Presented by Solano County Farm Bureau
"Farmer" PANEL
Friday, 9/16, 10am
PANELISTS:
Justina Salinas - Owner/Farmer, Araceli Farms (Dixon)
Rafael Galiano - Owner/Farmer, Park Winters Flower Farm (Winters)
Ben Lyons - Owner/Farmer, Lockewood Acres (Vacaville)
MODERATOR:
Lisa Murray, Festival Director
Presented by Solano County Farm Bureau
(Scroll down for film descriptions)
"Apple Harvest" Trailer
SCREENING:
Friday, 9/15 at 10am
COUNTRY: CANADA
SYNOPSIS:
A celebration of the apple growing season and farmers of the Blue Mountains area of Ontario.
"The Hoof Trimmer" Trailer
SCREENING:
Friday, 9/15 at 10am
Screening with "Apple Harvest" in "Ag Shorts"
COUNTRY: US
SYNOPSIS: Mark Burwell has been giving cows pedicures for 22 years. He is one of roughly five thousand cow hoof trimmers in North America. Without them the modern dairy industry would cease to exist
SCREENING:
Friday, 9/15 at 10am
COUNTRY: CANADA
SYNOPSIS:
A celebration of the apple growing season and farmers of the Blue Mountains area of Ontario.
SCREENING:
Friday, 9/15 at 10am
Screening with "Apple Harvest" in "Ag Shorts"
COUNTRY: US
SYNOPSIS:
“Red Harvest” is an acidic, biting reflection on the changing landscape of the rural Midwest, centered on a speech by President Reagan in which he expresses empathy and support for small family farms just a few years before his administration gutted governmental support for farmers and decimated small communities across the rural Midwest.
SCREENING:
Friday, 9/15 at 10am
Screening with "Apple Harvest" in "Ag Shorts"
COUNTRY: US
SYNOPSIS:
Mark Burwell has been giving cows pedicures for 22 years. He is one of roughly five thousand cow hoof trimmers in North America. Without them the modern dairy industry would cease to exist. Since the Industrial Revolution and introduction of mass agriculture, dairy cows have lived in environments that are hard on their bodies. Individual cows are being milked more than they were one hundred years ago to keep up with consumer demand. The result is an increase in hoof problems.
If a cow’s hoof becomes overgrown or infected, then she is no longer able to walk, eat, or produce milk. As Burwell puts it, “It’s like your car, if your tires aren’t good then you’re not going anywhere.” Burwell is passionate about cow welfare. He advocates for the humane treatment of farm animals because he knows when cows are healthy and happy they produce more product.
Through visuals of Burwell’s daily work on Virginian dairy farms, this film provides insight about the critical function of hoof trimming, which keeps milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products on millions of Americans’ tables.
SCREENING:
Friday, 9/15 at 10am
Screening with "Apple Harvest" in "Ag Shorts"
COUNTRY: Ireland
SYNOPSIS:
Based around an Ulster-Scots poem by Charlie Gillen, this horse ploughing drama follows an old farmer and his old mare as they both struggle with old age. Both horse and man have been through tough times together and, even though they have seen the progress of man and machinery, they have stuck to their old fashioned ways. As they come to the end of their journey the farmer questions whether he should keep going or let both of them retire.
I pye't richt an' dear
For a three year oul mere'
But she's walkin in front o’ me yet,
At thirteen I wus hir’t,
It’s gyely time I retir't,
sixty years hae's flew by far ower shane,
But whut wud I dae
For tae pit in mae day,
Damn' it I wud miss bein oot here mae lane.
SCREENING:
Friday, 9/15 at 2pm
COUNTRY: SOUTH AFRICA
SYNOPSIS:
The Last Seed focuses on broad themes relating to the state of food and agriculture in Africa in the 21st century. Placing the struggle over the control of seed at the centre, it explains the processes that have led to this moment in human history and what it would take to interact with the planet in a way that does not threaten the very basis of life on earth.
SCREENING:
Friday, 9/15 at 2pm
COUNTRY: SOUTH AFRICA
SYNOPSIS:
The Last Seed focuses on broad themes relating to the state of food and agriculture in Africa in the 21st century. Placing the struggle over the control of seed at the centre, it explains the processes that have led to this moment in human history and what it would take to interact with the planet in a way that does not threaten the very basis of life on earth. The film raises two fundamental questions - what have we lost, and who can show us a better way? - and attempts to answer these questions using music, dance, moving visuals and the lived experiences and stories of African small-scale food producers. Experts outline the extent of the corporate capture crisis, explaining the underlying science, politics and economics in simple terms, punctuated by vibrant animations. Agroecological farmers from various African nations give testimony on the sustainability and adaptability of their agricultural practices and share morsels of wisdom worth exploring. The film ends on an upbeat note as Senegalese women rise up, determined to protect their seeds and indigenous knowledge for future generations.