Launch Party
Alexis Stewart, host of the hit show Whatever, Martha!, kicked off the evening in her Tribeca home with a spectacular spread of vegan hors d'oeuvres and a warm welcome. “There are some things I wish would just go away,” Alexis explained. “One of them is factory farming.” Her friend and Farm Forward board member, novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, then took the floor, explaining that before the birth of his son, he too had gone vegetarian—several times. Paraphrasing the famous quote about quitting smoking by Mark Twain, Foer joked, “it's easy to go vegetarian, I've done it dozens of times.” But after the birth of his first son, Foer felt the need to take his food decisions more seriously. “Feeding your child isn't like feeding yourself,” he said. “It matters more.”
Foer's concern about the cruelty to animals and ecological devastation caused by factory farming has ultimately led him to devote his next book, which is his first work of nonfiction, to the topic of food. Reading from the first chapter, he gave Farm Forward’s guests a sneak peek at the book during his talk. (We can't say more about the book just yet, but sign up for the Farm Forward newsletter to receive a preview as soon as we can).
Celebrity chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill restaurant then spoke about the possibility of humanely produced foie gras (fatty goose liver), which at first sounds about as likely as eco-friendly toxic waste. Barber, a farmer himself, told an astonishing story about Eduardo Sousa, a foie gras farmer in Spain who is literally one of a kind. With the exception of Eduardo, virtually all foie gras is produced by the painful practice—outlawed in several countries, American cities, and in the state of California—of force feeding geese by pumping grain down their throats using long pipes or tubes. This causes the livers to become fatty and acquire a sought-after taste, but is terribly painful for the animals.
Eduardo's family has raised geese in large pastures lush with a wide variety of plants geese naturally enjoy for generations. Dan explained that while Eduardo used to keep an electrical fence around the pasture, he recently removed it, saying he feared it made the geese “feel manipulated.” Eduardo created an ingenious system that uses two separate fences: An electric fence is set up as parameter to keep predators out, and a separate, standard fence is set up within the parameter to keep the geese contained. The new fence opens the possibility of geese escaping, but Eduardo told Dan that the geese both seemed happier and actually grew lager as a result of his new system. According to Eduardo, the geese are capable of migrating, but don't. While some have argued that geese simply have a mechanistic migration instinct, Eduardo disagrees. Geese, he says, are much more complicated. A goose's “instinct,” he argues, is to find the conditions best suited to comfort and happiness.
At the right time of year, Eduardo provides the geese specific types of food that cause them to voluntarily overfeed, producing the same fatty livers without any of the cruelty. Dan told us that the liver is of far superior quality. Using Eduardo’s system, human pleasure and humane treatment go hand in hand.
Rounding out the evening was fourth-generation Kansas poultry farmer and Farm Forward board member, Frank Reese, whose work and message are detailed here. Frank emphasized that even chickens and turkeys from free range and organic farms are produced using the same Frankenstein breeds that were created fewer than fifty years ago. The very genetics of these birds—ninety-nine percent of the poultry available today—prevents them from living lives free from suffering, he argued. Farm Forward is working with Frank to create a truly humane and sustainable poultry industry based on traditional genetic lines and husbandry techniques.
As guests left the event, each received an original print donated by acclaimed graphic artist, Tom Manning. The piece was designed specifically for the Farm Forward launch party. Just 70 signed and numbered prints, and a few artist proofs were produced (see below for information on how you could be among the lucky few to get one of the remaining posters!). Alexis's own parting gift to attendees included some incredible vegan cookies that she baked herself. Trust us… They were amazing. Thanks Alexis!
Farm Forward is giving away the remaining three original posters!
Just because you couldn’t make it to the official Farm Forward launch party doesn’t mean you missed your chance to get one of Tom Manning’s original posters. Three newsletter subscribers will be randomly selected to receive one of the remaining posters! Don’t miss your chance to own a piece of Farm Forward history: Sign up for the Farm Forward newsletter and tell your friends and family to do the same!
