it a fascinating topic to study.  It calls on our science knowledge, ranging from chemistry to entomology to ecology.  Understanding how it varies across the landscape also requires us to analyze why people make different decisions than their neighbors and how those decisions change over time.

I plan to use this blog to examine our approaches to agriculture as well as the environment.  My perspective as a geographer will influence what I write, but so will my past as a science teacher, Peace Corps volunteer and farmworker.  I look forward to hearing back from all of you as I write.